[The God of Nonexistence]

AV Club gave it a B/B-, Sepinwall a B+, Salon.com called it "very thin...rarely rises above the merely pleasant." Of the five friends I can think of who watch the show, I and 3 others did not like the pilot. Each of us took about 4-10 episodes to start really liking it. The first two or three pages of this thread are broken about even between "this is terrible" and "this is good". None of that is jubilant.

TV Guide:

What's not to love in the season's freshest comedy? It Girl Zooey Deschanel, a giddy bundle of zany vulnerability, is ridiculously adorable — or is that adorably ridiculous? Everything about New Girl, from her goofy costars to the distinctively quirky writing, is irresistible. To elaborate, if that's even necessary: Zooey brings to life the fall's most instantly endearing new character in Jess, a newly dumped and crestfallen waif who moves in with three funky guys who act as her life coach/cheerleaders, anything to get her off the couch, where she wallows in endless replays of Dirty Dancing. It's a bit of a stretch to believe someone as fetching as Jess would need help in the dating marketplace, but her gamine awkwardness is awfully funny. And watching these guys, including Max Greenfield's hilariously douchey wannabe ladies' man, rally to her cause is undeniably sweet. It's a shame that Damon Wayans Jr., a scream as "Coach" as he tries to yell sense into Jess, had to be replaced, trapped in a much less amusing role on ABC's Happy Endings. (His sub, Lamorne Morris, arrives on the scene next week). I enjoyed this pilot so much that every time a promo appears, I want to watch it all over again.

USA Today:

Given a role tailored to launch her from respected indie actor to certified TV star, Deschanel soars, combining well-honed skills with a natural charm. Socially awkward geeks are nothing new for TV, but she and show creator Liz Meriwether have shaped Jess into something we haven't quite seen before — a woman who is sweet yet crass, innocent yet sexy, beautiful yet clumsy, and brash yet irresistibly adorable. Not to mention that Jess has a habit of underscoring her life with her own theme song, a trait that simultaneously mocks old sitcoms while bringing Jess into their loving fold. Almost every choice the show makes tonight is a wise one, starting with Jess' opening recounting of a sexual escapade gone wrong, and ending with a one-word punch line that makes it clear Jess is no naive pushover. In between, Girl sets up a viable premise and introduces a strong set of supporting characters, which is just what you want from fall's most promising new series.

HitFix:

It's the best new comedy of the fall season, and the only new show I genuinely enjoyed from start to finish, rather than having to squint real hard and try to picture what it might look like once the producers figure out what to do with their stars. In this case, "New Girl" creator Liz Meriwether and pilot director Jake Kasdan know from the start exactly what to do with Deschanel. She randomly sings, but always to herself, and never in a way designed to show off Deschanel's side job as half of the pop duo She & Him. She pulls off a good range of physical comedy and makes fun of herself with ease. Jess, having just endured her own mortifying break-up, spends large chunks of each day sobbing as she watches "Dirty Dancing," and even the silly moment where Jess puts on a little black dress and the roommates are shocked - shocked! - to realize that she's very attractive gets neatly undercut by Jess busting out an impressively goofy dance routine. Much as I hate ubiquitous advertising for new TV shows, it feels like the only proper word to describe Deschanel in this show is the one that's on all the billboards: adorkable. It's a wonderful comic performance in a role that's constructed equally out of Deschanel's screen persona and Meriwether's personal history.

LA Times :

Viewers will come to see Deschanel but they'll stay for the whole package because smart writing, confident timing and characters that are both familiar yet surprisingly fresh make "New Girl" the most promising comedy, and one of the most promising shows, of the season.

etc.

[big ander]

And here's a negative EW review, a fairly positive boston.com review, a mediocre npr review...look, we could do this all day, count up reviews, make histograms, so on. All I am saying is that it was not amazingly reviewed. People did not herald it as a groundbreaking brilliant sitcom. I'm honestly not sure why this is even worth arguing.

[Arsenic Yellow]

Am I the only one that is distracted by zoeys awful, messy eye make up? Often you can see here eyeliner powder smeared under her eyelid, probably due to the amount she uses. I find it completely distracting at times, the same with her upper lip hair :/ there's always a darker patch near her nose and I can't look away....you'd think being the main character, her make up artist would deal with these issues.

That being said, I actually liked her story these last two episodes. I usually only watch for Schmidt, but her romance with "mr fancy pants" is very charming. I'm worried he won't last too long though, so I'm trying not to get too attached :(.

[Meier]

"How are you not cold? Does your brown skin retain heat?" was one of the funniest lines I've ever heard.

[wenis]

holy shit, didn't realize it until i re-watched the movie "Get Him to the Greek"

[PhoncipleBone]

Not only is there a new episode of New Girl on this Tuesday, but Hannah Simone (and Harold and Kumar) will be guests on Craig Ferguson on Tuesday night. If you are fans of Craigy Ferg, you know that anytime he has a beautiful woman on as a guest it is always hilarious. If you have never experienced the awesomeness of GP and the Fergs, tune in to CBS at 12:35am right after Letterman. The best late night host on the air right now.

[markatisu]

OK I think tonight's epsiode is one of the best, everyone was funny

[rollingstart]

yes, this is probably the best episode.

[Salaadin]

That was too good. Oh my god.

[Chamber]

OK I think tonight's epsiode is one of the best, everyone was funny

Agreed. More laugh out loud moments for me than any other episode.

[Guzim]

Go away cause I'm having cereal.

[JAVK]

Amazing stuff. Probably my favorite comedy atm.

[HiroProtagonist]

Good episode, not the best, but solid. Cece's eyes looked normal tonight (and last week as well). Maybe it was just a weird shadow during that breakfast scene a few episodes back.

[AngmarsKing701]

Good ep. Not as good as last week, but still funny.

I can't even drive past a Ford Flex without thinking "manbulance."

Edit: This needs a 2 hour finale.

[big ander]

Near the top of the season. Hilarious episode all around.

And for anyone who cares: David Wain, awesome comedy guy behind Wet Hot American Summer, Wanderlust, Role Models, and Childrens Hospital, both directed and cameoed in the episode. He was the peeing running guy.

[PhoncipleBone]

Near the top of the season. Hilarious episode all around. And for anyone who cares: David Wain, awesome comedy guy behind Wet Hot American Summer, Wanderlust, Role Models, and Childrens Hospital, both directed and cameoed in the episode. He was the peeing running guy.

Shit. Beat me to pointing that out. I was so excited to see him as director. This season has had a great run of good comedy directors. David Wain, Peyton Reed, Jake Kasdan. Great slate of directors.

And this episode was killer. Not the greatest, but still damn funny.

[PhoncipleBone]

And as a friendly reminder, Hannah Simone is going to be on Craig Ferguson tonight. As with all Ferguson interviews with beautiful women, it should be fun.

CBS cares.

[Vox-Pop]

Winston is such a terrible character.

[ivysaur12]

Winston is such a terrible character.

So terrible.

Otherwise, very good episode. Just watched last week's episode, too. Cece and Winston are uncomfortably bland, but everyone else is evolving nicely. Even Nick. I loved the way Nick and Jess handled the "fancyman" situation.

[mj1108]

And here's a negative EW review, a fairly positive boston.com review, a mediocre npr review...look, we could do this all day, count up reviews, make histograms, so on. All I am saying is that it was not amazingly reviewed. People did not herald it as a groundbreaking brilliant sitcom. I'm honestly not sure why this is even worth arguing.

To be fair, it was the pilot. There are a lot of people who didn't think the pilot was all that great. It was in later episodes that the show seemed to click and got MUCH better. I'm sure if they reviewed the show based on later episodes they would have a different tone.

[ivysaur12]

To be fair, it was the pilot. There are a lot of people who didn't think the pilot was all that great. It was in later episodes that the show seemed to click and got MUCH better. I'm sure if they reviewed the show based on later episodes they would have a different tone.

Fine, but very few websites operate that way. They may review the next season, but that's also selectively done because websites that liked the first season are more likely to review than those that didn't like the first season. For instance, how many reviews for the second seasons of Harry's Law or Body of Proof are there compared to Game of Thrones?

Every TV show is reviewed this way, it's just what's most convient for reviewers for large publications.

EDIT: And even though I've grieved my issues with the show, it took a while to get where it has been now. I like the show a lot, but it's taken a while.

[big ander]

Winston is such a terrible character.

I'm still warming up to him. He's definitely my least favorite, but they're trying hard to make him better and he has the occasional good line. Like his muttered "not even a real chalkboard."

To be fair, it was the pilot. There are a lot of people who didn't think the pilot was all that great. It was in later episodes that the show seemed to click and got MUCH better. I'm sure if they reviewed the show based on later episodes they would have a different tone.

Uh, exactly, it was the pilot. My argument (that's not the right word, it was more of a factual statement tbh) was that the show was not received well right at the beginning aka the pilot. That discontent continued for a handful of episodes. Opinion is positive now and I like the show.

[ivysaur12]

Uh, exactly, it was the pilot. My argument (that's not the right word, it was more of a factual statement tbh) was that the show was not received well right at the beginning aka the pilot. That discontent continued for a handful of episodes. Opinion is positive now and I like the show.

Exactly. The pilot had a MetaCritic score of 66. Good, but not resounding like the critical praise for some other pilots. Definitely more on the mixed side of things.

[Zaptruder]

Yeah, this show started off pretty weak... but it's been steadily getting better and better...

At this point, it's pretty much the funniest show on TV bar none. Bar none!

And I'm saying that, even though I'm pretty much watching every sitcom running right now.

[Bladenic]

I haven't seen this week's new episode yet. I checked Wikipedia though and makes me sad to see this show's ratings. Fancyman (Part 2) got under 5 million viewers. Are we sure this show will get a second season?

[PhoncipleBone]

I haven't seen this week's new episode yet. I checked Wikipedia though and makes me sad to see this show's ratings. Fancyman (Part 2) got under 5 million viewers. Are we sure this show will get a second season?

http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.co...-ratings-mojo/

And the ratings are in:

The good news for Fox came in the 8-8:30 PM half-hour where Raising Hope (1.6/5) was up 7%, posting its first ratings gain in its temporary new slot after three weeks of declines. But New Girl (2.3/6) was down 12% to a series low, and Breaking In (1.3/3) was down 7% to tie its season low.

Honestly, I have not been paying attention to the ratings since the hiatus. I was so excited that the show was doing well, but now that I see how it has declined since the hiatus it makes me worried. BAH! Will networks ever learn not to do stuff like that? Rarely do shows pull more viewers after long breaks.

[Greyface]

Winston is such a terrible character.

Winston was the best part of last night's episode. I would have turned it off if he didn't swoop in to save the day.

[Steelyuhas]

Tuesday's ep was easily one of the best, if not the best.

[Fatalah]

Two ex Party Down cast members made appearances this season. Who could be next?!

Trying to convince my good friend to watch. He wrote off the show from the previews, watched the first 3 episodes, and stuck with his original negative assessment. But I think he's being stubborn to avoid being "I told you so'd" from me. Last summer I bet him the show would be very popular and easily renewed for 2nd season. I want my 10 bucks!

[Ezio]

Schmidt is funny as hell, I don't care who ya are.

Tuesday's episode was pretty funny. One of my favorite lines from this season probably has to be " I think I know about hunting now" I still laugh when I think of that scene.

[idwl]

I've watched all episodes so far, its mildly entertaining. But I know that if it wasn't for zoey deschanel I wouldn't have watched more than half an episode

[Magnus]

Hoooooly shit a this Winston speech. Nick's reactions are slaying me. Fucking amazing.

I don't even know what people want from their sitcoms if they don't find this show funny and well-written.

I've gone back and watched a number of the early fall episodes and they were all still quite great. Some bordered more on heart-warming than the ultra-hilarity of recent episodes, but man, I can't even recall a poor episode at all. This was a stellar first season. Happy Endings had bigger quality dips as far as I'm concerned.

[PseudoKirby]

http://www.hulu.com/watch/328553/sat...nel#s-p6-st-i1

[AgentWhiskers]

Awesome episode. Didn't like Winston during the beginning of the season but he's grown on me.

[JAVK]

Watched for Zooey, Stayed for Schmidt.

[Revolver]

Watched for Zooey, Stayed for Schmidt.

Same here. I'll add Cece as a reason for staying too. Pretty good show.

[AgentWhiskers]

Watched for Zooey, Stayed for Schmidt.

New Girl Season Two |OT| Came for Zooey, Stayed for Schmidt

[AngmarsKing701]

New Girl Season Two |OT| Came for Zooey, Stayed for Schmidt

New Girl Season Two |OT| Schmidt Happens

[PhoncipleBone]

New Girl Season Two |OT| Came for Zooey, Stayed for Schmidt

I can read the "Came for Zooey" so many different ways.

New Girl Season Two |OT| Schmidt Happens

That is probably the winner. It works perfectly.

[ivysaur12]

New Girl Season Two |OT| Schmidt Happens

Yes.

[HiroProtagonist]

http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.co...-ratings-mojo/ And the ratings are in: Honestly, I have not been paying attention to the ratings since the hiatus. I was so excited that the show was doing well, but now that I see how it has declined since the hiatus it makes me worried. BAH! Will networks ever learn not to do stuff like that? Rarely do shows pull more viewers after long breaks.

http://tvline.com/2012/04/09/fox-ren...girl-season-2/

Yay! Renewed.

[Hot Coldman]

Caught up with last two episodes, best in a while. Schmidt and Cece's cover finally being blown was done excellently.

[Danielsan]

http://tvline.com/2012/04/09/fox-ren...girl-season-2/ Yay! Renewed.

Yes! Hopefully they can keep up the quality. *Looks at How I Met Your Mother with sadness in his eyes*

[Salaadin]

Great news. I was worried but optimistic after hearing about the ratings drop off. Im happy.

[PhoncipleBone]

http://tvline.com/2012/04/09/fox-ren...girl-season-2/ Yay! Renewed.

[henhowc]

If you wanna be my lover, you gotta get with my friends. Lulz...spice girl orgy.

[PhoncipleBone]

I want to know what the rules to that game are.

[AngmarsKing701]

lol at "Darwin's Jungle"

[Shadow780]

I want to know what the rules to that game are.

They need to upload the rules to facebook, I want to play this shit!

[masud]

Omg Winston's new boss is hilarious! I was dying at "European/women's three point line" and "Beyonce colored shakes "