BLOGS
We understand that New Girl is not going to be everyone's cup of twee. There are legions of people out there who hate Zooey Deschanel's quirky style and personality. Those people should not watch this show -- there's absolutely no way that they will ever be able to look beyond Zooey's dorky-girl-next-door character to see that this sitcom is actually fast-paced, clever and entertaining. Since we weren't predisposed to despise her, we found ourselves utterly drawn under her spell. That said, this show isn't all about her -- there are plenty of other oddball elements that make this series our favorite comedy of the fall (we'd say the season, but ABC's upcoming Apartment 23 might win that battle). Here's what we adored about the pilot:
Best Stripper Name Ever
Rebecca Johnson. Well, Tiger Boobs runs a close second, but honestly, we like the uninspired nature of Rebecca Johnson better. And the fact that Jess felt like she needed to have her stripper persona have a heart of gold and college aspirations.
The Singing
Yes, it would get annoying if Jess was an actual person that we'd have to spend any amount of time with in real life, but since she's not, her singing is a bizarrely wonderful character trait. "Doing sexy stuff with the plant" is just one choice lyric, but "Who's that girl? It's Jess!" really should be the name of the show. We'd love more flashbacks of her singing such tunes as "One of Us" at inappropriate venues.
Schmidt
He's desperate, the most frequent contributor to the douchebag jar and just so eager to fit in that he'll do anything to score women. Including taking his top off as frequently as possible. Plus, we've loved Max Greenfield since he was Deputy Leo on Veronica Mars, so we're always happy to see him gainfully employed... and randomly taking his shirt off.
LOTR Love
Maybe it was just pandering to us nerds, but when Jess started mumbling about Gandalf and Smeagol, we knew we might be in serious love with her.
Coach
Damon Wayans Jr. is only around for the pilot, but his character was so filled with rage that we were happy we got him at all (he is completely underserved by Happy Endings). We feel the same way about jeggings, Coach.
Excessive Dirty Dancing Viewing
Every rom-com in the world has girls weeping, eating ice cream and watching sappy movies, but this one took it to a new level with the recently dumped Jess watching this '80s classic on a loop six or seven times a day. The repetition really made this gag stand out, and seeing her male roommates react to the film and then coming to her rescue to sing "Time of My Life" was both sweet and pretty inspired.
Jess' Cotton Candy World
She lives in a bubble where she thinks dressing in overalls is perfectly fine and where motor boating or tea-bagging don't exist. It's not the real world at all, but sometimes we just want to watch a show where a girl turns slutty after some pink wine and thinks that everything is all sparkly and filled with rainbows. It's a nice respite from the gritty dramas like Breaking Bad and Sons of Anarchy that dominate so much of our TV diet.
Brother Husbands
These roommates might give her flack, but they pick her up when she really needs help after being stood up. They are even willing to pretend to be reverse Mormons in order to lift her spirits. Not to mention happily telling a random waitress that one man just isn't enough for her. That could actually take the show in a whole bizarre new direction...
Dating Don'ts
Jess is clearly a trainwreck when it comes to men, which may be hard to believe since she's more than a little attractive -- though then again, she does sing to herself. But we like the way her new roommates are teaching her to be sex kitten: "You want to forget about Spencer, you are going to have to do some very bad things to that man over there." "How bad?" "Real bad." We imagine that she thinks that real bad connotes having sex with the lights on (after hearing her stripper name, we wouldn't be surprised), but we found it amusing that she was willing to try.
So yes, Jess is possibly unbelievable dorky. Yes, she would be annoying if she actually existed in reality and we'd want to smack her in the face. Yes, she's in her own little world. However, we enjoy her pals, her pop culture references and Deschanel's committed performance. Plus, there were just enough moments of reality in there (hell, who hasn't overshared and been completely awkward around potential hookups, or struggled to wear high heels, or had a mother worried that strangers on Craigslist were going to kill them?) to keep it from being a complete cartoon. So while we may get skewered for liking this show and its star, we don't care. We hope this New Girl sticks around long enough to make the title sound outdated.
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I'm glad TWoP likes this show. I was afraid I was the only one, that nobody would understand my love for Zooey Deschanel, or for people who randomly sing off-key.
Feeling totally validated now :D If only it wasn't on at the same time as Ringer. Damn DVR-less existence...
Television Without Pity, people. WITHOUT.
...WTF is your point?
Actually ... I don't get it! I found this whole show completely unbearable! And believe me ...in real life nobody would want to spend more than 10 minutes with Deschanel’s annoying, forceably cutesy , self-absorbed character – let alone live with that kind of person. Least of all three grown-up men.
This whole mess is just trying way too hard and I felt like the whole show is just there to force Deschanel's superspecial, uniquely awesome pixie-dreamgirl shtick down my throat.And I'm not the only one. Every woman I talked about the show today hated it ...with nuclear capability!
I liked it, or most of it anyway. My concern is that the same "cup of twee" (kudos for that line) that's amusing in a pilot will start to grate after a few more episodes.
But then again, I eagerly watched every episode of Pushing Daises as it was broadcast, so I'm probably not the best judge.
I thought it was really cute and the jokes were less formula then I was bracing myself for. Still, it did feel like a slightly more upscale version of the TBS show 'My Boys.' And wait.. coach is only in the pilot? That makes me sad.. he was one of my favorites!
It was ok, I'm not overly impressed ....Parts of it were dumb and unrealistic; definitely not as funny as I thought it would be but I'll give it another try next week.
Obviously, you didn't speak to me, cause I am a woman, and I loved it. Here's hoping I'm not the only one, because I can see how not many people would like this type of comedy, and it getting the shaft right quick.
I think it's hilarious that Angel bags on Raising Hope for lifting a plot from Family Guy (which was the point of the storyline) but misses that the reverse Mormon thing was lifted from Raising Hope. Apparently you need hipster glasses to get a pass on plot stealing.
Obviously ... which is why I wrote „Every woman I TALKED TO“ ... which means women of my aquaintance. Since I do not know you/have never met you, I could not have spoken to you.
I really liked the pilot. Obviously they'll need to find their groove, but it was a really strong first outing. I'm sad that Coach will not be in any more episodes.
Also, I'm crushing on the roommate who will clearly develop feelings for Jess- he's so cute!
Who's that girl? It's Jess!!
I loved it! The ending was so great!
It was cute. And did not seem to fall into the normal sitcom routine. Unlike shows such as 2.5 Men -- those sitcoms feel like simple delivery mechanisms for stand-up comedy jokes.
I was expecting a lot from this show, and I got it. I laughed so hard. I thought it was absolutely hilarious, and I adore Zooey Deschanel.
That kitty person seems like an idiot. Where and how is this shoving going on? And her response to kricka is completely nonsensical.
I found it incredibly annoying and turned the channel about half way through. She was grating.
That Kitty person makes perfect sense. If you cannot understand it, you must be the idiot.
Loved Zooey. Loved the LOTR references. Loved the Douchebag Jar. I laughed out loud so I'll stick with it until I stop.
It could be good, but the pilot was still a little too annoying at times for me - i'll give it a few more weeks to see wha kind of tone it develops.
I typically find Zooey Deschanel annoying/bordering on unwatchable (with the exception of Elf, which was before she got all 'aren't I the most precocious oddball EVER??'). Hence, I reluctantly watched the first episode, FULLY expecting to hate it. I didn't! I even lol'd at the 'smeagol lives in a cave' line, and I'm not even a LOTR nerd. It wasn't firing 100% right out of the gate, but it was entirely watchable and there were funny lines. The whole scene in the bathroom with the roommate asking her if she shaved her legs- fronts and backs? Very clever little bit of writing, as was the detail that Zooey was showering in her bathing suit- totally believable if you just moved in with 3 strange men with a communal shower.
I generally like Deschanel, but I found this pilot to be excruciating. It felt smug and too sure of its ironic quickiness, to the point that it felt strained. I also don't buy the lead character as a functional human being as opposed to something created solely on TV to pass for 'nerdy cute' when it's not convincingly either.
On top of that... it wasn't particularly funny.
Like the actress. Wasn't sold on this pilot. At all.
"Yes, she would be annoying if she actually existed in reality and we'd want to smack her in the face."
I too believed that the Manic Pixie Girl was a made-up TV thing. And then I ended up having to work with one for a year and a half. The only difference was she wasn't nerdy, she was new-agey, and she lived in a completely different universe that might sound charming on paper but when you have to actually interact with it on any regular basis...Oh my god, you have no idea.
I watched this pilot and had flashbacks like you wouldn't believe. Especially the singing. Ever had a Manic Pixie Girl walk into a one-on-one meeting with you and start singing "Time of My Life" directly at you? For over a minute? At full volume? And nothing you did would shut her up?
Get the behind me, show.
I'm really sick of the Happy Endings hate. Have any of the staff actually watch it? It is really good, especially considering they aired it out of order in a bad timeslot. I really liked Coach on New Girl, but I'd rather Happy Endings continue.
I don't always agree with TWOP, but this time I do. I really like Zooey, but wasn't sure what to expect with this show. My 14 yr. old son watched this with me and he laughed more than I did. He loved the "douchebag" jar! There were some problems with it, but I think it has potential. Glad to see it is paired with Raising Hope--my favorite new show of last year.
I found it a little annoying at times, but overall it was sweet, and I'll definitely watch future episodes. I really loved the ending, and look forward to seeing what develops between Jess and the bartender. It made me smile, which is more than I can say for a lot of the schlock on TV these days.
I watched expecting not to like this show, but found myself charmed by it. I don't think it would work with anyone else in that role, but Zooey pulls it off. My favorite line: "I already ate all the good bread, all that's left...is...health bread."
Zooey and her Manic Pixie Dream Girl are my cup of twee. The rest of the show, not so much. Of the three dudes, only Coach was entertaining. I know Damon Wayans Jr is committed to Crappy Endings, so we have seen the last of him. I do know Coach continues on with a new actor, but said actor will have big shoes to fill. The other two douchebags are interchangeable. And I for one hope they resist the urge to pair Jess up with douchebag who didn't put money in the douchebag jar. There were hints of that in the pilot. Resist the urge creators, resist the urge.
I thought this pilot showed a lot of promise. I laughed out loud quite a number of times. I had no predisposition going into it however, and I had no idea that there are such Zooey Deschannel haters out there. To be honest I rarely think about her, but thought she was good in this show. At any rate, this was 10000% better than that crapfest that premiered the previous night "2 Broke Girls" or whatever it was called. This one is staying on the DVR for a while I think. I really like Damon Wayans Jr., and I'm glad he'll still be on TV on Happy Endings.
I, for one, completely loved the pilot. I laughed out loud in several places, loudly enough to disturb my roommate. Wound up watching it again with her, and it was just as funny the second time. I enjoyed the visit to Jess' cotton-candy rainbow world, and will continue to watch. At least until it becomes more annoying than amusing, anyway.
I'm sad to learn Damon Wayans Jr. won't be in further episodes--one of the things that had me cackling the loudest were his lyrics, "and those bears...in my house...na na na."
Does anyone thinks Jess is what Amy Poehler's Kaitlin (Rick!Rick!) would have been as an adult? The glasses, the dorkiness, the singing...all we need is a stepdad named Rick taking her to the mall.
Does anyone thinks Jess is what Amy Poehler's Kaitlin (Rick!Rick!) would have been as an adult? The glasses, the dorkiness, the singing...all we need is a stepdad named Rick taking her to the mall.
Does anyone thinks Jess is what Amy Poehler's Kaitlin (Rick!Rick!) would have been as an adult? The glasses, the dorkiness, the singing...all we need is a stepdad named Rick taking her to the mall.
I absolutely loathe Zooey Deschanel's Manic Pixie Dream Schtick and find almost everything she's in unbearable. That being said, I loved the pilot. The show really clicked with me, and I'll probably stick with it. I think it helps that the show acknowledges how annoying Manic Pixie Dream Behavior is and portrays the other characters as tolerating her DESPITE her tweeness, and not loving her because of it.
I'm already sick of TWOP's undying love for Zooey Deschanel. Tweets, blogs, photo galleries... WE GET IT! And actually she isn't a "love her or hate her quirky girl." I honestly had no real opinion of her, but if you are going to continue to shove her down my throat I'll be over her before long.
I did watch some of the pilot. Thought Coach was the best character, so that's a bummer that he is already gone. It wasn't the worst episode, but Zooey is about as stiff at acting as her sister. I have grown to love Bones (mostly for the supporting cast), so perhaps I will end up digging this show, but I wasn't blown away yet. Hoping that the "quirky" will get turned down a little once the show gets its feet.
I really disliked this pilot, especially the watching Dirty Dancing a million times in row. How unoriginal and ugh was that! Standard chick stereotypes, lovely. I did like 500 Days of Summer and Elf. I think it helps that in both of those movies, she was with guy who was needy and she became the adult in the relationship. I think her schtick works better when she is a quirky grow-up. In this she came off kinda like a four year girl.
I liked Pushing Daises because there was more going on and no except Ned really liked Chuck at first. Plus I felt like Chuck was more a character of the show than a vehicle for Anna Friel.
I like the idea of the Manic Pixie Dream Girl but no one really likes one in real life.
I am concerned they are stealing ideas from Raising Hope.
I also like Bones and I find her sister very entertaining but not as MPDG as anyone here.
Finally I totally watch Zooey on Law & Order SUV. I think that would be really awesome guest star move. Think of all the roles she could play.
Um, I think the point was (the way I see it) is that godiva thought this was a gushing review that is on a website, usually full of snark even for the shows it loves (ie, go read some of the Alian recaps to see what I'm talking about). This was your average fluff review (though quite detailed) that could have been on any other website. And I agree.
LOL! I can't believe you are the first person to mention the bathing suit in the shower! I thought that was hysterical!
I won't go guessing what other people might mean, but I do hate the whole idea of "snarky." (I hate the word itself. So fucking stupid.) It generally means being an asshole because being an asshole is supposedly funny. People who are caught up in that shit are boring.
First off, I must have been under a rainbow because I had never heard of the term Manic Pixie Dream Girl. I watched this pilot and all I could think of was, "This girl just stole my life...minus the breakup....and roommates...and model friends...and obsession with Dirty Dancing." I can totally be this unicorns-and-rainbows-are-awesome person. Am I this person all the time? No. I would be interested to see if she is this same person in the classroom. But we exist in real life. Sometimes, it's just, I don't know, FUN to be upbeat. Hell, I even make up songs to situations as they happen - something just pops into my head and I go with it. Since I can actually relate to this show and character of Jess, I enjoy it. Heaven forbid someone should be a mostly happy individual that doesn't provide schadenfreude for your own life.
First off, I must have been under a rainbow because I had never heard of the term Manic Pixie Dream Girl. I watched this pilot and all I could think of was, "This girl just stole my life...minus the breakup....and roommates...and model friends...and obsession with Dirty Dancing." I can totally be this unicorns-and-rainbows-are-awesome person. Am I this person all the time? No. I would be interested to see if she is this same person in the classroom. But we exist in real life. Sometimes, it's just, I don't know, FUN to be upbeat. Hell, I even make up songs to situations as they happen - something just pops into my head and I go with it. Since I can actually relate to this show and character of Jess, I enjoy it. Heaven forbid someone should be a mostly happy individual that doesn't provide schadenfreude for your own life.
First off, I must have been under a rainbow because I had never heard of the term Manic Pixie Dream Girl. I watched this pilot and all I could think of was, "This girl just stole my life...minus the breakup....and roommates...and model friends...and obsession with Dirty Dancing." I can totally be this unicorns-and-rainbows-are-awesome person. Am I this person all the time? No. I would be interested to see if she is this same person in the classroom. But we exist in real life. Sometimes, it's just, I don't know, FUN to be upbeat. Hell, I even make up songs to situations as they happen - something just pops into my head and I go with it. Since I can actually relate to this show and character of Jess, I enjoy it. Heaven forbid someone should be a mostly happy individual that doesn't provide schadenfreude for your own life.
I cant take this show at all! I like Zooey most of the time in movies but this show is just so hard to watch. I watched the second episode tonight and its just cringeworthy. The random singing just feels so forced and its so hard to even like any of the characters when the writing is so bad.
That is an insult to Pushing Daises. Sure it didnt last very long but it was good 90% of the time
There are some interesting time limits on this article but I don’t know if I see all of them heart to heart. There's some validity however I will take maintain opinion till I look into it further. Good article , thanks and we want more! Added to FeedBurner as effectively
hey this is probly not gonna happen, but does anyone know how ot find out what alarm clock is being used in season 1 episode 5 right before schmidt goes to sleep beside ceci?!? i really want it