Elizabeth Meriwether’s New Girl is the type of series that somehow gets better with every re-watch. New Girl began airing in 2011 and concluded its run with a shorter seventh season in 2018. The series follows elementary school teacher Jess Day (played by Zooey Deschanel) and her friends endeavoring to make it through their everyday lives while searching for their purpose and reveling in the dramatic outcomes of their dating escapades. While the comedy is far from perfect, and some scenarios no longer hold up in recent years, its relatable characters are fan favorites for many.
Now, while the series is geared to center around Jess, through the years, other characters take the stage in a way that grounds the series to a better, more layered, and equally hilarious place. One of those characters is Jake Johnson’s Nick Miller, an ironic idol for writers and fans in general, often trending on social media outlets like Twitter because people are finding new ways of relating to him through memes. Further, sardonic pieces of his character included Nick as one of the most relatable writers on TV because his gradual progression toward becoming successful, followed by the lows he experienced in his career, showcases the authenticity many go through before they find a breakthrough.
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His Lows Showcase Authentic Struggles
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Every writer has a unique journey, but many will relate to the detail that, once upon a time, they were eyeing an utterly different field because someone told them that writing isn’t “a real job.” And before Nick Miller became the successful author of The Pepperwood Chronicles and beyond, he was trying to make his way through law school. Early in the show’s run, viewers learn that Nick and his best friend Schmidt (Max Greenfield) are college roommates, also realizing that Nick abandoned law school with three semesters to go.
Interestingly, many writers have stories about how the field they initially planned on establishing a career in wasn’t their cup of tea after a few years of experience. While Nick doesn’t have any experience as a lawyer, who he was becoming in law school clearly wasn’t the type of man he wanted to be. Further, like many writers, Nick’s day job before he finds success in writing is bartending at their local go-to spot, The Griffin. Although Nick and Schmidt eventually buy the bar together, a position in customer service is one many writers can say they’ve had before their art became a paid gig.
Further, while there are many exhibitions of writers on TV and in film, more often than not, they center around successful writers who’ve made it big in the field. We see a clear depiction of what it’s like for women during the Civil War in Greta Gerwig’s Little Women, Julian Jarrold’s Becoming Jane attempts to showcase the life of Jane Austen, and even Baz Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge is an examination into writing without the overt fame of someone in history. Still, while these types of films exist, New Girl does something exemplary with Nick Miller by allowing his sarcasm and struggles to speak to the part of writers that’s a staple in their journeys.
For starters, no one’s first draft is God’s greatest gift to humanity. Second, since the COVID-19 pandemic hit and more jobs went remote, Nick’s struggles are especially relatable in Season 2, Episode 9, “Eggs.” In this episode, Nick decides to officially start writing his novel, except, like many writers, he sits down, gets distracted, and then realizes he has nothing. Whether writing a book or an article or song lyrics, writer’s block is something we all go through, and watching Nick dodge everything is both hilarious and wildly identifiable. Further, when Nick thinks he’s getting life experience by drinking at the zoo, Winston points out that he’s merely procrastinating. After Nick pulls an all-nighter, he claims to have finished writing the novel, which isn’t great, but the progress marries humor with reality in a way that films so often don’t include because they instead romanticize a writer’s journey. Here, the truth is: sometimes there are more lows than highs, and the process is messier than it is beautiful.
The Gradual Journey Feels Earned
The narrative and character developments tend to romanticize the journey in many instances where fiction portrays writers. And while there’s certainly beauty in the process, and it merits romanticization to showcase victories after challenges, New Girl puts Nick Miller through the wringer to exhibit how the process feels earned in the end. Nick’s creative trajectory is often an unsolvable maze where his frustrations are hilarious and natural. Still, even after he finally finds success in the Pepperwood Chronicles, his editor tells him that the stories have run their course.
In Season 7, Episode 2, “Tuesday Meeting,” Nick utters the most relatable words to anyone in the liberal arts field. After dealing with severe writer’s block again, he tells Schmidt and Winston, “Guys, please let me hate myself and everything that I have created.” In moments where it feels as though a writer doesn’t have a good idea, it’s certainly natural to believe that everything from the past was some sort of hoax. It must’ve never been good if this is the case, which is why Nick’s self-loathing is an organic means of showcasing the grueling process of burnout and blocks. Thereby, when he finally gets the idea for his next book after begrudgingly telling a bedtime story to Schmidt’s daughter, Ruth, it’s easy to see that with any writer, the path won’t always be linear.
Sometimes, you’ll key-smash words together in an attempt to form coherent sentences and come out gibberish; other times, they’ll serendipitously come to you when you need them most. Because viewers watch Nick wrangle with his career through humor as his coping mechanism in a way familiar to many of us today with social media memes, it makes his success feel earned because the struggles are on display as overtly as his wins.
