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If you can relate to awkward romance and you are a big fan of “Dirty Dancing,” you should have the time of your life watching the new Fox comedy “New Girl” at 9 tonight on WUTV.
It is by far my favorite new show of the season.
Thanks to star Zooey Deschanel (see right), “New Girl” is everything that Monday’s CBS comedy “Two Broke Girls” isn’t – charming, sweet and funny without being offensive.
It has one thing in common with “Broke” – in both shows the series lead quickly discovers that her boyfriend is cheating on her. It is just funnier in the “New Girl” version.
Deschanel defines adorable as Jess, who wallows in her pain until she finds three male roommates through Craig’s List who almost instantly are attracted to her combination of vulnerability, quirkiness and naivete. They are even willing to embrace her love of “Dirty Dancing,” which she watches endlessly during her break-up depression.
The three men act like her brothers as she goes back in the dating minefield. If anybody should know about how callous and thoughtless and self-involved men can be, it would be these three childish men.
Jake Johnson is the sweet friend, Nick, who is still getting over his own breakup and has some of Jess’ vulnerabilities.
Max Greenfield is the sexist class clown, Schmidt, who makes inappropriate sexual remarks that end up costing him money to fill the collective house “douchebag jar.”
Schmidt’s initial target is Cece, Jess’ best friend, who is a smart model who warns the boys to treat her friend well.
Damon Wayans Jr. is Coach, who doesn’t know how to have a conversation with a woman that doesn’t end in shouting. Unfortunately, Wayans had to leave the show because ABC surprisingly renewed “Happy Endings.” Lamorne Morris replaces him in the cast next week.
You’ll Like It If: You’re like most TV critics and find Deschanel adorable and enjoy seeing her bond so quickly with her new bros.
You’ll Hate It If: The “Dirty Dancing” music gives you a headache and — a la “When Harry Met Sally” — you just don’t believe men can be friends with women without sex getting in the way.
Outlook: After “Glee,” “New Girl” should get a great tune-in audience and actually should appeal to both sexes. Everyone I have shown the pilot to – and that’s several friends and relatives — has loved it. 4 stars out of 4
The other new show premiering tonigh, the CBS drama “Unforgettable,” airs at 10 tonight on Channel 4. Think “The Mentalist” with a female spin.
Poppy Montgomery, who you undoubtedly remember from “Without a Trace,” arrives with a new hair color (red) as Carrie Wells, who was once the youngest homicide cop in Syracuse. She has a rare gift that enables her to remember just about everything but details of the death of her sister, which haunts her. Dylan Walsh of “Nip/Tuck” plays Detective Al Burns, a former lover and former partner who still cares for her and convinces her the department needs her abilities to solve cases instead of winning money at the casino.
You’ll Like It If: You like looking at Montgomery and enjoy series in which someone has a talent that borders on the supernatural even if it actually exists. They’ve loaded her character with sympathetic traits, too. She believes “her whole life is like a lie.” She lives in Queens because “I don’t have the energy for the city.”
You’ll Hate It If: You think the skill that Carrie possesses robs a viewer’s ability to play along with solving cases because the conceit of the show allows cases to be solved out of left field. And you hate it when female characters are stupidly placed in jeopardy as Carrie is late in this episode.
Outlook: After the two “NCISs,” this well-cast series will get a strong tune-in tonight. It is a well-constructed procedural in the CBS mold and is entertaining even if you don’t have to be a psychic to see the end coming. It has big shoes to fill in the time slot vacated by “The Good Wife” and it is doubtful that it will get the same audience. But it should work. 2 and a half stars out of 4
* Finally, I didn’t laugh much during the much-anticipated premiere of the revamped “Two and a Half Men” with the more likable Ashton Kutcher replacing Charlie Sheen alongside Jon Cryer. But I’ve never been a big fan of this sleazy comedy and early jokes about Charlie giving his conquests multiple social diseases weren’t about to attract me.
It took about 13 minutes to deal coldly with Charlie Harper’s death (Sheen) before Kutcher arrived playing a dot.com billionaire who would chuck all the money if he got just got his girlfriend back.
Kutcher’s character, Walden, is a sensitive hugger who thinks nothing of walking around Charlie’s old Malibu home naked, a joke that got tired quickly. He bonded just as quickly with Charlie’s brother Alan (Cryer), who momentarily thought Walden was going to be his wing man.
However, Walden gets the girl or girls just as easily as Charlie used to, only he does so in a much more likable manner.
Indeed, just about everything in this version of “Men” is more likable. Maybe even the dialogue will be cleaned up just a little. Ah, I’m asking for too much. Sorry Charlie, but if you liked and laughed at “Men” before, I’m guessing you will like the Kutcher for Sheen trade. Just count me out.
pergament@msn.com

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