When it comes to getting into a new TV sitcom series, I’m usually hesitant because my expectations are high from hearing other people say such good things. I tried to get into Friends and The Office, but they weren’t that funny, and I didn’t see the appeal that everyone else was talking about. However, New Girl really took me away, and I loved all seven seasons of it.
I loved the premise of the show and every single one of the characters. Zooey Deschanel, as the quirkiest character, Jessica Day, was so charming and funny. There was something more interesting about the jokes in this show that I wasn’t getting with older sitcoms, maybe because it was just a newer show (though 2011 is a decade ago now). Usually, I’m not too big of a fan of shows that revolve so much around romantic relationships. I’m more of a person who likes them sprinkled into a sci-fi dystopia or larger plot, but I still thoroughly enjoyed New Girl for the pranks and friendship and family that it created as well.
While each character has their flaws, the optimism that Jess exudes makes the show so hilarious because I can’t name another character of a show I’ve seen like her. While my favorite character is obviously Jess, Schmidt is next in line. At first, I thought he would be my least favorite because of how they paint him as the stereotypical frat boy-type who is obsessed with getting girls, but it unravels as something completely different. Schmidt is very clean, stylish, and quite in tune with his masculinity, which is a good thing, and, in reality, he’s just as quirky as Jess in his own way. By the end of the series, I’m glad that they all had sufficient character arcs and development. While a lot of that was rooted in their new romantic relationships, it was still good to see that they had all matured and found happiness in each other.
I’m extremely glad that my favorite ships ended up together by the end of the show. I loved Jess and Nick together and was so upset that they broke up for a few seasons and had to play that back-and-forth game for a bit. From the first few episodes, you could see that they were going to end up together, but it just took a little bit of time. Cece and Schmidt were also made for each other from the beginning. They had a rocky start, but I love their dynamic (and their proposal, which was absolutely adorable!).
Even though those ships still weren’t together just yet, my favorite season was number four. There were just so many random plotlines that made it hilarious. There were a few relationships throughout, but I think this was the season most heavily rooted in building the friendships between the main characters. Of course, there was a lot of friendship building in the first season as Jess is introduced to the nuances of the guys in 4D, but once it’s been a while of them together, you can just see them getting along and into these crazy adventures and situations now that they know each other very well.
Like many other shows older than the past few years, there are some jokes and situations that would definitely not pass in today’s cultural climate, for the better, of course. We don’t want these jokes to continue today. There were quite a few jokes about race and sexuality that I’m sure were seen as funny a decade ago but are in poor taste and quite rude nowadays. I don’t want to denounce the entire show because of these jokes, but as the entertainment industry becomes more aware of jokes that are at the expense of a minority group, for example, and stops writing them, the industry will become more inclusive and educational.
New Girl is a definite must-watch if you’re into friendship and drama with a twist of quirky characters that get into ridiculous and funny situations year-round.
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