Three main television networks picked up new series for the fall lineup. “The New Girl,” “Whitney” and “2 Broke Girls” all aired pilot episodes in late September and were picked up by FOX, NBC and CBS, respectively. These three half-hour long shows have many similarities, but they also are extremely different in multiple aspects. The biggest similarity, though, is the focus on female-starring roles.
“The New Girl” features Zooey Deschanel as Jess Day, a teacher in her late twenties, who has recently gone through a tough break up. Jess finds an apartment on Craigslist and moves in with three male roommates who are initially uneasy about having a girl living with them. With the help of her model best friend, Jess tries to recuperate from her break up. Her quirky antics and an adorably awkward persona stay entertaining and make the weekly episode something to look forward to. Deschanel also provides us with more of her talent as she sings the theme song “Hey Girl.”
“Whitney” stars a strong female lead, Whitney Cummings. Cummings plays herself in a fictionalized role who lives with her boyfriend. Whitney and her boyfriend have decided to not yet commit to each other through marriage, but Whitney fears this will complicate the relationship in a boring manner and potentially end in a break up. She worries the flame will soon be gone between them and attempts to refuel the metaphorical relationship fire in unconventional, and sometimes messy, ways.
“2 Broke Girls” is just that: two broke girls living in Brooklyn who aspire to be two successful girls. Max (Kat Dennings) and Caroline (Beth Behrs) work in a diner in New York, but hope to someday open their own cupcake shop. “2 Broke Girls” is different than most female-starring comedies; this show is raunchy and sometimes offensive, but hilarious. The chemistry between the girls and Dennings’ portrayal of a tough-but-cute New Yorker works very well. “Second Chance” by Peter Bjorn and John is used as the show’s theme song and transition music. One cool element of the show is the tally at the end of each episode that shows how much of the girls’ $250,000 goal has been reached.
The newfound love of femme fatale roles in comedic television has done wonders for the female leads. However, this fall lineup consisting on mainly women stars isn’t the first we’ve seen. Tina Fey in “30 Rock” and Amy Poehler in “Parks and Recreation” have also proven that men aren’t the only funny ones who can keep a show’s ratings and popularity up.
New episodes of “The New Girl,” “Whitney” and “2 Broke Girls” air weekly. Check your local listings for times and dates of new episodes.
Reach the reporter at kmstark1@asu.edu
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