'Stumptown': Is Jake Johnson's Grey McConnell basically Nick Miller from 'New Girl' all over again?
ABC is promoting its upcoming ‘Stumptown’ like no other show before, and why wouldn’t it? The show features a talented star cast and aims to bring to life a novel story that is rooted in an extremely popular graphic novel series.
For all its uniqueness, though, one thing seems glaringly familiar – Jake Johnson’s role. The comedian has been in most projects that made you wholeheartedly laugh in the last decade, including ‘Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse.’ He is the jaded, overweight Spidey who becomes a mentor to the friendly neighborhood superhero from the original timeline and universe.
He boasts of a diverse IBDB page, but he is possibly best known for his role as Nick Miller in Zoey Deschanel’s ‘New Girl,’ which used to air on NBC. In it, he portrayed a bartender who has a will-they/won’t-they vibe with the titular new girl, Jessica Day. He was lovable, looked out for her, and despite all his shortcomings, was endearing and charming.
From what we have seen of ‘Stumptown’ Johnson’s character Grey McConnell shares many of these traits, starting with the fact that he too, is a bar owner. He too shares a will-they/won’t-they vibe with the protagonist Dex Parios, played by Cobie Smulders. He also saves her from trouble and looks out for her, and is nearly as charming and endearing as Nick.
‘Stumptown’ is as different as a show could be from ‘New Girl,’ starting with the fact that while Jess is lovable, “adorkable” educator who goes for knitting when things get too stressful, Dex is an alcoholic sex addict who has a gambling problem and PTSD from her time in the army.
Nick and Grey may serve the same purpose in their leading ladies’ lives, but their objects of affection are so vividly different that you see these characters in a different light. They may be the same men, reacting to their respective circumstances in ways you wouldn’t see the other react, and that is a beauty in itself.
So, those ‘New Girls’ fans who are tuning in to ABC to watch ‘Stumptown’ premiere on Wednesday, September 25, can look at it as a social experiment. Who will Nick Miller from the streets of Chicago be if he were dropped in a world of violence, sex, and alcohol? We will know the answer on September 25.