What exactly makes a good pandemic binge? I am so glad you asked. There are several pieces of criteria that I look at when making this distinction.The first is easy: Is it relatively bingeable? Two: Are there enough episodes to watch, so that I can feel super accomplished after watching it all? And, finally, three: Will it make me feel better about where I currently am in life?
I binged a lot of series during the pandemic, but none quite fit the bill like New Girl. And, since I just binged all seven seasons of Elizabeth Meriwether’s masterpiece in two-and-a-half weeks—a new record for me—I feel like I’m aptly qualified to tell you exactly why it's the perfect pandemic binge.
It turns out that I was very much not alone in this binge. A lot of people flocked to Netflix to watch or rewatch the 2011 darling. So many that when I pitched this story to my editor, he told me of several people he knew that completed this same marathon binge during the pandemic. According to Nielsen, it ranked among the most-watched streaming titles of 2020, despite being nearly a decade old at that point.
There is no shortage of content to stream—over 500 scripted series aired last year, no lie—so it’s striking that, rather than indulge in the new options, so many people, myself included, instead found themselves seeking comfort and finding surprisingly poignant (and timely) meaning in this long-canceled sitcom.
There must be a reason right? Oh, there is.
When New Girl first debuted, and I am about to age myself here, I was a senior in high school. So, a show about a bunch of friends in their early thirties living in Los Angeles wasn’t the most relatable content for me at that time. But, then again, I devoured Don’t Trust The B– In Apt. 23, which debuted that same year, and loved Friends growing up, so my reasoning wasn’t the most sound. But, I digress.
So why exactly didn’t I watch New Girl right away when it aired? Simply put, I have no clue, but I’m grateful I didn’t. To be completely honest, I am glad I waited to watch it in my late twenties. Mainly, it reminded me that society’s outdated timeline for our own personal growth is absolute bullshit— a really important reminder to get when your life is put on hold for two-plus years.
When the series begins our protagonist Jess (Zooey Deschanel) is fresh off a break up and winds up rooming with three men (Jake Johnson, Max Greenfield and Damon Wayans Jr., who was replaced with a new character played by Lamorne Morris after the pilot). Normally, this would be the plot of a horror film, but this is a sitcom that is somehow just so charming.
Jess is in her early thirties, quirky as hell, and working as a teacher in Los Angeles. She’s not, as old rom-com descriptions would say, “unlucky in love,” but is working hard to navigate the dating scene of Los Angeles. I live in L.A. and can vouch for how messy that is.
What I love about New Girl is that throughout the show they not once allowed Jess to change herself to find love or friendships. They just made her find people in her life that brought her even further out of her shell. These people— her roommates and childhood best friend Cece (Hannah Simone)— became her “found family.”
Now the concept of “found family” is something very near and dear to my heart. Like all the main characters in the show, I also moved across the country to live in Los Angeles, where I only knew a handful of people. Although “found family” is a trope in many sitcoms, I have never seen it quite so well done as in New Girl.
A found family of people just starting out in their lives can face a lot of changes and challenges. Some people move away and some get married. Heck, some even have kids. But even with these massive life changes came and went, the friendships between the characters never really changed or wavered. After going through waves of friends moving at the peak of the pandemic, this was a comforting thing to see.
After I just spent such a while gushing over the show’s friendships you might have thought I’d forgotten about all its romance. Do not fret. It’s time to talk about all those will they/won’t they relationships.
First up is Nick (Johnson) and Jess. Here we have our classic opposites-attract couple. My Gilmore Girl-loving, Luke-and-Lorelai-shipping heart was all about it from the very first episode. Plus, I really love a good getting back together scene. Not only was Nick and Jess’ reunion adorable, but it was soundtracked to Lorde’s “Green Light”— instant icon status.
The other will they/won’t they couple is my personal fave: Schmidt (Greenfield) and Cece. Listen, I have been a fan of Greenfield’s since he was one of Veronica Mars’ best boyfriends, so I was always rooting for this couple. When you have someone propose with a $5 bill and have a wedding episode that rivals Parks and Rec in sweetness, I am going to always root for you. It’s just science.
A main reason I love a good will they/won’t they is because of its commentary on timing. It just makes most stories more realistic to me. Yeah, we may get frustrated by the amount of time it takes for these couples to get their acts together. It really accurately portrays how people can be in different stages of their lives sometimes. That doesn’t mean that the timing can never be right, however.
When you are stuck at home binge-watching a series instead of going out because you are worried about contracting a deadly disease, it’s nice to see a show that reminds you that there is no concrete timeline for when you find love.
Yes, New Girl is mostly about relationships—both romantic and platonic—but the show also has a very relatable view on careers. If you feel bad that you don’t have your career path completely figured out by your thirties, New Girl will comfort you greatly. Absolutely none of the characters have their shit together until the end (and even then, they are still figuring out stuff). We all need to be reminded sometimes that no one has it all figured out by their thirties (or any age really).
Yes, New Girl has its issues (the fatphobia doesn’t age well), but all in all it’s a charming sitcom that really understands life and how none of us will ever really figure it out. Sounds bleak, but again, it’s just comforting. Here’s to binge-watching it all over again!
