New Girl The Complete First Season new to DVD

Arguably last year's best new sitcom, FOX's New Girl The Complete First Season has arrived on DVD in a three disc set. All twenty-four episodes of the show's freshman run are included, along with special features.

As the New Girl "Pilot" begins, Jess (Zooey Deschanel) leaves her boyfriend. Homeless, she finds a place with three bachelors who share a spacious apartment. Coach (Damon Wayans Jr., Happy Endings), the jock, Nick (Jake Johnson), the slacker bartender, and Schmidt (Max Greenfield), the douche whose rude exterior masks a good heart. Coach is gone by episode two, but in his place, the guys' old friend Winston (Lamorne Morris), whose overseas professional basketball career has fizzled, comes home.

These guys are not boyfriend material for Jess, but after a rocky adjustment period, they all come to care very much about each other. They may not be lucky in love individually, but they all lend support where needed. Eventually, Schmidt even finds a steady girlfriend in Jess's friend CeCe (Hannah Simone).

Over the course of the season, these five well written, well acted, layered characters become like friends to those of us watching at home. They really have some neat chemistries, and while some of the plots may seem a bit stale for a sitcom, somehow they come across as fresh when played out by these particular personalities. It's hard to pinpoint exactly why this show works, other than to say that the particular combination of elements here just melds together really well. The brilliance is that the show stays simple, but remains incredibly funny by playing to everyone's strengths.

Among the best installments in this first year are:

• "Wedding" Jess goes as Nick's date to a wedding and tries to prevent him from sleeping with his crazy ex, Caroline (Mary Elizabeth Ellis, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia). This is the true start for Jess / Nick shipper fans, many viewers of the show who root for this pair to get together (they still haven't).
• "Naked" Winston tries to catch up on all the pop culture he missed, while Jess walks in on a naked Nick, shaking his confidence.
• "Thanksgiving" Jess tries to prepare a holiday dinner for her crush, Paul (Justin Long, Ed), which of course, works out perfectly. Just kidding. It's a disaster.
• "Bells" Winston joins Jess's handbell choir, and quickly proves to be better than her.
• "The Story of 50" Jesse tries to salvage Schmidt's 29th birthday party. She is not exactly in tune with Schmidt's tastes, or how to execute them.
• "Valentine's Day" Schmidt tries to help Jess get laid, Nick's relationship with Julia (Lizzy Caplan, Party Down) begins to crumble, and Winston attempts to woo Shelby (Kali Hawk), an ex that he wronged.
• "Jess and Julia" Spending time together is painful for Jess and Julia, who have lots of trouble finding common ground.
• "Control" The delicate ecosystem of the apartment is threatened when Jess encourages Schmidt to only do his share of the housework and Winston calls in Nick's debts.
• "See Ya" The relationships between the characters grow tenuous when one of them tries to move out, but a trip to the desert helps make things clear.

There are quite a few special features included. Commentary is offered on three episodes, including the "Pilot." Deleted and extended scenes are present, as well as some alternate jokes that didn't make it on screen. There is also a gag reel, and Lamorne's audition. Finally, a featurette called "Dress Like Jess" examines the lead characters very quirky style.

If you missed New Girl last year, this is a great way to finally catch up on the comedy. After all, your friends are probably watching, so why shouldn't you?

New Girl The Complete First Season is available now.

If you like my reviews, please follow me on Twitter! Check out my website, JeromeWetzel.com! First posted on TheTVKing

"See Ya" next fall New Girl!

The season finale of FOX's New Girl, entitled "See Ya," finds Nick (Jake M. Johnson) moving out of the apartment and in with rekindled love Caroline (Mary Elizabeth Ellis). But Nick gets cold feet, and drives himself, all of his stuff, Schmidt (Max Greenfield), and Winston (Lamorne Morris) out into the desert, where he tosses his keys into the wilderness. Jess (Zooey Deschanel), with Cece (Hannah Simone) in tow, comes to their rescue, but she pretends to toss her own keys when Nick seems set on returning to Caroline. Thus, the five friends are forced to spend the night in the wilderness.

Or are they? The entire time the gang moans about dying out in the desert, there is a busy highway clearly within sight in the distance. It would be a trek to reach it, but they could do so, and surely someone would stop and rescue them! This may be nit picky, but seeing civilization so close by kind of takes the drama out of the whole stranded concept.

That aside, "See Ya" is a wonderful episode. Being stuck in the desert is New Girl's clever bend on the old elevator episode trope or "box" episode, where the major characters are stuck together until they work something out. In this case, Jess must understand that she's being selfish by trying to keep Nick from leaving, and Nick needs to see that moving in with Caroline is a bad choice, even if she seems to have changed somewhat. After all, Caroline has broken Nick's heart multiple times.

Nick and Jess will be a couple at some point. It's inevitable, watching the two of them together. They have crazy chemistry, and are very much alike. The fact that neither of their characters has realized this yet is fine. Unlike other series, which stretch such pairings out just for the sake of building tension, New Girl doesn't seem to be fighting itself to keep them apart. Neither Nick nor Jess are in a place to accept their feelings for each other, or make a go of a healthy relationship. Thus, their slow journey towards one another feels natural, rather than forced. This may not always be the case, but it is throughout the first season.

"See Ya" also sees Schmidt and Cece struggle. Schmidt's jealousy when actually witnessing what Cece does is a natural reaction, if overblown a bit, as his character often is. However, their break up need not be permanent. Cece has good reason to be upset at Schmidt. But, on the other hand, she also knows what she has gotten herself into, and likes Schmidt in spite of himself. Schmidt is a good man at heart, who requires a lot of patience from any girl that is going to be with him. Cece is the girl who has that patience, and can look past the douchey exterior.

Hopefully, New Girl won't go the typical sitcom route and make Schmidt and Cece be on again-off again forever. They are mature and ready for this. A proposal should come no later than the season two finale, with a wedding by season three. It might be a bit boring to remove two major characters from play in terms of romantic entanglements, but this has got to happen for these two people. They are too perfect for each other!

"See Ya" also finds time to be pretty darn funny. From Jess making roadrunner noises at a coyote, a gag spoiled in incessant commercials, to the much-too-old new roommate (Reno 911!'s Thomas Lennon), who is soon evicted to the living room, the humorous notes are still hit, despite the personal drama. This is why New Girl soars when other sitcoms flop. And would it be too much to ask for Lennon's character to return again next year, possibly on a recurring basis, or at least as a squatter that they must get rid of in the season premiere?

New Girl will return to FOX next fall.

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It's Always Sunny attends "The High School Reunion Part 2: The Gang's Revenge"

     FX ends It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia's latest season with "The High School Reunion Part 2: The Gang's Revenge." Dee (Kaitlin Olson) has been ejected from the popular group after Cricket's (David Hornsby, Fanboy and Chum Chum) stunt, and looks for the others to help her seek revenge. She finds Frank (Danny DeVito), Charlie (Charlie Day), and Mac (Rob McElhenney) hanging by their underwear. They decide to track down a psycho, but that falls through. Luckily, Dennis (Glenn Howerton) has turned psycho after failing to close the deal with rival Tim Murphy's (Ian Reed Kesler, (500) Days of Summer) wife, Christie (Frances Turner). But then Mac is exposed as having done what Dennis hates Tim for, turning the group in on itself. Frank redirects them to Plan B, a big dance number, which goes about as well as one would expect it to.

     It's Always Sunny may not always be sunny, but it is pretty consistently funny. "The High School Reunion" allows for the return of many great recurring characters, including Cricket, the Waitress (Mary Elizabeth Ellis, Perfect Couples), Maureen (Catherine Reitman, Knocked Up), and Schmitty (Jason Sudeikis, Satirday Night Live), the former two of whom's lives continue to tank because of their involvement with the central gang, who bring misery wherever they go. Also introduced are some new classmates, like cool dude Adriano (Sasha Roiz, Caprica, Grimm) and a former fat girl (Judy Greer, Archer, Arrested Development), who hopefully will be seen again. It's interesting to see the disdain others have for the main characters, whose self-absorbed black hole pulls people in and destroys them, no matter how much those victims resist.

     "The High School Reunion" also gives fans one of the best moments of It's Always Sunny yet: the dance number at the end. When it begins, people immediately start applauding and cheering the gang's awesome moves, which plays a little false. However, that is forgotten as the perfect execution and light cues draw one in to something unexpected and awesome. When it is exposed that things are only that cheery in their heads, and they are pathetic, indeed, it not only makes sense, but makes the earlier vision more humorous, exposing once more their narcissistic streak. These people are so self-absorbed, they ignore everything else, which does not help them in society. Thank goodness they have a bar to hide out in!

     The main characters of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia will never change. "The High School Reunion" proves this, telling how each of the four younger people were in high school, and in spite of the fact that they try to come off different, or deny their essential traits, they are still those same people. Dee continues to be insecure, and her back brace's return is simply a physical manifestation of internal feelings. Dennis thinks he is way cooler than he is, and so does Mac, in completely different ways. Charlie is easy going and easy to manipulate. They are mean townies who have little regard for others, and refuse to grow. Everyone knows someone like them, though rarely does anyone, let alone four such friends, go to the extremes of the gang. It's good to see them fail, because they deserve to fail. And yet, it's impossible not to tune in week after week to see just how they fall flat on their faces next. It's part hilarious comedy, part schadenfreude.

     Now, admittedly, Frank's presence and involvement in the events in the finale is a bit of a stretch. But no matter how hard certain other characters fight Frank worming his way into all of their activities, he does. He is part of the group, and he is there to stay. Which kind of explains why he might force his way into the reunion, considering that's what he does every day of his life. Though one does wonder, if bumbling Frank can get past security, how much protection would the guards really have afforded if Psycho Pete showed up to burn down the school?

     There is no end in sight to It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia's brilliance. The series will return next year to FX.

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Perfect Couples goes out with a "Perfect Wedding"

     Once more, an extremely funny sitcom has failed to find an audience. Definitely one of the best in recent years, NBC has pulled Perfect Couples from its schedule beginning next week. That means that this week's episode, "Perfect Wedding", will likely serve as a series finale. It's not fair, when Outsourced got an entire season and Perfect Couples only aired ten episodes. In a perfect world, quality would be the most important factor in choosing which TV shows live and die, but that is sadly not the case. I just wish there was some way to better highlight quality where it is found, other than relying on networks to promote it.

     Several episodes have dealt with Vance (David Walton) and Amy (Mary Elizabeth Ellis) getting ready for their wedding, so perhaps it is appropriate to end the series on the day of their nuptials. That way, a major arc is not left hanging. This being Vance and Amy, who can both be downright insane, things do not go smoothly. Amy worries that Vance will split, and Dave (Kyle Bornheimer) and Rex (Hayes MacArthur) spend their time trying to keep Vance calm and not let him over think things, as he has a tendency to do. This culminates in Amy seeing Vance fret, and both end up running out on the wedding. Finding each other at the airport, they agree they are not ready to get married.
     I applaud the series for this level of thinking. Many shows in their ilk would marry off the characters, and then deal with things as they come, either changing them to make it work, or allowing divorce later. Vance and Amy are smart enough to realize their weaknesses, and work on them. It makes very much sense in the story for them to call off the wedding, even after everyone has gathered at the church. That is not to say they would not revisit matrimony down the line, should the series get picked up, which doesn't look likely. But they aren't ready now.

     As much fun as Amy and Vance are, my favorite couple is Dave and Julia (Christine Woods). They are the best man and maid of honor, and both want to tell the same story during their speech. That simply will not do, and Julia gloats when she finds out that she will be talking first. Dave won't give up loosing the story to Julia, and goes around telling everyone ahead of time. She doesn't get angry. They both know all is fair in love and war, and they love each other despite their competitive contests. It's a very healthy relationship, without grudges.

     Woods's evil laugh is so good in this episode, it bears rewinding for instant replay. And no one can ugly cry like she does. Woods, while a decent dramatic actress, has shown unexpected comedy chops on this series that easily belong in any future clip reels she sends out. Bornheimer has already proven his worth in other failed sitcoms, and he continues to be magic. Woods and Bornheimer are the rare genuine geniuses in the comedy world, that praise cannot be heaped too highly on them. Both will find new work soon enough. But I want to see them together! They are fantastic!

     Rex and Leigh (Olivia Munn) are no slouches either, of course, though they are less complex than Dave and Julia, the 'real', 'normal' couple. Leigh, the wedding planner, actually hires a professional calmer for the wedding to soothe the nerves of anyone who freaks out. She herself got to make use of his services. Rex, on the other hand, is the only one who doesn't have a job. He feels so left out, he gladly volunteers to be 'flower man' when the flower girl gets sick. You'd think the concept would be too goofy, but watching Rex practice dropping petals in the hallway is priceless! 

     Perfect Couples has some of the best writing and acting in current sitcom land. Though it got off to a rocky start, recent episodes have been an absolute joy from beginning to end. I beg of you NBC! Renew this show!

Article first published as TV Review: Perfect Couples - "Perfect Wedding" on Blogcritics.

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Perfect Couples - "Pilot"

     NBC's newest addition the their Thursday night sitcom lineup is Perfect Couples. I'm not sure how I feel about the show. It has a talented cast, many of whom I already liked before the series went to air. It's fairly funny. I just don't know if its original and clever enough to really stand out as something that needs to be watched.

     Like ABC's Better With You often does, the episode began with highlighting similar situations and how three different couples handle them. Unlike BWY, where the couples are alike, and the differences are determined by length of time together, these couples just have different types of chemistry and styles of communication. Rex (Hayes MacArthur, Worst Week) and Leigh (Olivia Munn, The Daily Show With Jon Stewart, Attack of the Show) are in counseling and read relationship books, so they use therapy jargon and discuss feelings. It works about as well as you think it will. Vance (David Walton, 100 Questions) and Amy (Mary Elizabeth Ellis, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia) fight with lots of passion, and then make up sexually with the same level of energy. The 'normal' couple in the center is Dave (Kyle Bornheimer, Worst Week) and Julia (Christine Woods, FlashForward).

     I love Bornheimer, and I know he just needs the right sitcom to really take off as a star. He is great in understated humor and broad physical comedy. Playing the mostly even, straight man to the zaniness around him works just as well as his goofy turn in WW. For him alone, I want this show to succeed. Munn is also pretty funny, as she has proven playing varied versions of herself in news-like entertainment. Ellis has always been wickedly funny in Sunny, and she basically kicks up that same character a notch. Woods was lucky that FF ended after only one season, because even if this series gets canceled, she will be better for it, broadening her range and cast-ability. Walton and MacArthur I don't know as well, but they round out the ensemble just fine. All six actors commit completely to the characters they play, and do it with talent. As such, I don't think any issues I have with the show relate to casting.

     In the pilot, Dave and Julia agree to a game night with the others so that they can have their anniversary free to themselves. As you might expect, things go badly, and soon their four friends are in their bedroom. Vance and Amy's plot makes sense, and their entanglement with the evening. However, Rex and Leigh just constantly show up, presumably so they get as much screen time as the rest. It's not that the couple is less funny, but they just weren't as involved in the story this week. Rather than allow the other characters room to breathe and work, it seemed like they were forced into scenes they needn't have been.

     This is just a pilot, so I won't delve too deeply or read too much into things. Every new show has bugs, and how good the series is depends on how quickly and well they work out the kinks. I will try Perfect Couples again next week and I hope you do the same, because despite some missteps, there is potential here.

     Perfect Couples airs Thursday nights at 8:30 p.m. on NBC.

Article first published as TV Review: Perfect Couples - "Pilot" on Blogcritics.

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