First Impressions: New Girl

(airs on FOX, Tuesday nights at 9pm)

The show stars Zooey Deschanel. That’s about all it has going for it. She stars as quirky Jess Day, whose awkward breakup lands her in an apartment, living with three single men. Throw in some clichéd jokes and friend-making situations, and you pretty much have New Girl in a nutshell. The pilot focuses around finding the ‘rebound’ for Jess, which obviously fails and leads to her and her new roommates singing songs from Dirty Dancing in a restaurant. There is a slight glimmer of hope in Deschanel, who can be charming at times – although if she continues to sing half of her lines in each episode as an obligatory ‘character quirk’, the show will last about four episodes. This show suffers from too much hype, and the pressure on it to succeed will probably drive it into some pretty mediocre places. I wish I could suggest this show, but there is no sign (especially with the news Damon Wayans Jr. won’t return from the pilot) it will be able to harness its small glimpses of potential into anything worth watching. Sorry, but SKIP IT!