''Delusional Downtown Divas'' is a scripted comedy

webseries A web series (also known as a web show) is a series of scripted or non-scripted online videos, generally in episodic form, released on the Internet, which first emerged in the late 1990s and became more prominent in the early 2000s. A single i ...

by Lena Dunham. The show was originally commissioned by ''

Index Magazine ''index Magazine'' was a New York City-based publication with interviews with art and culture figures. It was created by Peter Halley and Bob Nickas in 1996, running until late 2005. Covering the burgeoning indie culture of the 1990s, ''Index'' ...

'' (founded by Isabel Halley’s father, the artist

Peter Halley Peter Halley (born 1953) is an American artist and a central figure in the Neo-Conceptualist movement of the 1980s. Known for his Day-Glo geometric paintings, Halley is also a writer, the former publisher of ''index Magazine'', and a teacher; he ...

) and was first shown at the

Art Production Fund Art Production Fund (APF) is a non-profit organization under section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. tax code that presents public art throughout the United States. It was founded in 2000 by Yvonne Force Villareal and Doreen Remen. it is directed by Casey ...

lab in January 2009. The show revolves around three young women who were raised amidst the New York City art world. Through the course of the show, the characters try to establish themselves in the art community with mixed success. The series heavily parodies the New York art world. Art industry insiders such as Yvonne Force Villareal,

Nate Lowman Nate Lowman (born 1979 in Las Vegas Valley) is an American artist working in the genre of pop art. He grew up in Idyllwild–Pine Cove, California, Idyllwild, CA where he graduated from Idyllwild Arts Academy. He received his Bachelor of Science d ...

Rob Pruitt Rob Pruitt (born 1963/1964) is an American post-conceptual artist. Working primarily in painting, installation, and sculpture, he does not have a single style or medium. He considers his work to be intensely personal and biographical. Pruitt has ...

, and others have cameos. The show brought much attention to creator

Lena Dunham Lena Dunham (, born May 13, 1986) is an American writer, director, actress, and producer. She is known as the creator, writer, and star of the HBO television series ''Girls'' (2012–2017), for which she received several Emmy Award nominations a ...

. In 2010, it was announced that Dunham was creating a television show for HBO. The show, ''

Girls A girl is a young female human, usually a child or an adolescent. When a girl becomes an adult, she is accurately described as a ''woman''. However, the term ''girl'' is also used for other meanings, including ''young woman'',Dictionary.c ...

'', draws from Dunham's first show, Delusional Downtown Divas.

Cast and characters

*Swann (Joana D'Avillez), is a private performance artist. Her performances pieces are generally so private that no one sees them. *AgNess (Isabel Halley), is the self described "business woman" of the Divas. All of the characters live at AgNess' parents house. *Oona (

), considers herself to be a novelist, but it's unclear if she's ever written anything more than the first third of her novel.

References

{{Reflist American comedy web series Television shows set in New York City