Of the many freshmen series that premiered last fall, New Girl was among the top of must-watch comedy series lists for many entertainment publications.
The anticipation was born, in large part, because of the famed quirkiness of lead actress Zooey Deschanel, who plays the titular character, who in turn is extra quirky herself.
Add in a really awesome teaser trailer and Marvin's adoration for Zooey Deschanel, and we just had to check it out.
Jess Day (Zooey Deschanel) decides to surprise her boyfriend, only to come home to find out that he is cheating on her. Moving out of the house she shared with her now ex-boyfriend, she tries to find a new place to live and decides to answer an ad for a new roommate placed by Nick Miller (Jake Johnson), Schmidt (Max Greenfield) and Coach (Damon Wayans), who later moves out and is replaced by former roommate Winston Bishop (Lamorne Morris). Swayed by the fact that Jess is best friends with a model, Cece Meyers (Hannah Simone), and thinking that she might bring models over all the time, they decide to accept her as a roommate in their loft despite being a girl. The boys soon realize that Jess is not quite the normal girl, exhibiting innocence, quirkiness, a penchant to sing her own theme song, and a desire to watch Dirty Dancing many, many, many times to deal with her heartbreak.
The first part of the season is focused on showing the audience and the boys on how crazy life in the loft had become with Jess in the picture. Jess finds herself in a series of funny, embarrassing and socially awkward situations that is primarily caused by her oftentimes misplaced innocence. Yet, you still end up finding her endearing, even if you want to face palm yourself every time Jess ends up in a situation that causes you to wonder about her sanity and life choices. Much credit for this rather polarizing impression goes to Zooey Deschanel, who was really just the obvious choice to play the titular New Girl.
While it's fun to see the various antics of Jess, the real turning point for me was when the series evolved into an ensemble cast, instead of sticking to the concept of lead quirky girl with a bunch of reactive supporting characters. Just when I thought that I would tire of the formula that featured Jess in an awkward situation in every episode, the TV series suddenly held more appeal when the three male roommates were given more time to showcase their personalities.
I think everyone who has watched New Girl can say that it's inevitable that Jess and Nick will end up together. Or go through a weird dating phase by going out with each other, which will be hilariously awkward and awesome to watch. Either way, I'm rooting for the former law student turned underachieving bartender. In the beginning of the series, I thought that Nick would be the most normal among the boys. Somewhere along the way, he became as much of a caricature character as the others, exhibiting kookiness, freak out moments and misplaced admiration for members of the same sex. And I have to admit, I like crazy Nick better than a Nick who's got it all together.
I wonder how the series would have ended up if Damon Wayans continued his role as Coach. I thoroughly enjoyed his short appearance in the pilot episode as the roommate with rage control issues, before he had to return to work on the second season of Happy Endings. Though I have no complaints about Lamorne Morris playing the uber competitive Winston, who had to return state side when his basketball playing stint in Latvia ended. I like how his ability to be good in everything he tries out is tempered with random weaknesses, such as a fear of the dark or his refusal to buy a new car even when his old one is reduced to being taped, roped and glued together.
Of the three male characters, it is Schmidt who ended up with the most fan love. In fact, the fans loved him so much that they lobbied hard for him to end up with Cece, who is obviously way out of his league. Schmidt is undoubtedly a douche, but he's also a lovable schmuck who recognizes that he's not as cool as he claims to be. Is it weird, though, that I find his OCD to be the most endearing thing about him? Much of the credit to Schmidt's popularity is credited to Max Greenfield, who is pretty much game with anything the writers make him do, including making a promotional online dating profile video that is just the best The Hills opening theme rip-off I've ever seen. By the way, I'm still rooting for a Kristen Bell (who is a regular on Showtime's House of Lies) guest spot for a Veronica Mars reunion.
New Girl also gave us a lot of memorable guest appearances. I was Party Down fangirling out when Lizzy Caplan appeared in a few episodes as a potential love interest for Nick. Justin Long, Dermot Mulroney and Ryan Kwanten also made appearances as the men in Jess's life. I now have a better appreciation for Justin Long after watching his turn as Paul, who is about as equally quirky as Jess and makes the worst crying face I have ever seen.
What ultimately makes the New Girl a success is that it is so much more than a comedy series that shows us the crazy things quirky people can get themselves in, even if they are so much fun to watch. What makes it great is that it lets the actual non-comedic human characteristics shine in each of its characters and that these characters share great relationships with each other. And the last few moments of the season finale showcased that, even if the Schmidt and Cece exchange made me a little sad.
And what is the greatest lesson that I learned from New Girl?
Think less like the road runner and more like a coyote.
It just might save your life.
Oh, and that New Girl is a definite must-watch comedy series. FOX definitely thinks so, too, because the show has been picked up for a second season after all.
Happy viewing!!Labels: Comedy, FOX, Must-Watch, New Girl, TV, TV Series
