On January 24, iHeartRadio released the first two episodes of a podcast entitled Welcome to Our Show which is all about the beloved New Girl series. The podcast is hosted by Zooey Deschanel (Jess), Hannah Simone (Cece), and Lamorne Morris (Winston). If you somehow forget the iconic and socially adored show that is the New Girl era, let me remind you. The FOX sitcom follows Jess and her friends. Jess was desperate for a place to live and found herself to be the fourth roommate in an apartment of men. While the start of the show displayed the epitome of awkwardness that can come from the arrangement, Jess eventually formed great friendships (and even a relationship) with the roommates. The podcast is meant to take fans behind the scenes of the show throughout its seven seasons it was on the air. The show is still available to stream on Netflix or purchase on Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, and more. If you have never seen the show before, this article contains some spoilers.
The first episode is entitled “101: The Pilot” was a great segway into the podcast series. It was light-hearted and fun. The three hosts really were able to express a strong, close-knit bond, even if you can’t see them. I have to say, similar to the series itself, Lamorne stole the show with his comical input. They didn’t directly dive into any particular episodes, as most “rewatch podcasts” do, just yet. Rather, they just shed some light on the creation of the show and general behind-the-scenes information. The trio went over the audition processes, with one interesting fact about CeCe. If you remember, CeCe is one of the characters with very blunt humor. Apparently, during auditions, it took quite a few times to find an actress who had that “deadpan” humor to them, ultimately allowing Hannah to land the role. Another cool audition fact is that Laramore auditioned for the pilot, but actually rescinded his audition since he landed another pilot. This is where it gets interesting, because his character Winston comes in on the second episode, and Coach (played by Daymon Wayans Jr.) had left the loft going into the second episode. So it was a pretty cool behind-the-scenes shift for the characters! The second episode is titled “A Conversation with Director Jake Kasdan.” Kasdan directed the first two episodes of New Girl and actually gained an Emmy nomination for the pilot episode of the sitcom. The second episode did have some repeated stories that the first episode did, but with some more of the director’s point of view. He had even discussed two interesting auditions that did not make the cut. One of the actors arrived at the audition with an “entourage” (bold move), and another had auditioned with baby oil… maybe a bolder move?
Overall, I am so excited to continue listening to this podcast. In an Instagram comment, Jake Johnson, who played Nick Miller, said he hopes to find time to appear on the podcast. With that in mind, it’s very likely some key characters like Nick, Schmidt, and Coach may appear on future episodes. The most exciting part of this podcast, however, may just be the reveal of the official rules of the popular loft drinking game called “True American.” I mean, I just want to know how to have as fun of a night as apartment 4D does. Welcome to Our Show is available for listening on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. New episodes are set to release every Monday on both platforms!