I haven’t been writing as much about TV lately because, basically, I’m tired. Between work and watching our daughter all day, one of the last things I want to do is sit with my laptop and watch television. I actually forgot that I used to write about Big Bang Theory and kind of miss it, so maybe I’ll write about tonight’s episode. Anyway, my absolute favorite show of the season has to be Fox’s New Girl starring Zooey Deschanel (Jess), Max Greenfield (Schmidt), Jake M. Johnson (Nick), Lamorne Morris (Winston) and Hannah Simone (Cece). I’ve realized that almost all of my favorite comedies are based around a group of clever friends in their late 20s/early 30s. You’ve got New Girl, How I Met Your Mother, Big Bang Theory and Happy Endings in that group. I guess that’s not so surprising because shows basically revolve around work, friend groups and family groups.

It’s not a coincidence that I myself am in my late 20s/early 30s and happen to be experiencing a lot of the same things that characters on these shows are. It also helps that they’re all really, really well written. There is a distinct line though between the shoes of this ilk that I do enjoy versus the ones that I do not like (I Just Want My Pants Back might skew a little younger, but it’s just too cool for school and it’s own good as far as I’m concerned) is that the ones I like are both clever, but not overly clever and have a heart at the center of them. I don’t just like the characters on New Girl, I’m invested in them. I want Schmidt and Cece to be happy because they’re just so perfect for each other. I want the Jess/Nick relationship to be explored more because I am in love with those characters. I want Winston dig his job because I like him and want him to be successful.

I can also relate to all of these characters on a personal level. I have some of Jess’ naivete somewhere deep inside me, that desire to see the good in everyone. My wife has a professed crush on Nick and I hope it’s because we’re very similar. We’re both Midwestern guys who are at best thrifty, at worst CHEAP who try to fix everything on our own without calling for help, even when it might be detrimental to our mental (and physical well being). Nick’s a lot more crazy than me (I hope), but that’s the huge kernel of truth that are inside both of us. I can also relate to Winston’s fear of finding a job he loves after doing his dream job and essentially failing. Yeah, that’s in my wheelhouse. Schmidt might seem like a d-bag, but he’s really just a scared former fat kid who wants the world to realize how cool he is. I’ve got a bit of that ego in my too. Cece’s a little out of my wheelhouse, but she’s pretty and funny and she and Schmidt work well together, so I’m cool with her.

Okay, so on to the actual season finale. I’ve missed a few of the most recent episodes because our daughter has made Tuesdays that nights she freaks out and wakes up right after being put to bed. So, I didn’t realize that Nick was back with the ex that ruined him because I missed that part and didn’t remember what she looked like. When I did realize that, I was bummed out because don’t we all have friends who just kind of give up and go with whatever is available even when it’s not good for them? As a fan of the show, I also have that part of me that wants to see Nick and Jess together, so having Nick be with this other girl AND moving out of the apartment was kind of heartbreaking.

And it did fool me, but not at first. I figured he would wind up back at the apartment, but then the episode brought me back around to thinking that Nick really was moving out. And then BOOM, it got me! Well played, show, well played. I enjoy the show so much that, now that it’s over, I want to buy the show on DVD or see if it shows up on Netflix Instant so I can watch them all again. I think I might still want to get the DVDs though in hopes that there’s a mountain of extra features on there. I bet the outtakes, bloopers and deleted scenes are pretty damn good.