I had never worked in television before 'Freaks and Geeks,' and 'New Girl' is the first time since that I've worked on a series that is actually a series and not just a pilot.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
I loved 'Freaks and Geeks.' I don't know a better show.
'Freaks and Geeks' was my favorite show when it was on, by a wide measure. And that's the show I wanted to do. I noodled with the idea of doing a show about teenagers that told small stories, small moments of personal growth.
My first pilot gig, in fact my first job in television, was 'Freaks and Geeks,' and the experience of directing that pilot was probably the single most formative of my directing life.
I am a longtime fan of 'Freaks and Geeks'.
I saw the pilot for 'Girls' about six months before it aired.
The best thing about series TV is that everyone you work with is hand-picked, as compared to working on a film.
Coming back to 'New Girl' was a real reminder of how lucky I am to be on a popular network TV show.
I created a show called 'Crash' for Starz, which was their first original drama, and that was not a good experience. I had a great time working with the cast and crew, but it was a young network and an intrusive studio, and to be honest I didn't really enjoy the movie 'Crash.'
In a weird way, 'Veronica Mars' was my reaction to 'Freaks and Geeks' because 'Freaks and Geeks' was the show I wanted to write, the one I wanted to create, where there was no gimmick; you didn't have to have a teenage private eye. It was just these beautiful small stories about real kids.
'Gilmore Girls' was the first show I ever worked on and was my absolute favorite show at the time.