Why New Girl Outshines Friends in Sitcom Brilliance
John Johnson
Published May 17, 2026
By Published Apr 16, 2026, 10:30 AM EDT Adrienne Tyler is a movies & TV features writer, with a focus on horror. She has written for Netflix, FanSided, & more. She was a regular guest on the Netfreaks podcast and was a YouTuber at some point. Guillermo del Toro said “hi” to her once. Summary Generate a summary of this story follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap
There have been many TV shows that have tried to be the next Friends, and the one that has gotten the closest to it has a near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes score, as it’s even better than Friends. In 1994, Friends arrived to change sitcoms and make TV history, becoming one of . Despite some elements not aging well, Friends is still one of the most influential shows in TV history.
As such, many sitcoms have tried to replicate the formula of Friends, but many have failed. Others have succeeded while trying to be the new Friends, but couldn’t quite do it and became their own thing (which is better). However, one show managed to do both things, and in the process, it fixed Friends’ biggest mistakes and became a better show: .
New Girl Has Better Friendship Dynamics Than Friends
Created by Elizabeth Meriwether, New Girl premiered on Fox in 2011 and ran for seven seasons, ending in 2018. New Girl introduces viewers to Jess (Zooey Deschanel), who, after finding out that her boyfriend is cheating on her, moves into a loft with three strangers she found on the internet: Nick (Jake Johnson), Schmidt (Max Greenfield), and Coach (Damon Wayans Jr), who’s later replaced by Winston (Lamorne Morris).
After some obstacles in adjusting to a new roommate, Jess and the boys become very close and support each other through many ups and downs. is the best replacement to date, and even better, it learned from its mistakes and fixed them, starting with the friendships and dynamics of the characters.
As good and fun as Friends is, it has to be said that most of them were awful friends to each other. The friendship of Rachel and Monica is especially notable in this matter, with on multiple occasions throughout the show. When it comes to the male characters, there are many moments of toxic masculinity between them.
New Girl has healthier friendships that don’t ignore the rough moments friends can go through sometimes. The friendship between Jess and CeCe (Hannah Simone) is a supportive one and quite stable, having known each other for years and seeing and treating each other as equals. The male characters, despite their different personalities, respect and support each other, and understand their different ways of caring for each other, even if they clash with their own, as happens with Schmidt and Nick.
New Girl Has Better Character Development Than Friends
The characters in Friends are relatable and fun, but most of them lacked character development or, even worse, went many steps back in their development as the show progressed. Joey, in particular, became dumber and dumber in every season, to the point where it wasn’t funny and it hurt the character.
Ross is an example of a character who had no character development, which made the character worse and worse as the rest moved forward in their stories. In New Girl, all the main characters went through the development they needed, most notably Schmidt, who goes from womanizer to stay-at-home father, and Nick, who went from being a bartender with no real plans and goals to a bar owner and author.
New Girl Successfully Avoided The Ross & Rachel Trap
One of Friends’ biggest flaws is what it did with Ross and Rachel. Although the show shares the spotlight among the six main characters, it often gives more attention and time to the chaotic . After the infamous “break”, having a daughter together, and going through many relationships (some arguably better than what they had together), Friends ultimately decided to get Ross and Rachel back together for good, and, in the process, ruin Rachel’s development.
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While New Girl also had its main couples (Jess and Nick, and Schmidt and Cece) getting together, breaking up, and getting back together, the basis of their relationships was mutual respect and support. The Nick and Jess break-up was due to incompatible life goals, while Schmidt and Cece’s was due to the former’s insecurities, but unlike Ross, Schmidt actually did the work and became a better person.
Nick and Jess, and Schmidt and Cece getting back together was earned, and they all improved as individuals before committing to their respective relationships for good. Friends will always be one of , but New Girl knew how to improve the formula and fix Friends’ biggest flaws.
Cast
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Jessica 'Jess' Day -
Nick Miller
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WHERE TO WATCH
StreamingDirectors Trent O'Donnell, Jay Chandrasekhar, Max Winkler, Fred Goss, Jesse Peretz, Steve Welch, Lynn Shelton, Josh Greenbaum, Russ T. Alsobrook, Bill Purple, Christine Gernon, Lorene Scafaria, Michael Schultz, Peyton Reed, Tristram Shapeero, Eric Appel, Alec Berg, Jason Winer, Michael Spiller, Steve Pink, Alex Hardcastle, Andrew Fleming, Craig Zisk, Daniel Attias Writers Berkley Johnson, Kim Rosenstock, Rob Rosell, Matt Fusfeld, Alex Cuthbertson, David Feeney, Nina Pedrad, Rebecca Addelman, Kay Cannon, Sarah Tapscott, Joe Wengert, Ethan Sandler, Adrian Wenner, David Iserson, Nick Adams, David Walpert, Lamar Woods, Veronica McCarthy, David Quandt, Joni Lefkowitz, Lamorne Morris, Rachel Axler, Christian Magalhaes, Robert Snow Creator(s) Elizabeth Meriwether Expand Collapse
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