“Adorkable” (adj.)

I was introduced to this portmanteau via an AV Club article about Zooey “Zoey” Deschanel’s upcoming sitcom, New Girl, which will premiere on Fox on September 20th.

Deschanel stars as ‘Jess Day’, a twenty-something woman who has to find a new apartment after breaking up with her cheating boyfriend… and who, for no apparent reason, chooses to move in with three random single guys, instead of crashing with her BFF, ‘Cece’. The show’s writer/creator is a woman named Elizabeth Meriwether, and I don’t quite understand why she decided to pitch a show where the male cast members outnumber the females… but who am I to judge? That’s the premise of her show, so like it or lump it. Having watched the first episode, I’m not sure really sure how I feel about the main character here… I can see what they’re going for with the whole “adorably dorky” thing, but I couldn’t help feeling she was a pale imitation of Liz Lemon and Betty Suarez, without the intelligence and ambition that balances out their goofier side. It’s probably not fair to judge her too harshly though, since this was only the pilot, and there’s plenty of time for the character to evolve or grow on me as she is. Personally I prefer it when Deschanel’s playing someone a bit snarkier, but she’s always going to be a very watchable actress, and I do love the way she keeps breaking into song here… she sings the theme tune too, so that was a bonus.

I was surprised to discover that Hannah Simone, the actress who plays Cece, had so few acting credits on her resume, because she didn’t seem to have any trouble slipping into character as Jess’s supportive gal-pal. I mean, she didn’t get many jokes, but she definitely makes an impression! Oh, and Gillian Vigman had a one-line cameo as ‘Kim’, the boss of one of Jess’s new flat-mates. I still have a crush on her from The 40 Year-Old Virgin, and it’s great to see her in such fine, emasculating form again… so hopefully they’ll bring her back for more episodes

Overall I thought New Girl was very funny… maybe a little less likeable in retrospect, as I mull over Jess’s “wacky” antics… but there were some strong jokes in there, and I’ll definitely be “tuning in” when the show actually starts airing.

[This post was written while listening to She & Him’s Volume Two… because I couldn’t help myself]