‘Girls’ Season 3 Wrap-Up: Season 4 Reduced to 10 Episodes, Adam Driver Plans Revealed
Last night's 'Girls' season 3 finale "Two Plane Rides" proved far less polarizing than its predecessors, cementing the third year of HBO's Lena Dunham dramedy on a much more even keel overall. Now, as planning begins for an already-ordered fourth season of 'Girls,' executive producer Judd Apatow reveals that the episode order has been cut, while showrunner Jenni Konner has her own insights into the fourth season.
Whereas 'Girls' season 3 saw the half-hour dramedy expanded to a run of 12 episodes, it seems that difficulties with HBO scheduling will likely bring the season 4 episode order back down to 10. Speaking to HitFix, executive producer Judd Apatow specified that while the increased order allowed 'Girls' to go deeper into the issues it presented, logistical issues would likely prove 10 episodes more feasible for season 4.
I am a big fan of doing more episodes. Unfortunately, most of the shows on HBO are 10 episodes, so I think we will be doing 10 next year. We don't line up with anybody when we do 12. That's why we double-pumped episodes at the beginning of the season and it's why there's no one around us (at the end).
I am a fan of shows being on the air for a long time so we can talk about them every week and are part of our lives. The idea that they pop up and disappear very quickly, I find disturbing. I think we'll go back to 10 episodes next season, but I think this season benefited from having more. You can go deeper into the ideas you're expressing.
Meanwhile, co-showrunner Jenni Konner spoke to Vulture to clarify a few lingering questions toward the fourth season, including that of series star Adam Driver's availability in the wake of his supposed 'Star Wars: Episode 7' casting. Konner confirmed that the character would indeed be present for 'Girls' season 4, without implying any real disruption to his schedule, though as Driver's 'Star Wars' gig remains somewhat unconfirmed, Konner could only offer so much commentary.
Elsewhere, we at least know that series star Andrew Rannells will enter season 4 promoted to series regular, while Konner also confirmed that we'd see Hannah undertaking the Iowa writers' graduate school program that became a focus of the season 3 finale. "We always thought it would be really interesting to see Hannah amongst other writers," Konner told Vulture. "We just wanted to see her in the context of other writers, and I’ve also always thought graduate school is this rich, academic world where people speak differently and think differently. Their whole job is to create. It just changes who you are when you’re there."
Well, what do you think? Will 'Girls' season 4 prove all the better for a reduced episode order? Will Adam Driver have a reduced role? Tell us what you thought of the third season, and what you'd like to see from 'Girls' season 4 in 2015!