In a move that surprises no one, HBO has renewed its highly discussed, popular and divisive series Girls for a third season with an expanded episode count, totaling twelve.  The series was already brought back early this year (returning in January after premiering last spring in April with the sharp political comedy Veep), and HBO seems eager to ride the zeitgeist wave and bring even more of the series as fast as it can.

Elsewhere, the premium cable channel has ordered a half-hour pilot from Jay and Mark Duplass who are set to write, direct and produce (though not star or appear in) the series called Togetherness.  Togetherness will focus on two couples living under one roof, working through their relationships and pursuing their dreams.  Hit the jump for more.

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HBO, known primarily for its great dramatic content, seems to be putting more of an emphasis on comedic programming moving forward.  In addition to the renewal ofGirlsVeep and Enlightened as well as the Duplass brothers' pilot, they've also optioned an untitled pilot about a group of gay friends in San Francisco, as well as a series from Girls writer Bruce Eric Kaplan called People in New Jersey.  Stephen Merchant, Ricky GervaisOffice writer partner and co-star of The Ricky Gervais Show on HBO, will also be getting his own comedy series, Hello Ladies.

Mark Duplass is probably best known as his portrayal of normal(-ish) guy Pete on FX's fantasy football(-ish) series The League, but he and his brother have also worked on several other projects together, including Jeff, Who Lives At Home as well as a recent appearance on Fox's The Mindy Project.  Togetherness will be their first TV writing project.

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