Mapping the Girls Effect

The sixth and last season of HBO’s Girls premieres on Feb. 12. Though its audience was relatively small over the years, the show had an outsize impact on popular culture as the millennial generation’s not-always-flattering TV avatar. Critics now reflexively compare shows written by and starring a young woman to Girls. Networks, based on the show’s hype, greenlighted a raft of programs examining feminism, youthful angst and awkward nudity. The show’s star and creator, Lena Dunham, became a controversial figure too, thanks to her political campaigns, celebrity friendships and newsletter featuring A-list writers. Here’s how far her influence reached:

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GROUNDBREAKERS

MINDY KALING

THE MINDY PROJECT

LOOKING

INSECURE

JILL SOLOWAY

TRANSPARENT

GABY HOFFMANN

JAKE LACY

JENNY SLATE

OBVIOUS CHILD

CRAZY EX-GIRLFRIEND

RACHEL BLOOM

BROAD CITY

MASTER OF NONE

ATLANTA

ACTIVISM

JENNIFER LAWRENCE

HILLARY CLINTON

DUNHAM’S PLANNED PARENTHOOD VIDEO

AMY POEHLER

MERYL STREEP

ASHLEY GRAHAM

JACK ANTONOFF

TAYLOR SWIFT

BLOCKBUSTERS

LUPITA NYONG’O

RIZ AHMED

STAR WARS

ADAM DRIVER

DONALD GLOVER

ZACHARY QUINTO

RAW COMEDY

INSIDE AMY SCHUMER

AMY SCHUMER

TRAINWRECK

JUDD APATOW

LOVE

GILLIAN JACOBS

PROMOTED FEMINISM

FEATURED MILLENNIAL MALAISE

CITED GIRLS AS INSPIRATION

DEPICTED REALISTIC SEX

COLLABORATED WITH DUNHAM

CREATED BY AND STARRING WOMEN

GUEST-STARRED ON GIRLS