New Girl: The Complete First Season

Zooey Deschanel is such a talented comedian that it's easy to think her inspired performance as the star of New Girl is just her persona. And while Deschanel's Jess truly is "adorkable," cute, winsome, awkward, and guileless, Deschanel's performance in New Girl anchors the whole series, like Mary Tyler Moore or maybe Lauren Graham in Gilmore Girls. The situation--Jess needs a place to live when she discovers her boyfriend cheating, and ends up in a giant gorgeous loft with three guys she hasn't met before. Thankfully, New Girl breezes right by any innuendo à la Three's Company but focuses instead on how two completely difference species--men and women--interact when they must live together. The supporting cast is just as brilliant as Deschanel, including Max Greenfield as the self-important blowhard Schmidt; Jake Johnson as Nick, who's aspiring to become underemployed and resentful about it; and Lamorne Morris as Winston, a former athlete who still feels the need to win whatever he might be doing (except, say, the dishes). Can this foursome survive--thrive--in close proximity to one another? Because of the deft writing and acting, the answer is a resounding: Yes! The season-one boxed set includes a commentary on the pilot episode and two other episodes of the season, a guide to Jess's creatively funky wardrobe, and loads and loads of alternate scenes, deleted scenes, and goofs and gags that are just as funny as anything in the final product. Long live New Girl! --A.T. Hurley

New Girl is a charming, offbeat comedy about friends, flings and modern relationships. After a bad breakup, free-spirited optimist Jess (Zooey Deschanel) moves in with three bachelors who have plenty of issues of their own. Winston (Lamorne Morris) is a former athlete, Nick (Jake Johnson) is a law school dropout, and Schmidt (Max Greenfield) is a wannabe womanizer in love with...himself. Together with her super-hot BFF Cece (Hannah Simone), this New Girl discovers that hanging out with the guys can be a challenging — and hilarious — adventure!