Normal (New Girl)

Last updated

"Normal"
New Girl episode
Episode no.Season 1
Episode 20
Directed by Jesse Peretz
Written byLuvh Rakhe
Production code1ATM19
Original air dateApril 10, 2012 (2012-04-10)
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Secrets"		Next →
"Kids"
New Girl (season 1)
List of episodes

"Normal" is the twentieth episode of the first season of the American comedy television series New Girl . It was written by Luvh Rakhe and directed by Jesse Peretz. The episode aired on April 10, 2012 on Fox.

Contents

Plot

Jess (Zooey Deschanel) brings her new boyfriend Russell (Dermot Mulroney) home to the loft to meet her roommates. After some reluctance, the men bond when the group plays True American, an active drinking game. The game ends when Cece (Hannah Simone) retreats to Schmidt's bed, prompting Schmidt (Max Greenfield) to join her. Nick (Jake Johnson) then shares his idea for "real apps," a suite of physical "apps" for smartphones with functionality similar to a Swiss Army knife. He accidentally wounds Russell with the prototype, prompting Russell to leave, to Jess's disappointment.

Winston (Lamorne Morris) begins a new job in "Normal" as an assistant to sports talk show host Joe Napoli (Phil Hendrie). Winston's initial enthusiasm for the job fades when he realizes Napoli is an abrasive and disrespectful boss. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has a cameo appearance as a guest on Napoli's show.

True American

After "Normal" aired, internet sources began to summarize the rules for True American, which the characters described as a mix of a drinking game and Candy Land where the floor is lava; it also involves shouting the names of American presidents. [1] [2] The idea of True American came from a New Girl writer who played a similar game in college. As she could not remember the game's exact rules, the writers focused on making the game as funny on the page as possible, but only established chanting "JFK! FDR!" and walking on chairs. As the cast did not understand the game during shooting, the writers created more rules on the spot, advised the actors to "have fun, dig in, jump in" and play it as if "they'd been playing this thing for years and years and years." The high-energy feel of the game and the amounts of coverage made filming True American more challenging for the actors than normal episodes. Producers Dave Finkel, Brett Baer, and writer Luvh Rakhe, came up with most of the obscure American history facts, but much was cut from the finished episode. [1] [3] Fox subsequently released a set of official rules for the game, which can be summarized "There are no real rules". [4] The characters also played True American in "Cooler", the 15th episode of the second season, in "Mars Landing", the 20th episode of the third season and in "Wedding Eve" the 21st episode of the fifth season.

Reception

The initial broadcast of "Normal" attracted 5.23 million US viewers. [5] The A.V. Club called the episode "the young series at its best," rating it an A− overall. [6] The staff of The Atlantic included it in their list of the best TV episodes of 2012, comparing the actors' performances to "the best sitcom ensembles" of Seinfeld , Will & Grace , and Friends . [7] Alan Sepinwall said the episode "didn't seem quite as effortlessly hilarious as several recent episodes" but was still enjoyable. [8]

Related Research Articles

<i>Gilmore Girls</i> American comedy-drama television series (2000–2007)

Gilmore Girls is an American comedy-drama television series created by Amy Sherman-Palladino and starring Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel. The show debuted on October 5, 2000, on The WB and became a flagship series for the network. Gilmore Girls ran for seven seasons, the final season moving to The CW and ending its run on May 15, 2007.

<i>Fear Factor</i> American stunt/dare game show

Fear Factor is an American stunt/dare game show that first aired on NBC from 2001 to 2006 and was initially hosted by comedian and UFC commentator Joe Rogan. The show was adapted by Endemol USA from the original Dutch series titled Now or Neverland.

Jane Anderson is an American actress, playwright, screenwriter and director. She wrote and directed the feature film The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio (2005), and wrote the Nicolas Cage film It Could Happen to You (1994). She won an Emmy Award for writing the screenplay for the miniseries Olive Kitteridge (2014).

<i>Rules of Engagement</i> (TV series) American sitcom television series

Rules of Engagement is an American sitcom television series that ran on CBS from February 5, 2007, to May 20, 2013, originally airing as a mid-season replacement. The series was produced by Adam Sandler's Happy Madison Productions in association with CBS Television Studios and Sony Pictures Television.

"Reunion" is the fifth episode of the third season of American television comedy series 30 Rock, and the 41st episode of the series overall. It was written by supervising producer Matt Hubbard and directed by Beth McCarthy-Miller. The episode originally aired on NBC in the United States on December 4, 2008. Guest stars in this episode include Susan Barrett, Marceline Hugot, Robyn Lively, Janel Moloney, Diane Neal, Rip Torn, and Steve Witting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ron Swanson</span> Parks and Recreation character

Ronald Ulysses Swanson is a fictional character portrayed by Nick Offerman from the situation comedy television series Parks and Recreation on NBC, created by Greg Daniels and Michael Schur. In the series, Ron is the director of the Parks and Recreation department of fictional town of Pawnee, Indiana, and the immediate superior of series protagonist Leslie Knope. In demeanor, political philosophy and work ethic, Knope and Swanson are polar opposites: where Knope is sunny and outgoing, decidedly liberal and constantly working, Swanson is distant, and as a staunch libertarian, is a strong advocate for small government—stating his belief that government should be privatized—and therefore believes that the parks department should not even exist.

<i>Modern Family</i> (season 2) Season of television series

The second season of the comedy television series Modern Family aired on ABC from September 22, 2010 to May 25, 2011. The season was produced by Lloyd-Levitan Productions in association with 20th Century Fox Television, with series creators Steven Levitan and Christopher Lloyd serving as show runners. On January 12, 2010, Modern Family was renewed for a second season by ABC. Season two of Modern Family aired on Wednesday nights at 9 p.m. and consisted of 24 episodes.

What a Difference a Day Makes (<i>Greys Anatomy</i>) 22nd episode of the 5th season of Greys Anatomy

"What a Difference a Day Makes" is the twenty-second episode of the fifth season of the American television medical drama, Grey's Anatomy and the show's 100th episode overall. Written by series creator Shonda Rhimes and directed by Rob Corn, the episode was originally broadcast on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) in the United States on May 7, 2009. Grey's Anatomy centers around a group of young doctors in training. In this episode, a wedding takes place. The episode received highly positive reviews from critics, with Heigl and Chambers' performances receiving high critical acclaim. The initial airing was viewed by 15.326 million people and garnered a 5.3/14 Nielsen rating/share in the 18–49 demographic.

<i>Parks and Recreation</i> (season 3) Season of television series

The third season of Parks and Recreation originally aired in the United States on the NBC television network between January 20 and May 19, 2011. Like the previous seasons, it focuses on Leslie Knope and her staff at the parks and recreation department of the fictional Indiana town of Pawnee. The season featured 16 episodes, most of which were approximately 22 minutes long each and aired at 9:30 p.m. on Thursdays. The season stars Amy Poehler, Rashida Jones, Aziz Ansari, Nick Offerman, Aubrey Plaza, Chris Pratt, Adam Scott, and Rob Lowe, with supporting performances from Jim O'Heir and Retta.

"Training Day" is the twentieth episode of the seventh season of the American comedy television series The Office and the show's 146th episode overall. It originally aired on NBC on April 14, 2011. The episode was written by Daniel Chun and directed by Paul Lieberstein. This episode marks the first appearance of Deangelo Vickers in the series.

<i>New Girl</i> American television sitcom

New Girl is an American television sitcom created by Elizabeth Meriwether and produced by 20th Century Fox Television for Fox that originally aired from September 20, 2011, to May 15, 2018. The series revolves around a kooky teacher, Jessica Day, after she moves into a Los Angeles loft with three men, Nick Miller, Schmidt, and Winston Bishop ; their former roommate Coach and Jess' best friend Cece Parekh are also part of the series. The show combines comedy and drama elements as the characters, who are in their early thirties, deal with relationship issues and career choices. New Girl is a joint production between Elizabeth Meriwether Pictures and 20th Century Fox Television and is syndicated by 20th Television.

<i>Awake</i> (TV series) American police procedural fantasy drama television series

Awake is an American police procedural fantasy drama television series that originally aired on NBC for one season from March 1 to May 24, 2012. The pilot episode had an early release on Hulu on February 16, 2012, two weeks before the series' premiere on television. Kyle Killen, the series' creator, was primarily responsible for the program's concept. Killen and David Slade served as executive producers of the pilot episode, and Killen continued producing the series along with Jeffrey Reiner and Howard Gordon.

"Road Trip" is the fourteenth episode of the third season of the American comedy television series Parks and Recreation, and the 44th overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on May 12, 2011. In the episode, Leslie and Ben are sent on a road trip together and struggle to keep their romantic feelings for each other at bay due to a policy that forbids office romances. Meanwhile, a Newlywed Game-style game show hosted by Tom leads to a fight between Andy and April.

"The Fight" is the thirteenth episode of the third season of the American comedy television series Parks and Recreation, and the 43rd overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on May 12, 2011. In the episode, the parks department employees become very drunk during a bar outing, where Leslie and Ann have their first major fight. Meanwhile, Chris tells Tom he must sell his share in the bar due to a conflict with his government job. According to Nielsen Media Research, "The Fight" was seen by an estimated 4.55 million household viewers, a drop from the previous original episode, "Eagleton".

"Lotto" is the third episode of the eighth season of the American comedy television series The Office, and the show's 155th episode overall. It was written by Charlie Grandy and directed by cast member John Krasinski. The episode originally aired on NBC in the United States on October 6, 2011. The episode guest stars Mark Proksch as Nate and Hugh Dane as Hank the security guard.

<i>New Girl</i> (season 2) Season of television series

The second season of the American television sitcom New Girl premiered on Fox on September 25, 2012, and concluded on May 14, 2013, consisting of 25 episodes. Developed by Elizabeth Meriwether under the working title Chicks & Dicks, the series revolves around offbeat teacher Jess after her moving into a Los Angeles loft with three men, Nick, Schmidt, and Winston ; Jess's best friend Cece also appears regularly. The show combines comedy and drama elements as the characters, who are in their early thirties, deal with maturing relationships and career choices.

<i>Community</i> (season 4) Season of television series

The fourth season of the television comedy series Community premiered on February 7, 2013, and concluded on May 9, 2013. The season consists of 13 episodes and aired on NBC on Thursdays at 8:00 pm ET as part of the network's "Comedy Night Done Right" programming block.

<i>The Office</i> (American season 9) Season of television series

The ninth and final season of the American television comedy The Office premiered on NBC on September 20, 2012, and concluded on May 16, 2013, consisting of 25 episodes. The Office is an American adaptation of the British comedy series of the same name, and is presented in a mockumentary format, portraying the daily lives of office employees in the Scranton, Pennsylvania branch of the fictitious Dunder Mifflin Paper Company. The ninth season of The Office aired on Thursdays at 9:00 p.m. (Eastern) in the United States, as part of the Comedy Night Done Right television block. It stars Rainn Wilson, John Krasinski, Jenna Fischer, and Ed Helms, with supporting performances from Catherine Tate, Leslie David Baker, Brian Baumgartner, Creed Bratton, Clark Duke, Kate Flannery, Mindy Kaling, Ellie Kemper, Angela Kinsey, Jake Lacy, Paul Lieberstein, B. J. Novak, Oscar Nunez, Craig Robinson, and Phyllis Smith. This is the second season not to star Steve Carell as lead character Michael Scott, although he returned for a cameo appearance in the series finale.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jessica Day (New Girl)</span> Fictional character

Jessica Christopher "Jess" Day is a fictional title character in the FOX sitcom New Girl, where she becomes the sole female roommate in an apartment loft in Los Angeles. She is portrayed by Zooey Deschanel.

References

  1. 1 2 Sepinwall, Alan (July 25, 2012). "Press Tour 2012: 'New Girl' producers lay down True American rules (sort of)". hitfix.com. Retrieved December 26, 2013.
  2. ↑ Yapalater, Lauren (April 11, 2012). "'True American' Is The Next Big Drinking Game". BuzzFeed . Retrieved December 15, 2012.
  3. ↑ Adams, Erik (May 13, 2013). "The New Girl showrunners on building the second season toward its "big kiss"—and the aftermath". avclub.com. Retrieved September 28, 2013.
  4. ↑ Bentley, Jean (July 23, 2012). "'New Girl' finally reveals True American drinking game rules ... sort of". Zap2it. Archived from the original on December 19, 2012. Retrieved December 15, 2012.
  5. ↑ Bibel, Sara (April 11, 2012). "Tuesday Final Ratings: 'New Girl', 'NCIS: Los Angeles', 'Last Man Standing' Adjusted Up; 'Raising Hope', 'Ringer', 'Biggest Loser' Down". Zap2it. Archived from the original on April 12, 2012. Retrieved December 15, 2012.
  6. ↑ Adams, Erik (April 10, 2012). "'Normal' - New Girl". The A.V. Club . Retrieved December 15, 2012.
  7. ↑ Fallon, Kevin (December 13, 2012). "The Best Television Episodes of 2012 - New Girl, 'Normal'". The Atlantic . Retrieved December 15, 2012.
  8. ↑ Sepinwall, Alan (April 11, 2012). "Review: 'New Girl' - 'Normal': I wanna dip my balls in it!". HitFix . Retrieved December 14, 2012.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.