Each week, I take a look back at a pilot from the 2011-12 season, first reviewed on my blog during that season. This week, I am looking at FOX's hit comedy New Girl!
The Details:
Premiered: September 20, 2011 on FOX
Starring: Zooey Deschanel, Jake Johnson, Max Greenfield, Damon Wayans Jr. (pilot only), Hannah Simone
Created by: Elizabeth Meriwether
What I Thought Then:
"The show is good but the "it" girl isn't the best part. The best part are the guys she moves in with after a breakup."
"There's a good plot with naturally written dialogue and some truly funny moments."
"[Jess] always seems a little bit drunk and Deschanel always seems like she's overacting just a little bit."
"Apparently I'm the only one who doesn't think Zooey Deschanel is just the most adorable thing to hit our TV screen. This show would be getting a much worse review from me if the guys weren't so strong and the writing wasn't there... maybe Zooey can win me over."
What Others Said:
"New Girl sets up a viable premise and introduces a strong set of supporting characters, which is just what you want from fall's most promising new series." - Robert Bianco, USA Today
"It's the best new comedy of the season, and the only new show I genuinely enjoyed from start to finish, rather than having to squint real hard and try to picture what it might look like once the producers figure out what to do with their stars." - Alan Sepinwall, HitFix
"Viewers will come for Deschanel but they'll stay for the whole package because smart writing, confident timing and characters that are both familiar yet surprisingly fresh make New Girl the most promising comedy, and one of the most promising shows, of the season." - Mary McNamara, Los Angeles Times
"I love this show because I love the wide-eyed star, who is fully engaged in her role here. If you dislike her hipster adorability though, beware." - Matthew Gilbert, Boston Globe
"This truly hideous sitcom offers a postmodernist take on the 1960s comedy That Girl in which Marlo Thomas starred as an aspiring actress with insufferable cuteness." - Glenn Garvin, Miami Herald
What I Think Now:
This was a fun pilot that was representative of the great show it would become. The three guys (including Damon Wayans Jr. who was only in the pilot then had to return to Happy Endings) were already very strong and had great dynamics with each other. I think the weakest part of the pilot was actually Zooey Deschanel. The show was developed around her "adorkable" personality as all the advertising made clear but she was not quite dialed into the role. She (and the writers) didn't seem to know the line between endearing and annoying. It wasn't as dramatic as the early episodes of Parks and Recreation and Amy Poehler. But they must have realized there needed to be a bit less singing, a bit less incredibly weird behavior. By dialing it back just a bit, they had the Jess character figured out shortly after the pilot. Although I've watched through the series twice before revisiting this pilot, I didn't remember how early they started to plant the Nick and Jess seeds (and actually a hint of the Schmidt and Cece seeds too).
What Happened to the Show:
New Girl was the buzzy new comedy of the Fall 2011 season. It got the best reviews of any new comedy (66 on Metacritic) and then premiered to shockingly high numbers (10.3 million viewers and a 4.8 demo, numbers that were unheard of for a live action FOX sitcom). Lamorne Morris joined the show to replace Wayans Jr. (who eventually did become a series regular years later) and while Morris wasn't great from the jump, he became an iconic a character as things went on. New Girl quickly earned a full season and though it lost a bit of ratings momentum when it had to go on the shelf for baseball, it was still a success story for FOX with critical approval (including Emmy nominations for Deschanel and Greenfield) and a lot of love from the coveted young demo. FOX was never successful in building a comedy block around the show (they tried in Fall 2012 and again in Fall 2013 to no avail) and New Girl itself never hit those early ratings highs, eventually settling into more "cult hit" numbers. But it remained a popular, signature show for FOX. It got a post-Super Bowl slot in 2014 but the ratings trajectory continued downward. It was in danger of an abrupt cancellation after six seasons before getting an eight episode seventh and final season that aired in Spring 2018 that gave it a proper finale before it went off the air for good. Though FOX always treated the show well relative to its linear ratings, it really found its groove on Netflix in the first major SVOD deal for FOX. It became a huge hit on the streamer alongside the likes of The Office and Friends and many more fans have discovered the show in the years since it went off the air. For me, I was up and down on the show during its original run but mostly enjoyed it and now look at it nostalgically as it was airing at a time when I was in my 20s and my entire social life centered around my friends. It was my generation's Friends in many ways and so it will always hold a special place in my heart because of that.
Final Episode: May 15, 2018
Episode Count: 146
Where to Watch: Hulu/Disney+, Peacock, available for purchase on DVD
I'm excited to be contributing to The TV Ratings Guide! You can read my regular work at Benjamonster's TV!
