Dear New Girl, It’s Not Too Late For Latinos

A light critique on a favorite show.

As a member of the late 20 somethings, I can safely say that “New Girl” is relatable. It could also be the fact that I live (or lived) in Los Angeles and know how ridiculously expensive it is to live in the heart of the city. Trust me, due to the prices of those downtown lofts, you would want to cram in 10 people - without walls, of course. The crew is lucky to have room dividers that don’t consist of hand-me-down curtains or shōji doors that signify boundaries.

But I’m not here to talk about their awesome unaffordable loft, I’m here, as a member of the late 20 somethings who is also Latina, to let New Girl know that it isn’t too late to appeal (even more so) to a certain underrepresented demographic, one that — despite being America’s largest minority group — is still making its way on to primetime television without the gimmicks, accents and stereotypes.

And because I know the writers could do better than just centering one episode around one Maná song.

First, let me hand off gold stars. For the past few years, Fox has been doing a pretty good job at keeping its casts naturally diverse as far as primetime sitcoms go (Brooklyn Nine–Nine, The Mindy Project, and obviously New Girl). The mix doesn’t feel forced. It’s life. And life, especially in the cities that each of the shows take place in, is mixed.

In a conversation piece with Fox execs that Variety published earlier this year, the writer pointed out a specific fact that shook up the team’s mindset. During one of Fox’s forums set to “present detailed research on the changing nature of the viewing audience,” the attendees learned that “nearly one-third of the TV households in Los Angeles, the nation’s second-largest market, are Hispanic.”

Mind-rattling? Nah. This isn’t a surprise. According to a Pew Research Center analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data, out of the 14 million in California, “Los Angeles County alone contains 4.9 million Hispanics, or 9% of the nation’s Hispanic population.” Jessica Day must have surely swiped right on a few Latino “Dice” (New Girl’s Tinder knockoff) profiles by now.

So two things are for sure: a) there are a lot of Latinos in Los Angeles and b) there are a lot of Latinos in Los Angeles watching television. On a bigger scale, there are 53 million Latinos watching television, going to the movies, and living life in the U.S. Yet, the representation in mainstream media is barely there.

My point with all this is to say, that it would be completely natural for the roommates Jess, Winston, Coach, Nick and Schmidt and Jess’ ride-or-die BFF Cece to have a Latino friend(s) or date someone who is, especially in a Los Angeles-based show like New Girl. It would also be a breath of fresh air to see another Latino character (shout out to the Golden Globe-winning Brooklyn Nine-Nine) play a non-“spicy” or non-“gangster” role in an already-diverse cast. Because, guess what? The late 20 somethings, early 30 somethings are all going through similar if-not-on-point life situations that show up as 30-minute plots every Tuesday night.

You know what I’m saying, ese?

This is just an open letter to one of my favorite sitcoms. Nothing more, nothing less.

But if you decide to include a new girl, feel free to name her Janice.

For musings from the future (because Barcelona), follow me on Twitter: @JaniceLlamoca