As previously reported,, actress Megan Fox will be stepping in for the fifth season of "New Girl" as series's lead Zooey Deschanel will be absent for a few episodes after taking maternity leave. Despite having a strong background in comedy television, the casting has been met with negative feedback from fans, reports the Sydney Morning Herald.
Some fans have even taken to Twitter to announce they are boycotting the show and are campaigning for Fox to alter the casting choice if possible.
Fox's background in comedy is strong, particularly with her performances in "This is 40," "Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen" and "Hope & Faith." She also appeared as a guest in "Two and a Half Men," "Robot Chicken" and "What I Like About You."
However, she does not have the strong established background with "Saturday Night Live" and "Funny or Die" the way Deschanel does.
Despite Fox' background in comedy, many criticize the casting choice due to her recent performances in films that have earned in the box office but were panned by viewers and critics alike, such as "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen," "Jonah Hex," "Jennifer's Body" and "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles."
There is also the fact that Fox's character, described to be a pharmaceutical sales representative, draws too much attention for being similar to the character Penny (Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting) in "The Big Bang Theory," who is also a pharmeceutical rep after years of being a waitress and aspiring actress.
According to a report from Movie Pilot, Fox's character appears to be designed as a "cookie-cutter" opposite to Deschanel's Jess and describes this character choice to be a bold and risky move.
The report does state that there is a chance of Fox's character and performance being a runaway hit if she is treated with the same care given to Jess and Cece (Hannah Simone). According to Vanity Fair, Megan Fox might be the new change that the series needs.
"New Girl" season 5 premieres in January 2016.
