The pilot for FOX's new comedy, New Girl, experienced a set back before it could even really start. Damon Wayans Jr. who played on of the three roommates with whom Zooey Deschanel's character moves in after her terrible break-up became unavailable to move on to the series because his previous commitment, Happy Endings for ABC, was renewed for a second season. So the producers moved on to Lamorne Morris, but as it turns out that wasn't such a far stretch after all.
Shared today at the FOX TCA presentation in Los Angeles, Morris actually read for the pilot initially but ultimately passed because he had another project in the works. Wayans Jr. was placed in the part, but when he became unavailable, they went back to Morris who was once again free.
"We just wanted to bring in Lamorne! It's all about Lamorne!" series star Zooey Deschanel only half joked.
But it's not a matter of simply recasting. Wayans Jr's character will actually be written out, and it will be addressed in the next new episode after the pilot. No one has a falling out (which leaves the door for him to come back wide open), but he just picks up and moves to Santa Monica. Series creator Liz Meriwether believes that is very indicative of life in your twenties-- moving around a lot. At least it is for her.
"Damon's been subletting the apartment from Winston [Morris]," Meriweather explained. "Winston has been over in Latvia, playing basketball, and now he has to come back."
Obviously, then Winston already has a relationship with the other guys, so it won't be as if they get one new roommate in week one and another new one in week two. But still, it will be a bit of an energy adjustment from week one to week two, when new shows are just finding their footing-- and their audience.
Much of the show will be about the way each of the four central characters can help better each other. For example, Max Greenfield's Schmidt has a jar that he must put money in every time one of his friends thinks he is being a "douche." It's basically New Girl's version of Cougar Town's council, and they are proving that friendship really is just therapy for people!
Funny story, though: one of the crew guys dropped a fifty in the jar, and that inspired Meriwether to write a whole upcoming episode about what he could have possibly done to owe so much money.
"I'm not playing him as a douche, but I'm trying to play him as honest as possible," Greenfield explained.
The bottom line, though, is that the characters all have a lot of work to do on themselves. And this will inevitably mean that bad relationship decisions will be made. It's a show about people in their twenties, so of course there will be flirtation among the core characters.
"Sexual tension is implicit [here]," Meriwether admitted. "There will be some flirting and some hoo hah...I think we'll go there in the [near] future."
Wherever they go, though, Deschanel is just happy to be along for the ride. Though the part was not written specifically for her, she feels that it might as well have been, as she connected with the role and its creator right away: "Liz and I, our souls are connected."
"I don't know if I've ever seen a part that's as charming and exciting and made me think," Deschanel said of her New Girl role. "Literally, reading the pilot script I was laughing out loud, having such a good time. And now in rehearsals I'm still laughing all the time because the writing is just that good."
New Girl premieres on FOX on September 20th at 9pm. Will you watch?
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