I don’t watch a lot of comedies, but I do watch New Girl. Think Three’s Company, but more roommates, flip the male to female ratio and no landlord issues. Initially I found the titular character, also known as Jess, really annoying. She is a proudly sexual female who can’t say the word penis. On Thanksgiving Day, she threw out an entire turkey because her divorced parents, played by the fabulous Jaimie Lee Curtis and Rob Reiner, hooked up. She inadvertently ruins people’s lives regularly, including an ex-boyfriend. Jess is at her best when things are not going her way-when she doesn’t have a job or a love interest. Otherwise her controlling, cute act gets to be a bit much.
What makes viewers return to New Girl every season are the other characters’ chemistry and each character’s development over the years. They have gone from men without careers or who are afraid of commitment to men with careers and embracing steady relationships. The characters are so loveable that the actors who play them get plucked from the TV show, renamed and placed in movies like Let’s Be Cops or Hello or My Name Is Doris.
Let’s be honest-last year, there was a big chunk of season 5 without Zooey Deschanel, who is a show biz boss, and it did not hurt the show a little bit. Cece, Jess’ best friend and Schmidt’s significant other, played by Hannah Simone, stepped into a larger comedic role in New Girl without missing a beat.
While New Girl is an amusing diversion and is not changing any lives, it stands the test of time because viewers genuinely care about the characters as crafted by a dream comedic ensemble.