‘New Girl’ Snags More Viewers Than ‘Glee’ On Premiere Night

New Girl had a higher viewership than Glee on Tuesday night, but how reliable are those statistics when considering how many people have actually seen the show?

Zooey Deschanel’s New Girl garnered more first-airing views Tuesday night than Glee.

The series premiere of New Girl was seen by 10.1 million when it came on at 9 p.m., immediately after Glee’s third season premiere, which netted 8.9 million viewers. Deschanel, The 500 Days of Summer star, She & Him singer and wife of Ben Gibbard (which I think makes her the indie female version of Tom Brady in that she has it all) snagged higher ratings among adults 18-49 than Sue Silvester, Puckerman and company, according to Inside TV.

You can read Gabrielle Moss’ recap of New Girl here, and Anthony Benigno’s of Glee here. They’re both very comprehensive and astute, because at The Faster Times we have the recap skills that help us pay our cable bills.

At first glance it seems perplexing that a powerhouse like Glee could be outdone by a new show, but there are a few things worth considering that could undoubtedly tip the scales for number of people who have actually seen each program. Viewer numbers have become increasingly inaccurate since the popularization of DVR, OnDemand and online show streaming, so it’s difficult to know who watched what when.

Think about the possibility also that many people who avidly watch Glee may have been recording it or otherwise putting it off so they could watch Metta World Peace get eliminated from Dancing With the Stars. Most are going to have a tendency to watch a show being presented live during that time than a show that’s already been in the can for months. I got a text message from my Mom last night asking me not to comment on Glee, because she wasn’t watching it live for this reason. I wasn’t watching live, either; I always record the show so I can skip commercials and some of the show tunes I’m unfamiliar with, since I lack culture and prefer not to listen to cover songs before I check out the real thing (unless it’s Jeff Buckley’s version of “Hallelujah”). Think also about how many struggling singers, musicians, performers, college kids and others who don’t shell out the money for monthly cable access might be sitting at a Wi-Fi hot spot right now, watching Glee on a laptop.

All of these things were probably a factor with New Girl, as well. The show was publicized with a huge marketing campaign, as well, and the curiosity created when any new show with a previously-established film actor or actress is premiered had to have been some help. When the Elijah Wood series, Wilfred, premiered, it was to the highest number of viewers of any FX comedy premiere to date.

You were also able to watch the New Girl pilot on Hulu about a week ago, which is how I saw it. I couldn’t wait ’til Tuesday for some Zooey. It will be interesting to see how much interest New Girl will be able to keep going into next week’s show and the ones following it.

A possibility that some may find more startling than others is some people have given up on Glee after its second season. It has been viewed as a slight letdown from the first season, as many shows are, and it’ll be difficult to come up with fresh plot points this year that they haven’t addressed already. I mean, I bet they go to nationals and win.

I can see how some may not enjoy the way the show’s writers have used the cultural soapbox they acquired from the first season’s success, and I can see how it might drive some viewers away. Glee was initially a show about underdogs and outcasts, and it still is, but it was rare to see an episode last season where they weren’t addressing some very serious issues. These issues should be addressed, for sure, but maybe a show like Glee is the improper venue. A homosexual friend of mine was a little offput by how often they address some of the controversies surrounding homosexuality. He wanted to watch the show because it was good and entertaining, as a temporary escape from reality, not as something that constantly talks about difficulties he deals with on a daily basis. I can understand that, especially because the sociopathic bullies who persecute homosexuals, overweight people, social outcasts and the disabled are probably the least likely to watch the show regularly since they’re out and about being raging dickheads.

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