PUAmore
New Girl ran for seven seasons on Fox from 2011 to 2018. After a breakup, Jess (Zooey Deschanel) moves into a Los Angeles loft with three men: the slacker Nick (Jake Johnson), the ex-athlete Winston (Lamorne Morris) and the vain, ambitious Schmidt (Max Greenfield). Cece (Hannah Simone), her best friend and a model, is often around.
What it shows about dating
Schmidt is the show’s comic study in treating dating as a project. He grooms carefully, plans his lines and keeps a “douchebag jar” for his own worst behaviour, and it works only in small doses. The funniest and most revealing story is his on-off relationship with Cece, where the polish falls away and what’s left is a man learning to be sincere. Nick, the opposite, shows how awkward honesty can also win.
What you can learn
- Effort helps, but only up to a point. Looking good and being prepared are an advantage; a performance isn’t.
- Friends are a social advantage. The loft is full of people who vouch for each other and keep each other honest.
- Sincerity makes the difference. The relationships on the show that last are the ones where the characters stop playing roles.
