What’s New Girl without the new girl? A reenergized show.
No sitcom on television feels as improvisational as New Girl. This is both a good and a bad thing. Good, in that it plays off the charismatic chemistry of the ridiculously talented cast, led by Zooey Deschanel, Jake Johnson, Max Greenfield, Lamorne Morris, and Hannah Simone. The bad? Scenes occasionally go on for longer than they should. An improv-heavy approach also means New Girl buzzes through plots. That’s fine in season two, when there are plenty of stories left to tell. But by season five, it can be a problem.
New Girl‘s solution, however accidental, to that problem? Zooey Deschanel having a baby.
For the past two episodes, Jess has been away on jury duty, which is the show’s clever way of hiding Deschanel’s pregnancy. A lesser comedy with an inferior cast would struggle without its titular character. Can you imagine an episode of Roseanne without Roseanne, or Dog with a Blog without a dog and his blog? Meanwhile, New Girl has thrived without Jess. Her absence has allowed the writers to spend more time on the show’s second-best relationship, Nick and Schmidt. (The best: Winston and Ferguson). It’s also given a never-better Cece an independence she hasn’t had before. She’s no longer just Jess’ BFF and Schmidt’s soon-to-be wife; she’s a part of the gang.
Jess will be away for a few more episodes, but the loft is gaining a roommate: Megan Fox. The Transformers star isn’t known for her comedic prowess, but showrunner Liz Meriwether called her the “perfect person to come in and shake these guys up.” Hopefully she doesn’t “shake” things up the way an athlete does on SNL. Adding a new character threatens to disrupt the groove New Girl is in right now. Or it could make the show even better.
Either way, as long as there more Classic Winston-Cece Mess-Arounds, I’m in.
