Blue Monday (the statistically most depressing day of the year) is approaching. The weather is ever gloomier. Work starts to pile up. Festive feelings slowly disintegrate into utter misery. In a desperate attempt to cheer yourself up, you splash your student loan in the sales, fill your house with the smell of baking cake, or finish Skyrim. I’m going to recommend an alternative measure: Channel 4’s new sitcom, New Girl.

Jess (Zooey Deschanel, (500) Days of Summer) is a young, quirky and slightly insane primary school teacher. She has just broken up with her boyfriend after catching him with another woman. Emotionally shattered, she moves in with three guys found online. Nick is a law-school drop-out bartender with a low self-esteem. Schmidt is an overconfident man with a tendency to take his shirt off for no reason and donate a dollar to the douche bag jar each time. Winston is unemployed after spending two years playing basketball in Latvia, and surprisingly talented at bell ringing.

Two worlds collide. The poor flatmates are completely lost in front of this crying wreck that watches Dirty Dancing on loop and makes up songs (she comes up with the theme tune in the pilot). Jess, on the other hand, is completely confused by these men and has no understanding whatsoever of boundaries. Let the fun begin. As the boys help Jess get over her ex, discover her inner craziness and meet her model friend Cece, she finds herself a new solid base of friends.

This breath of fresh air is like a short romcom; Friends with the dynamics of The Big Bang Theory. It is a cute, heart-warming, sexy comedy. Zooey Deschanel is a splendid actress, able to make any crazy old cat lady look adorable. Quite simply very enjoyable and relaxing. New Girl is 20 minutes of easy (brainless) entertainment and a good laugh.

The sitcom is carried by Deschanel’s performance and is tipped to be one of the most exciting new comedies of the year. Nominated for Best Television Series and Best Actress at the Golden Globes, it is more than promising.

New Girl, on Channel 4, Friday at 8:30pm.