Pilot Review: New Girl

New Girl (FOX)
Premiered September 20 at 9pm

I’ve actually seen this pilot twice already, once by my lonesome via iTunes, and once with an audience at the Paley Center’s annual Fall TV Preview. My general reaction to it was the same both times: it’s a perfectly enjoyable and pleasant show, but it’s not quite there in terms of hilarity or true cleverness yet. There’s no denying, however, that Zooey Deschanel is positively charming, and immensely watchable in this role of the nerdy and loveable Jess. Some of those scenes – like the cartoon elastic glasses and the Smeagol reference – work only because she so effortlessly and amazingly pulls them off with a mixture of high energy and spot-on delivery. The rest of the cast, unfortunately, isn’t nearly as enticing. Damon Wayans Jr. is gone after this week because his other show, “Happy Endings,” got renewed rather surprisingly, so let’s skip over him. If only because of the way he speaks, Jake M. Johnson’s Nick often steals many of the scenes with his dry pronunciation of his lines, though not in the best way. Max Greenfield’s Schmidt also needs some developing, mainly because this show is focused on the “new girl” and doesn’t inject as much passion or depth into its three male protagonists. The emphasis on “Dirty Dancing” and that episode-ending horrendous a cappella rendition were a bit corny and silly, but, all in all, it works. This show isn’t at must-watch status yet, but it’s much better than most FOX comedies, and for that and for Deschanel, it deserves a shot.

How will it work as a series? It will mainly depend on how quickly Jess moves on with her life. We want to see her start trying to get back on the horse rather than moping around all the time, and I’m also hopeful that we’ll have the opportunity to see more of the lives of our token men, including Mary Elizabeth Ellis’ Caroline, since her potential re-romance with Nick is one of the strongest parts of this pilot.
How long will it last? Putting it together with “Raising Hope,” also known as FOX’s only truly successful half-hour comedy at the moment, gives this show great hope, and having Deschanel in the lead slot is also a big draw. The pilot got great numbers in terms of viewers, and unless it falters in the coming weeks, it may well be deemed one of the new fall season's first certifiable hits.

Pilot grade: B-