I am a strong believer in the beauty of television. Lazing around on a Sunday afternoon is never complete without multiple cups of tea, bourbons and my favourite programmes. However, New Girl isn’t just a comedy to pass the time between revising. It is a witty depiction of the random and crazy turns of adulthood, work and love. Here’s why I think this L.A whirlwind of fun should be up there with Friends…

1) The main character, Jess, isn’t just a good-looking role.

She actually has, well, character. If she’s not carrying around folders from her long day at work, she is shutting down fleeting or offensive comments – Nick I do love you, but you are very guilty of this, or joining in with beer drinking games with her flatmates. Cece- Jess’s best friend- also has depth to her character, showing her sensitive side in her love for Schmidt, but also her daring, protective and intelligent nature as she auditions for presenting careers and supports Jess through her many ups and downs.

2) Jess is unapologetically nerdy, compassionate and wacky.

She is an American Bridget Jones; using Dirty Dancing as a break-up tool, getting soaked in her ex-boyfriend’s open truck in a car wash, and dancing with the new twenty-something neighbours across the hall. She accepts her clumsy ways, and does not change her character for anyone: what you see is what you get.

3) The romantic plots are not just focused on women.

There is the masculine stereotype that men should not discuss feelings, and that women are only to lust after, rather than to love or be in a long-term relationship with. In New Girl however, we often see Nick, Schmidt and Winston discussing their love life. All my favourite TV shows tend to showcase the love of male characters; for example Ross and Chandler’s cosy chats in Friends, and the deep interviews in Channel 4’s First Dates. Ok, maybe they do need a ‘manly beer’ afterwards, but even so, male characters pouring their hearts out are definitely prominent in New Girl.

4) Equality.

My favourite part of Season five so far is when Jess is introduced to Sam’s parents. We see that his parents are both men, and there is absolutely no reference to this in the episode. I think it’s great that LGBT characters are featuring more and more on TV without it being a major plot line or a love interest, and it’s finally becoming a normal thing in media as well as in reality.

Hopefully now you’ll see why New Girl is a work of art in its own right: collaborating funny scenes with heartbreak and unemployment, yet always ending with the comforting message that it’s ok to mess up. If these points weren’t enough, Winston auditions his lazy cat for an action film role. I mean, that should’ve had a paragraph of its own.

Charlie Collett

(Photo credits: http://www.channel4.com/programmes/new-girl, http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/topic/new-girl, https://www.bustle.com/articles/66140-where-is-winstons-cat-on-new-girl-no-one-knows-where-ferguson-is-but-i-have, http://www.fox.com/new-girl/bio/lamorne-morris)