‘New Girl’ Débuts Online, Two Weeks Before It Will Air on Fox

Fox's freshman comedy "New Girl" has generated a considerable amount of attention already for a variety of reasons: It features movie star Zooey Deschanel in her first headlining TV role; it was created by buzzy screenwriter Liz Meriweather ("No Strings Attached"); it will feature Justin Long in a multi-episode arc as the protagonist's love interest. And if you're curious about the show, you don't have to wait to see it: Fox is premiering it online today.

The "New Girl" pilot is available right now in the iTunes Store. There's no direct link, but after you've downloaded and installed iTunes for free, click on "iTunes Store," mouseover "TV Shows," and choose "Free TV Episodes" from the dropdown.

If that sounds like a lot of hassle, don't worry: The episode will be available on Hulu.com and Fox.com on September 13. That's one week from today, and still a week earlier than Fox will air the episode on its regular night: Tuesday, September 20.

Of course, if you watch the "New Girl" pilot in advance of its airdate, you might find yourself missing that Zooey Deschanel infusion when the episode airs on TV. If that's the case, I recommend filling the gap by reading her posts on HelloGiggles.com, her very girly online magazine. How does Deschanel feel about tights? The answer...may surprise you.