New Girl

:

Season 1
  • Network: FOX
  • Series Premiere Date: Sep 20, 2011
Season #: 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
Metascore
66

Generally favorable reviews - based on 25 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 19 out of 25
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 25
  3. Negative: 2 out of 25
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Critic Reviews

  1. TV Guide Magazine
    Reviewed by: Matt Roush
    Sep 20, 2011
    90
    Everything about New Girl, from her goofy costars to the distinctively quirky writing, is irresistible.
  2. People Weekly
    Reviewed by: Tom Gliatto
    Oct 28, 2011
    88
    This fall sitcom is a hit entirely because of Deschanel's performance as Jess. [7 Nov 2011, p.41]
    All this critic's reviews
  3. USA Today
    Reviewed by: Robert Bianco
    Sep 19, 2011
    88
    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.
  5. Hitfix
    Reviewed by: Alan Sepinwall
    Sep 20, 2011
    83
    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.
  6. Uncle Barky
    Reviewed by: Ed Bark
    Sep 19, 2011
    83
    Fox seems to be on the right track, though, with a lead character who has ample potential to gawkily bloom and grow.
  7. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Tim Goodman
    Sep 20, 2011
    80
    Creator Elizabeth Meriwether manages to make the situations funny and lets Deschanel channel her charm--a winning combination.
  8. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Mary McNamara
    Sep 20, 2011
    80
    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.
  9. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: David Hinckley
    Sep 20, 2011
    80
    One of the new season's potentially best sitcoms is born.
  10. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Alessandra Stanley
    Sep 19, 2011
    80
    New Girl is charming and quite funny, but especially when compared with the other two shows, it seems quite old-school.
  11. New York Post
    Reviewed by: Linda Stasi
    Sep 20, 2011
    75
    It's the dialogue that takes this series over the top.
  12. Chicago Sun-Times
    Reviewed by: Lori Rackl
    Sep 20, 2011
    75
    New Girl didn't give me as many laugh-out-loud moments as some comedies. But the show delivered something extra that my favorite sitcoms often don't: It made me feel warm and fuzzy.
  13. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Ken Tucker
    Sep 19, 2011
    75
    The three guys have yet to be fleshed out, though, so right now this is a one-woman show.
  14. Slate
    Reviewed by: Troy Patterson
    Sep 20, 2011
    70
    It's funny and cute.
  15. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
    Reviewed by: Rob Owen
    Sep 20, 2011
    70
    Overall [it] is more charming than hilarious.
  16. Zap2it (Inside the Box)
    Reviewed by: Andrea Reiher
    Sep 20, 2011
    70
    Overall, it's a strong first episode and we will definitely keep watching.
  17. Variety
    Reviewed by: Brian Lowry
    Sep 19, 2011
    70
    New Girl possesses ample energy, even if it almost instantly violates "Seinfeld's" old "No hugging, no learning" rule. Then again, heart is part of its DNA.
  18. Boston Herald
    Reviewed by: Mark A. Perigard
    Sep 20, 2011
    67
    Deschanel is utterly con-vincing as this off-kilter gal, and of the supporting cast, Wayans sparks the most as Coach.
  19. Newsday
    Reviewed by: Verne Gay
    Sep 20, 2011
    67
    If you love Zooey Deschanel, this one's for you. If not, a pass.
  20. Slant Magazine
    Reviewed by: Phillip Maciak
    Oct 31, 2011
    63
    Despite growing out of a plot conceit that involves Craigslist, New Girl--from its characters to the Felix the Cat-like predicaments in which they land--doesn't seem rooted in reality of any kind.
  21. Boston Globe
    Reviewed by: Matthew Gilbert
    Sep 16, 2011
    58
    I love this show, because I love the wide-eyed star, who is fully engaged in her role here. If you dislike her hipster adorability, though, beware.
  22. The Huffington Post
    Reviewed by: Maureen Ryan
    Sep 19, 2011
    50
    The rather sunny ending of New Girl doesn't feel earned, and your enjoyment level may depend on how much you can tolerate Zooey Deschanel's doofy charisma.
  23. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: David Wiegand
    Sep 19, 2011
    50
    Where everything comes together beautifully in "Broke," New Girl tries too hard and falls short for doing so.
  24. PopMatters
    Reviewed by: Renee Scolaro Mora
    Sep 20, 2011
    40
    The promos for New Girl suggest that it's something new or at least mildly unusual. But its first episode looks like more of the same.
  25. Miami Herald
    Reviewed by: Glenn Garvin
    Sep 20, 2011
    0
    This truly hideous sitcom offers a postmodernist take on the 1960s comedy That Girl, in which Marlo Thomas starred as an aspiring actress afflicted with insufferable cuteness.
  26. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Hank Stuever
    Sep 16, 2011
    0
    Boy, has she pulled the bangs over everyone's eyes with this atrociously cutesy sitcom.

Awards & Rankings

67
#67 Best TV Season of 2011
14
#14 Most Discussed TV Season of 2011
9
#9 Most Shared TV Season of 2011

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
7.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 404 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 326 out of 404
  2. Mixed: 52 out of 404
  3. Negative: 26 out of 404
  1. Alambna
    Dec 15, 2011
    8
    This show is getting better every week since its debut. And when it is good, it is amazing, hilarious, well-acted and well written. The actorThis show is getting better every week since its debut. And when it is good, it is amazing, hilarious, well-acted and well written. The actor that plays Schmidt, Max Greenfield, is proving to be a break-out star. His scenes alone are worth watching the show for. The problem with the show is the cheesy tie-up scene that they always have at the end! Are these cheesy, "adorkable" scenes really necessary? The writers must think so, because week in and week out I am cringing at the ending of this show! Please, New Girl writers, get rid of these cheesy tie up scenes! Then the show would be perfect.… Full Review »
  2. LP68CA
    Sep 20, 2011
    1
    I'm a big Deschanel fan, so I really wanted to like this show, but it's a train-wreck. I know Zooey loves the part, but she's so dweeby in NewI'm a big Deschanel fan, so I really wanted to like this show, but it's a train-wreck. I know Zooey loves the part, but she's so dweeby in New Girl, she makes the cast of Big Bang Theory look hip. And I don't mean she's her normal adorably quirky, goofy self---no, her character Jess is such a painfully awkward nerd that it's hard to watch. Worse, the supporting cast doesn't prop her up, because not one of them can act. That actually turns out to be a good thing because it directs attention away from their superficial, one-dimensional characters. For example, there's the sensitive metrosexual d-bag, the personal trainer with 24/7 Tourette's, and finally a recently jilted nice guy with no other interesting qualities... who will certainly propose marriage to Deschanel in the early series finale in season 2 (I'm feeling generous). But all of this might be forgivable if the series was the least bit funny. It isn't. Unless you think teabag and cold nipple jokes are funny when you can see them coming whole minutes in advance. And while you should never expect sitcom characters to model real world behavior, the idea of three macho guys leaving a **** party to cheer up their stood-up roommate by singing song lyrics from Dirty Dancing screams past plausibility into the realm of pure cheese. The writing was so bad, I found myself wishing they had bothered to include a laugh track, just to dupe myself into some sort of amusement. To top it all off, it felt like every scene was pieced together from 30 separate takes, or that chunks were cut from an hour long show to fit a 30 minute time slot. Whether this was the fault of the photography direction or bad editing, there's no telling, but I wouldn't be surprised if the jerky, almost surreal shots were intentional. 1/10 for casting Zooey, but she can't save this show by herself.… Full Review »
  3. jaymantheman
    Sep 24, 2011
    10
    you've got to be kidding me. This show is hilarious and strongly character-driven by Zooey. I can't get enough of her quirkiness. After oneyou've got to be kidding me. This show is hilarious and strongly character-driven by Zooey. I can't get enough of her quirkiness. After one episode I can tell something special is happening here....I can see Zooey ranked up there with strong female leads such as Lucille Ball and Carol Burnett, and their hasn't been any strong female leads since. Zooey is unstoppable and the 1st episode shows a huge range of comedy that i'm dying to see where she can take this.… Full Review »
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