The “New Girl” and Women in Comedy

If there’s one thing to dislike about modern cinema, it’s the gender-specific qualities that certain genres exhibit. Superhero or action films are generally geared toward men, whereas women are supposed to prefer the “girly” movies and shows, like romantic comedies. Even fast food chains give kids’ meal toys based on gender roles. Recently, though, we have begun to dispel this stereotype, with female actresses starring in lead comedies. This summer, “Bridesmaids” was met with great critics’ reviews for proving that women can be as funny as men. However, that was just one film–what about weekly comedies on the small screen?

Check out “New Girl,” Fox’s latest comedy series. The show stars Zooey Deschanel alongside female co-star Hannah Simone and male actors Max Greenfield, Jake Johnson and Damon Wayans, Jr. With the catchphrase “simply adorkable,” the show follows Jess, Deschanel’s character, through her post-breakup dating life. We’ve seen this “cute dork” idea (just put glasses on a beautiful actress, and they’re nerdy!) in plenty of films and television shows before–She’s All That, Picture This, Ugly Betty–but all of these works were aimed at female audiences, not a mixed-gender crowd. The same is true of other female-dominated series– Leighton Meester and Blake Lively are two of the most famous actresses today, but you’d be hard-pressed to find men who tune in to “Gossip Girl” each week.

The idea of a female lead in a prime time comedy series isn’t new–Deschanel’s sister, Emily, stars in the Fox series “Bones,” and Tina Fey is entering her sixth season of NBC’s “30 Rock.” But in both of these cases, the co-stars are famous male actors, David Boreanaz and Alec Baldwin. Deschanel’s character would be substantially less interesting without Boreanaz to counter her arguments; and part of the reason Fey’s character is so appealing, is her juxtaposition with Baldwin’s thoroughly unlikable role. In “The New Girl,” though, the three male actors are relatively unheard of–Deschanel is, essentially, carrying the show herself. Many of the billboards and advertisements for the show include an image of only Deschanel.

So how did “New Girl” fare against other show premieres this week? The pilot aired on Tuesday night, though it was also available for free viewing on iTunes and Hulu in the weeks prior to its on-air debut. According to ratings, it was the number one show on prime time television Tuesday night among viewers under 50, with more than 10 million viewers overall. This bodes well for the rest of the season, and in the bigger picture, for female-led comedies.

I watched the pilot on iTunes a few weeks ago when it was first available and was neither surprised, nor disappointed. The show was cute, though not yet endearing; it had its funny moments, but none were hilarious. I’ve still got high hopes for the show, though–after all, the pilot of “The Office” wasn’t spectacular either, and it’s now one of the highest-rated comedies on television. In her many film roles, Deschanel has shown that she can be both funny (think “Elf”) and admirable (think “(500) Days of Summer”), and her acting ability will no doubt maintain the show’s high ratings this season.