15 Best TV Shows Like New Girl

When "New Girl" ended in 2018 after seven seasons, it undoubtedly left a hole in people's hearts. Since 2011, people tuned into Fox every week to see what mishaps and misunderstandings Jessica Day (Zooey Deschanel) and her roommates would get into. There's no shortage of incredible "New Girl" episodes to watch, and if you go back, you may find new things to appreciate. Even if you don't, it's hard to get tired of watching an episode like "Background Check" where everyone's eccentricities are dialed up to 11. 

Naturally, you may be ready to fill said heart-hole with something new yet oddly similar. "New Girl" is far from the only sitcom about a group of friends figuring out what to do in life while getting into copious high jinks. Or maybe you want something with a quirky female lead who's prone to burst into song. There can only ever be one "New Girl," but you may find a new obsession to tide you over temporarily. From well-known comedy series to ones that only lasted a couple of seasons and then faded into obscurity, here are shows like "New Girl" that are worth a shot. 

Have you ever wondered why Coach (Damon Wayans Jr.) was in the pilot to "New Girl" but then left by the second episode? That's due to a little show called "Happy Endings," which Wayans had filmed the first season for but assumed was going to get canceled. It would wind up getting picked up for a second, forcing Wayans to go back to star while "New Girl" carried on without him with a new character named Winston (Lamorne Morris). 

However, no one should sleep on "Happy Endings," which follows a group of friends after two of them prepare to get married, only for Alex (Elisha Cuthbert) to leave Dave (Zachary Knighton) at the altar. It throws the entire dynamic out of whack, and while the show initially focuses on the couple at first, it then branches out to give the entire friend group more to do.

Anthony and Joe Russo, who were executive producers, claimed that "Happy Endings" endures because of its fun irreverence. This is seen in episodes like "The Marry Prankster" where Max (Adam Pally) pranks everyone else after they pull a mean prank on him, calling to mind some classic Winston mess-arounds on "New Girl."

"Don't Trust the B—- in Apartment 23" has a similar set-up to "New Girl." Party girl Chloe (Krysten Ritter) becomes roommates with the far squarer June (Dreama Walker), and the two quickly form an odd couple dynamic. Also, James Van Der Beek plays an eccentric version of himself desperate to revive his career. 

Given its censored title, it's kind of a miracle "Don't Trust the B—-" aired on network TV in the first place. It's pretty edgy, with certain actors playing against type. Van Der Beek is the weirdo while Eric Andre plays arguably the most normal person on the show. Where else are you going to see that? 

Sadly, it wasn't meant for a long life, as "Don't Trust the B—-" was canceled after just two seasons despite some pretty good ratings. It came out around the time of streaming when there was more delayed viewership, but we should all do right by it by checking it out now. Think of it as the cousin to "New Girl" that's done some time in juvie. 

"The Mindy Project" may be a workplace sitcom rather than one following a group of friends, but it's hard to deny how similar Mindy Lahiri (Mindy Kaling) and Jessica Day are. They're both pretty quirky and occasionally too optimistic, both willing to go the extra mile for their friends. It also takes both of them a while to realize the person they should date has been right in front of them all along. 

There's a certain level of "finding yourself" in each shows, but "The Mindy Project" hones in far more on the idea of having it all with a job and person you love profoundly. Jess likes being a teacher, but Mindy lives for being an obstetrician. Plus, "Mindy Project" definitely got a bit more serious as the seasons went on to tackle some harsher themes, resulting in a solid blend of drama and comedy that proves Kaling leaving "The Office" ahead of its final season was a good choice to make. 

What happens when you're desperately trying to hang onto some youthful innocence even as you're staring down the barrel of your 40s? That's what "Friends From College" is about, which follows a college friend group reuniting and getting into all sorts of mishaps together. If "New Girl" shows how it's okay not to have your act together in your 30s, "Friends From College," which boasts an all-star cast including Keegan-Michael Key, Cobie Smulders, and Fred Savage, exhibits how it could be so much worse just a decade later.

The series takes more of a tragicomic twist on many relatable issues, such as having financial troubles within a marriage and infidelity. Even if the characters aren't always totally likable, they're relatable to an extent because who amongst us hasn't been caught in some serious arrested development? As much as we'd all probably like to regress to our college personas when nothing really mattered, life is about moving forward. If nothing else, watching "Friends From College" will make you feel better about where you are in life. 

Within all the shows like "New Girl," "Single Parents" may feel the most similar. That's no accident as "New Girl" creator Elizabeth Meriwether also co-made this short-lived sitcom about divorced dad Will Cooper (Taran Killam) figuring out who he is beyond just a father. 

In fact, Will basically functions as a Jess Day remix. He's silly and eccentric (manic pixie dream ... man?), and he's not afraid to dress up in silly costumes. This is in spite of coming out of a bad relationship, and through it all, they find their romantic interest in someone who's a total wreck. For Will, that's Angie (Leighton Meester). 

The characters in "Single Parents" are a bit more well-polished. They kind of have to be so that viewers aren't too concerned for the well-being of all the children. But they all manage to still have hilarious idiosyncracies, making their misadventures in finding new romantic relationships a true pleasure to watch. 

"Lovesick" was originally titled "Scrotal Recall," which is the most displeasing title for something since Barney Gumble's "Pukahontas" on "The Simpsons." Those willing to give the series a shot would find it an intriguing examination of taking responsibility and truly looking inward to find why past relationships didn't work out. 

The show begins with Dylan (Johnny Flynn) getting diagnosed with chlamydia, so he contacts all of his previous sexual partners to give them the news. While this is going on, Evie (Antonia Thomas) still harbors some latent romantic feelings toward Dylan despite being engaged to someone else.

"Lovesick" is really about taking accountability for the past and how you can't grow as a person unless you really account for your past mistakes. Dylan needs to take stock of why he bounced around from one relationship to the next, growing as a person as the series goes on. He's not unlike Nick Miller (Jake Johnson) in a way, who needs to come to terms with the past if he's going to have a happier relationship with Jess. 

If you're someone who loved the way Jess on "New Girl" would randomly burst into little songs, you'll love the full-blown music videos in "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend." The show had some straight bangers during its four-season run, with some of the best "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" songs including witty numbers like "The Math of Love Triangles" and "Settle for Me." 

But the wit extends into every facet of the show. Rebecca Bunch (Rachel Bloom) moves from New York to West Covina, California, to pursue her long-time crush, Josh Chan (Vincent Rodriguez III). She winds up getting into all sorts of mishaps, but as the show goes on, it becomes this fascinating, introspective journey into Rachel's declining mental health, even dealing with a borderline personality disorder diagnosis in the third season. 

No show has ever tackled relationships quite like "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend." While getting married might be the endgame for many TV couples, Rebecca shows how there are other avenues available to find happiness. 

Strong female friendships are core to both "New Girl" with Jess and Cece (Hannah Simone) as well as "Broad City" with Abbi (Abbi Jacobson) and Ilana (Ilana Glazer). While "New Girl" may focus on "getting your life together," "Broad City" is gleefully more about having fun and enjoying life to the fullest, even if it means not having what most would consider traditional metrics of success.

"Broad City" also isn't afraid to subvert traditional sitcom expectations. For example, in the first season, Abbi has a crush on her neighbor, Jeremy (Stephen Schneider). They finally get together, but right when you think they'll have a standard sitcom romance, Abbi's view of him significantly deteriorates shortly after they start hooking up. 

"Broad City" is ultimately about finding pleasure in being a mess in life. Finding the perfect relationship or job isn't the endpoint for these women; it's about the journeys they have together and having a blast in the process. With so much deconstruction, "Broad City" is a sitcom for people who watch too many sitcoms and are ready for something that takes the path less traveled. And if you want to watch something that's like "Broad City" but a bit more grown-up, then check out "Babes," which also stars Glazer and earned a positive review from /Film's Jacob Hall. 

It's easy to forget just how dark "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" is at its center. It opens with Kimmy (Ellie Kemper) and several other women getting released from a cult leader and his doomsday bunker, but you don't have time to worry about all of Kimmy's inner trauma, which does creep to the surface every now and then, when there are multiple jokes and gags every minute to distract you. 

If you thought Jessica Day was optimistic, you need to get a look at Kimmy, who's hyper-happy more out of necessity than anything else. Other sitcoms might see characters find themselves after a bad breakup, but "Kimmy Schmidt" follows a character who literally has to start from nothing. The comedy series also wasn't afraid to play with form, including an episode that serves as a faux documentary on cult leader Reverend Richard Wayne Gary Wayne (Jon Hamm). 

Every episode was jam-packed with jokes that you'll undoubtedly make part of your regular lexicon. It's hard not to say "What white nonsense is this?" at many of the things materializing in the world today. 

When it comes to television series, there sadly aren't that many about older characters, even with "The Golden Girls" being utterly hilarious even today. "Grace and Frankie" proudly carried the torch into the 21st century with seven seasons focusing on Grace Hanson (Jane Fonda) and Frankie Bergstein (Lily Tomlin). The women are forced to live together and become friendly after divorcing their husbands, who get into a relationship with each other. 

Grace and Frankie, despite needing some time to get used to one another's eccentricities, wind up with one of the best female friendships in TV history. It's normal for shows like "New Girl" to follow a group of young people trying to figure out life in their 20s or 30s. But "Grace and Frankie" is necessary because you could have spent your entire life doing everything right and still find yourself in weird predicaments. "Grace and Frankie" is proof that it's okay to have second, third, and fourth acts in life, and there's always some new adventure to go on. 

"New Girl" shows how roommates can lead to some unlikely friendships, and there's no better show about how unlikely people come together than "Community." In fact, the show is inspired by creator Dan Harmon's own experience in community college and hanging out with people he wouldn't have been friends with otherwise. 

"Community" mostly hones in on Jeff Winger (Joel McHale) needing to go back to community college to get the degree necessary to go back to being a lawyer, and while there, he meets an overachiever, a weird kid obsessed with pop culture, a rebel, a divorced mother, an annoying old guy, and a former jock who become his best friends. Despite all of them coming from different walks of life and having different goals, they're all messes. 

Several episodes are devoted to how toxic their friend group actually is. But you never actually want to see them fall apart because it's obvious there's a deep devotion to one another. Of course, "Community" is anything but formulaic, as it takes all of the sitcom cliches and turns them on their head, whether it's having clip shows from episodes that never happened or Abed (Danny Pudi) directly commenting on their adventures as if he's on a TV show.

Much like "New Girl," "Young & Hungry" is comfort viewing at its finest. The show follows Gabi Diamond (Emily Osment), who's hired by Josh Kaminski (Jonathan Sadowski) to be his personal chef. The only problem is the two have a one-night stand, resulting in an awkward dynamic that's played for laughs as the pair continue having a will they/won't they dynamic. 

"Young & Hungry" never gets bogged down in too much emotional turmoil, and it's all buoyed by Osment's central performance as a woman trying to make a name for herself. She wants both a career and a man she can love, which leads to numerous comical mishaps. Much like the food Gabi makes, it's empty calories, but it's something that'll put a smile on your face. 

It serves as proof positive that Osment can lead her own sitcom in case you had any reservations about "Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage," which serves as a spin-off for Osment's "Young Sheldon" character. Osment understands these roles perfectly, so don't overlook "Young & Hungry." 

"Superstore" follows the "New Girl" formula of having hilarious jokes and a central romance where you're never quite sure if the two characters will wind up together. The latter was very much intentional, as "Superstore" creator Justin Spitzer wanted to subvert the standard sitcom dynamic with Jonah (Ben Feldman) and Amy (America Ferrera). There are so many obstacles you generally wonder how they could possibly get together at the beginning, but where there's a will, there's a way. 

The thing separating "Superstore" from many other sitcoms of its ilk is genuinely how smart it is. "Superstore" offered ample social commentary, from labor organization to ICE raiding workplaces. Arguably, "Superstore" even tackled the COVID-19 pandemic perfectly. Whereas other shows ignored it entirely or paid it lip service, the final season of "Superstore" had characters wear masks without making a big deal of it. "Superstore" was truly a reflection of the times without ever forgetting to keep things funny.

"How I Met Your Mother" debuted a few years before "New Girl," and it essentially functions as a prototype "New Girl." It's a group of friends with the central one — Ted Mosby (Josh Radnor) — trying to find the perfect woman for him. Meanwhile, he's surrounded by womanizer Barney (Neil Patrick Harris) and doting Marshall (Jason Segel) who's in a long-term relationship with Lily (Alyson Hannigan), whom he later marries. Throughout the show, he's straddling the line between wanting to get married and just enjoying life as a single guy.

Now, it's clear what you might be thinking: Is it worth it to rewatch "How I Met Your Mother" knowing how divisive the finale was? Well, the truth is we may have been too harsh on how "How I Met Your Mother" ended. It's a show that regularly explores whether people even have one true soulmate or if life is just random chaos. The truth is life isn't a linear narrative; you can have one person who's perfect for you in your 20s and maybe there'll be another perfect person in your 40s. For those early seasons at least, this sitcom was a pure delight, and you can certainly stop watching after about season 6 if you want. 

Any show that involves a group of friends getting into relationships with one another and getting into comic misadventures owes a debt of thanks to "Friends." It remains one of the most popular and best sitcoms of all time, running for an astounding 10 seasons. 

To be honest, there's really not much to "Friends," as you could take any of the six central characters, pair them up, and see greatness. For a decade, people could tune in week after week and hang out with people who were basically their, well, friends. And it's hard not to see similar character dynamics as high-strung Schmidt (Max Greenfield) on "New Girl" was a new spin on Monica Geller (Courteney Cox). 

Honestly, "New Girl" is the true successor to "Friends." "New Girl" was a bit more absurdist with its humor, but in the postmodern 21st century, a level of sardonic detachment is necessary. "New Girl" took the formula perfected by "Friends" and made it relatable in the 2010s, with the only question remaining as to what the next "New Girl" would be.