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Jamie Lee Curtis said the single camera production style of New Girl was not enjoyable for her.
She has long preferred multi camera sitcoms, particularly because they allow actors to rehearse and perform in front of cameras in a different way.
Curtis is an executive producer and recurring guest star on NBC’s new multi camera comedy Newlyweds, premiering Oct. 23.
Jamie Lee Curtis is returning to the sitcom format with Newlyweds, an NBC comedy in which she serves as an executive producer and recurring guest star. The project gives the Oscar winning actress the multi-camera sitcom environment she has repeatedly said she wanted to revisit.
Curtis previously appeared as Jess’ mother on New Girl, the Fox comedy starring Zooey Deschanel. Although she praised the series as funny and successful, she said its single-camera production method made the experience feel more like working on a movie than a traditional sitcom.
The actress explained that the set was largely quiet while scenes were being filmed because there was no live audience reacting to the jokes. For Curtis, that absence of laughter and the production process associated with single-camera comedy made the experience less enjoyable.
New Girl premiered in 2011 and ran for seven seasons before ending in 2018. The series centered on Jess, played by Deschanel, after she moved in with three single men and developed friendships and romantic relationships within the group.
Curtis made several appearances during the show’s run alongside Deschanel, Jake Johnson, Max Greenfield, Lamorne Morris and Hannah Simone. The comedy later gained additional popularity after becoming available on Netflix.
Curtis has a different connection to the multi camera sitcom tradition through Anything But Love, which she starred in with the late Richard Lewis from 1989 to 1992. The series followed Hannah and Marty, coworkers at a Chicago magazine who were romantically interested in each other but attempted to conceal their feelings.
Curtis said Anything But Love remains a particularly important part of her television career and described it as her favorite job. She has also said that she repeatedly asked her agents to find her another sitcom because she enjoys the rehearsal process, developing jokes and working with the cameras.
That opportunity has now arrived with Newlyweds. The series stars real-life married couple Téa Leoni and Tim Daly, who married in July 2025, as a couple whose relationship begins with an impulsive marriage following a whirlwind courtship.
Curtis plays Daly’s ex wife in the new comedy, giving her a recurring role alongside her work behind the scenes as an executive producer.
The production distinction Curtis described reflects two established approaches to television comedy. Single camera sitcoms are generally filmed more like films, while multi camera comedies are built around a different production process that can include rehearsals and coordinated camera work.
The sources note that single camera comedy became increasingly prominent over recent decades through successful shows including The Office, Modern Family, Parks and Recreation and Black ish. Curtis, however, has made clear that the multi camera format better suits the way she enjoys performing comedy.
Newlyweds is officially described as a later-in-life love story involving a free spirited woman and a buttoned up professor who marry unexpectedly after a rapid courtship.
The cast also includes Emma Meisel, Ignacio Diaz Silverio and Bill O’Neill. Gail Lerner serves as showrunner and executive producer, with previous credits including Will & Grace, Black-ish and Happy Endings.
Curtis’ recent television work comes alongside her established film career. She won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar in 2023 for Everything Everywhere All at Once and is also known for films including My Girl, Freaky Friday and the Halloween franchise.
She has continued to work extensively in television, including an Emmy winning guest performance connected to The Bear in 2024. She has also appeared with Nicole Kidman in the crime thriller Scarpetta.
Why did Jamie Lee Curtis dislike filming New Girl?
Curtis said she found the single-camera process less enjoyable because it felt similar to making a movie and lacked the live laughter associated with the sitcom environment she prefers.
What sitcom did Jamie Lee Curtis previously say she loved?
Curtis identified Anything But Love, her 1989–1992 sitcom with Richard Lewis, as her favorite television job.
When does Newlyweds premiere?
NBC is scheduled to premiere Newlyweds on Oct. 23 at 8:30 p.m. ET.
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