Before New Girl, all thirty-something-sitcom-characters were pretty much the same. They all had their lives together, most had children, and all were working stable, well-paying jobs. How freaking unbelievable is that, am I right?
What New Girl did was turn the status quo on its head. They showed a different side to young adult life, one that wasn't afraid to laugh at itself. Let's celebrate this incredible show with these 10+ New Girl behind-the-scenes secrets fans didn't know!
When show creator Liz Meriwether first began shopping the Pilot around town, it had the working title Chicks & Dicks.
Meriweather has said that she was looking for a humorous title that would grab people's attention. But it nearly did the opposite.
Damon has said that one of the things he enjoys most about New Girl is going to work every day with people he both likes and respects.
He's been friends with Zoey ever since the pair first met in high school!
Upon hearing that he'd got the part, Jake was in the mood to celebrate! He envisioned a delicious Mexican smorgasbord, shared with his wife.
But a call from his agent changed everything. He was told he had to immediately drop 15 lbs.
At the time that Damon had signed on to play Coach in the pilot episode, he was still contractually obligated to Happy Endings.
Damon, along with everyone else, was sure that the show would be canceled. But to his (and everyone's) surprise it was not.
Liz has said that she had two main influences when it comes to writing for Jess: Diane Keaton and herself!
The relationship between Nick and Jess is based on Liz's real-life experiences with her own close guy-friend.
If it weren't for Max, we might never have gotten to understand Schmidt's more sensitive side, his chubby origins/insecurities, or his self-sacrificing nature.
Liz Meriweather is a huge Judd Apatow fan. She grew up watching Freaks and Geeks and spontaneously decided to 'cold-call' director Jake Kasdan to direct the New Girl pilot.
Kasdan agreed and directed six additional episodes, as well.
In the beginning, Liz Meriweather (along with the rest of the viewing audience) could never envision a world where Cece would ever hook-up with Schmidt.
It was a natural evolution between their two characters and in no time, the audience was clamoring for it!
Jake texted Liz late one night with the idea for Nick to have a Vietnamese friend in the park who couldn't speak English.
From that point on, one of the greatest bromances in TV history was born!
Let me clarify that statement — Jake Johnson has a large LGBTQ following! Jake is a visible figure and advocates for the gay community.
Jake has said that when he first started acting, 95% of his theater group was gay and he was welcomed in with open arms.
Zooey has said that having Prince on the show was a highlight of her entire life. She got a cold e-mail from Prince's manager stating his desire to appear as a guest.
According to Zooey, it was the most on-brand email she's ever received.
True American is without question one of the most hilariously complicated drinking games to ever be conceived.
If you've got a group of friends, and a lot of alcohol, you can play along at home! Remember — the floor is lava!
