There is a new HBO series called GIRLS, which is supposed to be about four twenty-something girls living in New York. It has been touted as the show about the millennial generation. Thankfully I watched the show before I read an article that complained about the lack of diversity in the show, considering it is set in New York. I will comment on that in a bit.

I'm not so sure if my dislike in the show was because it is written for women, so I don't get it, or that I'm too old to understand the mindset of the youth of today, or simply that the show sucks. I'm leaning to thinking the show just sucks. The show reminds me a lot of Dawson's Creek, where the cast talks smarter than what the characters actually are, so they come off making grand pronouncements about life and the human condition but ultimately they won't learn from their actions.

Why I say I think the show just sucks instead of me not getting it is with the first scene, where one of the girls is talking to her parents and they are about to cut her funds off, I felt that situation. I could imagine myself with my parents having the same conversation. I felt her pain of realizing the gravy train was ending and the panic that can come over someone when you are blindsided with the news. I figured she would fall but would get up and maybe make strides to do something with her life.

I didn't think she would hang out with her friend and roommate and watch the Mary Tyler Moore Show (who in this day and age would bond with Mary Tyler Moore?) then proceed to fire herself from her internship and then, to feel good about herself she has boring sex with a sloth of a boyfriend or a friend with benefits. Not quite sure what the guy was supposed to be.

The other three characters were similarly clueless while trying to speak like they knew what they were doing. I'm not sure if I was looking for well rounded or stable characters or what, but what I got from all the characters was an impression of spoiled girls who I didn't want to hang around with. I guess it is possible that future episodes will show some growth in the characters, but from what I saw I'm not too eager to follow them on the journey. I don't see anything redeemable in any of the girls in the cast or nothing that makes me like their friends. I will say unlike a lot of sitcoms or other shows set in New York the apartments seem to be as small as what they could reasonably afford, so I will give them points on that.

Now to the article that accused the show of lacking diversity. I probably would have chalked it up to the usual television lack of awareness, but the creator of the show said in the article they might address the lack of diversity if the show goes to another season. Really? I really find it hard, after so many years of complaining, that shows like GIRLS, set in New York, can find the pockets in the city where there are absolutely no minorities and where their characters have never interacted with minorities. While the article tried to put the blame on the creator of the show, I can't leave it as so narrow a net. From all of the producers, writers, and executives that worked and cultivated the show not a single person said anything? And make no mistake, the blame isn't just with this show. From Friends to Sex in the City to How I Met My Mother there have always been shows about New York where the main characters are white and minorities are an after thought. When a show like Living Single or Girlfriends decides to have a black cast, the charges of reverse racism jump up. Truth be told, I don't care enough about the characters or the show to get worked up about the diversity of the show.