New Girl: "All In"

Throughout most of New Girl's fantastic second season I reviewed it week-to-week, an experience that I enjoyed a lot, especially as the series hit a well-spring of countless memorable, hilarious episodes. New Girl didn't just become a better show from season one to season two, it became one of the best network comedies (I'd still say Bob's Burgers is ahead of every other comedy on network television but that's a whole other argument) and simply one of the best television shows period. In its best moments the series became that water cooler program that is electrifying to witness because not only is it a pleasure to watch, a treasure trove of jokes, tone, timing and character, but it was also earning deeply rewarding, satisfying moments that had something worthwhile to say about not only these characters but also about being in your thirties.

I unfortunately don't have the time to continue reviewing New Girl regularly, and that's really a crying shame. If the season three premiere is any indication though, the show doesn't plan to lose much of its momentum, charm or quality. Picking up where the season two finale left off, it dives right into the real implications of Jess and Nick dating as well as the consequences due to this of the four roommates not having eachother to tie one another down. The other unanswered question from the finale about Schmidt's choice between Cece and Elizabeth which dovetails with the division of the central four as Schmidt, lacking the help of Nick, stupidly chooses ... both of them, to infuriating and, not surprisingly, very funny results. Everyone is avoiding confronting their problems and this only causes things to escalate to a point where Nick is arrested by hotel police in Mexico and, in her scrambling efforts, Jess asks for the help of Schmidt and Winston, to Nick's chagrin. Plus we get Lamorne Morris saying some perfect line readings such as "I've decided to start a puzzle!" If that didn't have you laughing, you may not have a soul, but thankfully New Girl has a gooey, sweet one that sells moments like Jess's sappy "We're family" speech.

I've elided over a lot of plot here but the most important thing is that New Girl hasn't changed ... and that's great news! I might check in on it every now and again, but if it keeps this up it'll just be a lot of me saying "Wasn't that fun!"