The cast of “New Girl,” Hannah Simone, Max Greenfield, Zooey Deschanel, Jake Johnson, and Lamorne Morris.
Helga Esteb / Shutterstock.com
New Girl’s Zooey Deschanel and other cast members have won America over. With the show’s quirky plots and funny guest stars – you are always entertained. However – the show may be at a fault in light of a new lawsuit.
Screenwriters Shari Gold and Stephanie Counts are filing a lawsuit claiming that they are the true creators of the show. These two ladies pitched a similar show called “Square One,” and while it was received well, it was never picked up.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, the suit demands monetary compensation, credit for the show, and that continued filming and distribution stop.
“Square One” was based on Counts’ real-life experience of moving into an apartment with 3 men after finding out her husband had cheated on her. The suit claims that while the two shows are not exactly the same, they are too close to be a coincidence, “Any differences between the Square One scripts and New Girl are so small and insignificant that they cannot be afforded copyright protection, and are, in fact, nothing more than transparent attempts to hide Defendants’ blatant plagiarism.”
Some of these similarities include the fact that “the name of the protagonist’s unfaithful beau in each work is Spencer,” that “the plot of both works revolves around the protagonist moving in with three guys,” and “the best friend in each work is named “CeCe” or has the initials ‘C.C.’.”
When “New Girl” aired in 2011, Counts and Gold started on the lawsuit. Allegedly, Fox offered the two a $10,000 settlement, but they refused.
The lawsuit claims that an “after the fact check” is “inadequate to compensate them for the damages done,” and that they would like to be credited as the show’s true creators, a public apology, as well as “compensatory, statutory, punitive and exemplary damages.”
What are your thoughts on the lawsuit? Do you think the creators of “New Girl” really stole Gold’s and Counts’ idea, or is it all a misunderstanding?
