All right, I give up. I surrender. I tried, but after months of fighting it, I realized I can’t keep pretending anymore. I love “New Girl.”

I really did try to dislike the show, too. When I first heard of “New Girl,” I initially thought the show would be a huge bust.  And just by judging from the pilot, I still didn’t believe the show would be able to last long. The premise of the show is Jess, who is portrayed by the quirky Zooey Deschanel. Jess had recently broken up and needed a new place to live. She sees an ad on CraigsList about a room available in an apartment shared by three guys, who she mistakenly thought were women, and was allowed to move in mostly because of the fact she has friends that are models.

I didn’t find the pilot particularly funny and wasn’t initially interested in any of the main characters besides the adorably absurd Jess, who is really the reason I gave the show a try. She is cute, bubbly and awkward. She sings about everything. She is almost child-like in a sense because of her naivety, but is also an invested middle school teacher. She just got out of a breakup and, as a result, has humorously incompetent and confusing behavior toward guys she tries to date or is attracted to.

She is one of those characters that you can’t help but like, and you smile at every little dumb or strange thing she says or does. Where a lesser actress would make the character come off as more irritating than affable, Deschanel does an incredible job as Jess, to the point she is a possible Emmy candidate.

As great as Jess is, the show wouldn’t work without a strong surrounding cast. Her supporting cast came across as nothing more than one-note characters initially, but as the season progressed, their qualities that came across as repetitive and bothersome began to evolve into humorous and amiable. And once the supporting cast began to evolve, the show really began to shine.

Jess’ three roommates, Nick, Schmidt and Winston, are the core of the supporting cast. Nick, played by Jake Johnson, is the most emotionally invested of the three.

Nick is a 30-year-old law-school dropout from Chicago and is currently working as a bartender. He is the voice of reason and the more mature member of the group; he seems to understand Jess the best. The two characters share many touching and entertaining moments throughout the series. In just 19 episodes, Nick has already become one of the more endearing men on television.

Winston, played by Lamorne Morris, is also a great character. Winston is a former professional Latvia basketball player who just moved back to America. Having no idea how to function without basketball driving his life, he provides some of the best laughs on the show — whether he is teaching a group of kids how to play “Eye of the Tiger” using bells or trying to outdo a child usher at a wedding.

But the best character of the three roommates is Schmidt, played by Max Greenfield. He is that egotistical, cocky guy that everyone knows. He shamelessly goes after every attractive woman he encounters, uses more hygiene products than most women and shortens almost every word to one syllable — calling an airport “airp” or ketchup “ketch.” His roommates even created a “douchebag jar” for Schmidt to put money in whenever he does anything more shocking than his normally offensive characteristics.

And as appalling this wannabe ladies’ man can be at times, he is often the sweetest character of the group — whether giving Jess great advice or helping one of Jess’ best friends, Cece. The hilarity of Schmidt’s everyday actions make him one of the funnier characters on television and make the show worth watching on his merit alone.

“New Girl” isn’t a perfect show. The story can be too outrageous at times, the writing can be messy and not all the jokes land. But like shows such as “How I Met Your Mother” or “The Big Bang Theory,” the quality of the cast helps “New Girl” remain a must-watch show — even if only to see Jess or watch Schmidt put more money in the “douchebag jar.”