New Girl takes big leap for final episodes
Modern look at friendship and romance ties up its multiple story lines
LOS ANGELES —The cast and crew of the Fox comedy “New Girl” were ready to see the show end when the sixth season did. The final episode was written to be the show finale in case the network decided the “New Girl” had gotten old.
Then the word came down from the executives there would be a seventh and final season consisting of eight episodes of the critically acclaimed and awardnominated series. The last offerings beginat 9:30 p.m Tuesday and will continue to a special one-hour finale on May. 15.
It all starts with a three-year leap forward that executive producer Elizabeth Merriweather explains was necessary to be able to wrap up all the stories exactly the way they wanted. These final stories all grew out of the original plans the team put together when the show launched in 2011. The dynamic of the show was described when the cast first met with the press as Zooey Deschanel playing the new girl who moves in with three guys, and the focus would be how she deals with three different roommates.
“I’m so passionate about this show,” says Merriweather. “It’s been my life for seven years and I feel really good about the end of Season 6, but I really wanted a chance to say goodbye to the show with a final season. I think the network definitely had questions about what happens next.
“I just love these characters, and I love this cast and the people that work on the show so much. Seven years. Shows don’t really run that long anymore, and so I think it’s just really been this family for me. I fought for the final season, and hopefully, it was worth it.”
The show has been so strong that Deschanel was willing to put aside a strong film career to commit to a TV series. It was love at first sight, as Deschanel described her character during her first interviews for the series as “someone who expresses her emotions all the time. She’s very much herself, and she’s almost too in touch with her emotions, which I think is a really great contrast with the other characters, who are, like, less in touch with their emotions .... ”
From that base came the show that took a modern look at friendship and romance, as a group of five friends attempted to find their respective places in the world while trying to accept the responsibilities of adulthood. As the sixth season came to a close, Jess (Deschanel) told Nick (Jake Johnson) of her true feelings for him. Winston (Lamorne Morris) and Aly (Nasim Pedrad) got engaged, and Cece (Hannah Simone) and Schmidt (Max Greenfield) received news that they are expecting.
The final season will feature the return of notable guest stars including Damon Wayans, Jr., Dermot Mulroney, David Walton, Nelson Franklin, Sam Richardson, Jamie Lee Curtis and
Rob Reiner. J.B. Smoove and Tig Notaro also will make their series debuts in guest-starring roles.
Writers for “New Girl” made a list at the beginning of the season in which they asked the questions of “Who do we want to bring back? What do we want to bring back? We’ve got eight. How do we do this? Is there a way to use people over the course of the eight episodes?” That was both fun and a challenge for the team but in the end, they were certain the main people fans wanted to see come back will be in the last episodes.
It wasn’t just the cast and crew who enjoyed “New Girl.” The series has been nominated for five Emmy Awards and five Golden Globe Awards. .