New Girl Star Dashes Hopes for Reboot or Reunion (Exclusive)

The sitcom New Girl was a major hit with critics in its original run, as the show and its stars earned various nominations for prestigious awards, though its viewership didn’t entirely reflect those accolades. In the streaming age, however, the series has become an immensely popular program, leaving fans wishing for more of the hilarious ensemble, despite its final season airing in 2018. Fans hoping to get the core ensemble back together might be disappointed to learn that star Jake Johnson has no interest in either a reunion special or a revival season, but if series creator Liz Meriweather was behind it, her support could cause him to have a change of heart. Fans can see Johnson next in Self Reliance, which he wrote, directed, and stars in, when it premieres exclusively on Hulu on January 12th.

While some sitcoms have earned revival episodes that serve as sequels to the original series, such as Frasier, others have earned reunion specials in which the cast talk about their time on the project, such as in the case of Friends. In support of Self Reliance, Johnson admitted to ComicBook.com that he’s not interested in either avenue for New Girl.

“I will say, I hate both of those things. So I don’t like the idea of all of us sitting on a couch and hugging in front of cameras and then getting sincere and being like, ‘What Max Greenfield means to me…’ with him right there,” Johnson expressed. “All that feels really bizarre to me, as well as the idea of doing a, ‘Let’s get the gang back together.’ And now it’s like, ‘Nick Miller’s definitely fatter.’ I’m thinking that we’re all with our fake kids. I don’t know.”

He continued, “But it’s the same thing in terms of the Peter B. Parker thing. Liz Meriwether is the creator behind it all. It’s her vision, it’s her show. Liz was such a great partner in that she allowed us all control of our own characters with her, so we could improvise, we could move around and she would write to us, but it’s her baby. So if Liz texted me in the middle of the night and said, ‘I have a great idea for New Girl,’ that’s very different than if Netflix or whatever, Hulu tried to put something together just to make money on it. But I don’t think Liz is doing that because I think she’s slammed and doing new stuff, and I think it’s hard to get everyone. But if it came from her, I think we would all for sure listen. She’s really talented and she gave us all the biggest jobs of our lives.”

Conversely, Johnson’s costar in the series Lamorne Morris was a bit more open to the idea when he shared with Screen Rant, “For me, I want to keep servicing the fans. Whenever the fans want something that, if I’m available for, I’d love to. If we can do another season, that would be awesome.”

In response to his costar’s remarks, Johnson joked, “Well, look … I call that Lamorne ‘Politician Lamorne.’ For the people, Lamorne will do anything. Sign the contract, Big Daddy, I’m putting your digits on the streets, Lamorne.”

As fans wait for updates about a possible future for New Girl, they can check out Johnson in Self Reliance.

Self Reliance is a comedy thriller film written, directed by, and starring Jake Johnson in his feature-length directorial debut, which also stars Anna Kendrick, Andy Samberg, and Natalie Morales.

When a middle-aged man (Jake Johnson, New Girl) is invited into a limo by famous actor Andy Samberg, his dull life takes a thrilling turn. Johnson is offered a chance to win a million dollars in a dark web reality TV show, where assassins from all over the world attempt to kill him for 30 days. The catch? He can’t be killed if he’s not entirely alone, leading him to recruit an unlikely team to help him survive.

Self Reliance is produced by Lonely Island and Walcott Productions, while Ali Bell, Joe Hardesty, and Jake Johnson serve as producers and executive producers include Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer, and Jorma Taccone.

Self Reliance premieres exclusively on Hulu on January 12th. Stay tuned for updates about the future of New Girl.

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