In our present moment, a lot of people are re-watching things that bring them comfort, which makes perfect sense. Everything is weird and scary, and there’s nothing like some pop culture comfort food to bring your head to a place of temporary normalcy.
Unfortunately, I can’t really use COVID-19 as an excuse for what I’ve been consuming, because I started long before we realized just how global this pandemic was going to get. In early January, I was going through a pretty rough period of anxiety and depression. I wanted to watch something that was both comforting and new to me, perhaps something I’d popped in and out of while it was on network television but had never fully committed to because it was decidedly un-good. I knew what it had to be. New Girl.
I’m not sure why it was so clear to me. Maybe it’s because of the neverending thirst for Nick Miller (Jake Johnson) on Twitter. Maybe it’s because I feel like we, as a society, did Zooey Deschanel dirty by writing her off as “too quirky.” Maybe it’s because I hate myself. But whatever the case, I made it to the finale yesterday, and do you want to know something? I cried.
New Girl premiered on Fox in September of 2011. Created by Elizabeth Meriwether, the show follows Jessica Day (Zooey Deschanel), a middle school teacher in Los Angeles who, in the pilot episode, discovers her boyfriend is cheating on her. Forced to move out of the space she shares with her now-ex, Jess moves into a loft occupied by three single men who are all stupid in their own unique ways. Hijinks ensue!
2011 was my sophomore year of college, and at that time, I wasn’t doing a lot of TV watching. However, when I was home from college on winter break, or visiting my mom certain weekends, I’d come across New Girl while mindlessly channel flipping, and when it was on I would quickly sink into its premise, engrossed by the likable characters, their relationships with each other, and the spotless, boho perfection of The Loft. Sure, we’re supposed to believe that Jess is our main character, but we all know that the main character of New Girl is actually the loft, with its gorgeous wood floors, high ceilings, barstools in the kitchen, and urinals (yes, urinals) in the bathroom. I would give my first born child to live in that loft, sans urinals. To be fair, I don’t really plan on birthing a child, but you understand what I mean.
look at it!
Although the show ran for 7 seasons, I fell off somewhere after the second or third season; I don’t totally remember, because even now, directly after watching it, the seasons all run together. The premise doesn’t change much throughout. Once Jess becomes best friends with the guys (which takes, I don’t know, four episodes?), the show follows a pretty basic formula. Friendships are tested, but never for longer than an episode. Romances are established, and though there are many obstacles that get in the way of the two end-game pairings (Jess x Nick and Cece x Schmidt), there’s never any doubt about the way things are ultimately going to play out. The show is extremely formulaic and takes VERY few risks. The situational comedy is rarely funny. During this watch, I would say I had the genuine urge to laugh about once every two or three episodes. In lieu of actual, well-constructed jokes, we are often presented with characters floundering around in awkward situations, stammering nonsensically, communicating absolutely nothing of substance, and then acting completely normal five minutes later, having experienced some kind of emotional breakthrough. This is not how real people behave, not even close, and it’s not anywhere near funny enough to merit my suspension of disbelief.
And still… and still.
I’ve been open about how hard it is for me to give up on things, and I’ve told a few people that the reason I finished this show this time around was because I just had to. But I don’t really think that’s true. The truth is that I genuinely enjoy New Girl, and I have to accept that about myself.
I am a sucker for stories about groups of friends, and I love the dynamic this group has and the care the writers take to establish the unique bond between each of the characters. I like how unafraid New Girl is to show how much these people love each other — and the way it satirizes the performative masculinity that often prevents the male characters from leaning into that love. I also appreciate how much time it gives to the friendship between Jess and Cece, establishing that even though the conceit of this show is about a woman moving in with a bunch of dudes and becoming their pal, the most significant and long-lasting friendship in her life is with another woman. There’s nothing I hate more than the “I’m just one of the guys, I don’t really have female friends” trope, and New Girl steers clear of that entirely.
Predictably, I also love the romance between Jess and Nick, and the way their relationship blossoms, erodes, stabilizes, and then blossoms again. No matter how many useless relationships they have during the gap, we always know it’s going to be them at the end. It’s the Ross and Rachel model, if Rachel was less selfish and more self-sufficient, and if Ross was actually attractive in any way. Cece and Schmidt’s relationship is built on the same model, but they waste a lot less time apart, which gives us a chance to see the way they function not just as a married couple, but as parents. There’s something inherently comforting in watching relationships like these, because they’re the brand of love story many of us fantasize about. The idea that you can find a person you love, realize things aren’t going to work, take time apart, and miraculously come back together when you’ve both grown up.
iconic first kiss
Because New Girl was on for seven years, all of its characters have time to grow up, to find some sense of purpose. We see Winston find that in the form of a career — and yeah, it’s a little fucking weird to watch a black man find his purpose in the LAPD, but the writers at least make some attempt to engage with this complexity. Nick finds purpose in finally becoming a successful writer, something we watch him struggle to accomplish for six full seasons, and Schmidt finds purpose in parenthood, which is perhaps the least expected but most rewarding character shift of all. As for Jess, she doesn’t find new purpose so much as she figures out how to be less afraid, how to stop self-sabotaging and no longer stand in the way of her own happiness.
In no way am I trying to downplay New Girl’s flaws, of which there are MANY. While I already covered the weak comedy writing, I haven’t even touched on the casual racism, gender essentialism, and FREQUENT fatphobic rhetoric. The only possible excuse for these things is the same excuse we use for Friends — “it was a different time” — but also, Friends ended in 2004, whereas New Girl ended in 2018! Fat jokes are not funny! Get your shit together, people!
Anyway, I guess what I’m trying to say is that while this show is definitely problematic and while I recognize that on many levels it doesn’t succeed, it still holds a special place in my heart. And yes, this is partly out of nostalgia, but it’s also that much like its characters, even with all of its flaws, New Girl is charming as fuck. That final episode is a gut-punch in the best way, and it left me feeling warm and satisfied and also like… what stupid show am I supposed to watch now?
you thought i forgot about furguson, didn’t you