Line #67 Series/TheNewNormal


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3	''The New Normal'' is a comedy show which ran for one season in 2012 and 2013. It was created by [[Series/AmericanHorrorStory Ryan]] [[Series/{{Popular}} Murphy]] and [[Series/{{Glee}} Ali]] [[Series/{{Chuck}} Adler]], and starred Creator/AndrewRannells, Justin Bartha, Ellen Barkin, Creator/NeNeLeakes and Creator/GeorgiaKing.
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5	The story is about an affluent Los Angeles gay couple: [[CampGay Bryan]], [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything a co-creator and showrunner of a musical teen show called 'Sing']], and [[StraightGay David]], a gynecologist, who decide to have a baby through a surrogate, Goldie. Goldie has come to LA all the way from [[Series/{{Glee}} Ohio]] with her daughter Shania, [[TheMovingExperience in order to give them both a better life]]. They were followed by Goldie's incredibly bigoted grandmother, Jane.
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8	!!This series provides examples of:
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10	* ActuallyPrettyFunny: When Jane refers to Bryan and David as "salami smokers", Bryan replies, "That's a good one. That's new."
11	* ArsonMurderAndJaywalking: Jane can withstand the concept of a gay couple and Clint flirting with Goldie, but she draws a line at no turkey on Thanksgiving.
12	* AuthorAvatar: ''Bryan'' for ''Ryan'' Murphy.
13	* AuthorTract: "Obama Mama" makes it very clear who the writers probably voted for in November 2012, although we do get to hear a couple of legitimate reasons why someone would have voted for Romney.
14	* BeYourself: You'll hear this very often.
15	* BigWhat: How Goldie reacts to hearing that Shania scribbled on Bryan's couch.
16	* BookDumb: Goldie didn't finish high school, so there are times when Shania knows more about intellectual stuff than her. That said, she does have a lot of life and parenting experience to share with Bryan and David.
17	* ButNotTooGay: Averted. Bryan and David get to show a normal amount of affection for a committed couple.
18	* CampGay: Bryan, albeit not an extreme case. He is obsessed with home design and pop culture, but he does not have very effeminate mannerisms. Also, a fairly extreme case by Chris, Rocky's love interest in "Gaydar".
19	* CampStraight: Bryce from "Gaydar", so much so that Jane finds it necessary to put on an elaborate show to determine whether he's gay or straight.
20	* CastingGag: Gwyneth Paltrow as Abby, the egg donor who looks a lot like the ''Film/IronMan'' actress and [[Series/{{Popular}} Leslie]] [[Series/WhatILikeAboutYou Grossman]] as the threatening surrogate.
21	* CharacterDevelopment: Jane quickly loses her hatred over the first season. She's still snarky but does so in a sort of BlackComedy sort of way. She even calls Rocky her best friend.
22	* CloserToEarth: Not so much gender wise as role wise; Goldie and David are the sane man to everyone elses' crazy.
23	%% * DeadPetSketch: When Shania's guinea pig dies, complete with a thorough LampshadeHanging from Rocky.
24	* DebatingNames: One episode has homosexual couple David Sawyer and Bryan Collins discussing what to name the child they're expecting (via surrogate). At one point, they consider Tom, then change their minds when they realize this would make the child's name Tom Sawyer (like [[Literature/TheAdventuresOfTomSawyer the literary character]]) or Tom Collins (like the drink).
25	* DefiedTrope: Goldie turns down Bryan and David's guest house to defy NeverASelfMadeWoman and set a good example for Shania.
26	* DisabilityAsAnExcuseForJerkassery: The guy at the health club probably qualifies for this trope.
27	* DisappearedDad: Goldie's mother left her to be raised by her grandmother. No mention is made of what became of her father.
28	* DumbMuscle: Clay is quite buff, but considerably less intelligent than any adult ought to be.
29	* EpunymousTitle: Just about every episode has one.
30	* {{Expy}}: Ryan Murphy said Bryan and David are based on him and his husband.
31	* EvilMatriarch: Jane sees herself as trying to guide her granddaughter and great-granddaughter down the "right" path in life. Ironically, despite her self-proclaimed belief in traditional values, good manners are not among those traditions she practices and she is incredibly rude to other people almost all of the time. Also racist, homophobic, anti-Semitic and every other known form of prejudice.
32	* {{Flashback}}: The second episode uses an extended flashback to show us the first meeting of Bryan and David.
33	* {{Frameup}}: [[spoiler: It looks like Shania ruined Bryan's upholstery, but Jane set her up. She wanted to discourage Bryan and David's interest in fatherhood]].
34	* FreudianExcuse: Jane hates gay people and black people because [[spoiler: her husband cheated on her ''for years'' with a black man]].
35	* FromTheMouthsOfBabes: Shania: "You're a bigot, Nana. I'm [[Website/{{Facebook}} unfriending you]] right now."
36	* HairOfGoldHeartOfGold: Goldie is a (bottle) blonde who is incredibly sweet, kind and loving.
37	%% * HalloweenEpisode: "Para New Normal Activity"
38	* HappilyEverAfter: Mentioned in a flashback of David and Bryan's date. The only thing that they are missing is a child.
39	* HeteronormativeCrusader: Jane despises gays, partly because her ex-husband was one.
40	* HollywoodCalifornia: In fairness, Bryan is a TV producer so they kind of belong in that geography.
41	%% * HowWeGotHere: The basis of the pilot.
42	* IJustWantToBeNormal: Shania details a run-in at school, then says this to Bryan.
43	* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: Clay decides to drop the custody case against Goldie once he realizes that California is the best for Shania.
44	%% * ImagineSpot: Often.
45	* InformedJudaism: David self-identifies as a Jew, but admits to being of a secular mindset. He also observes Christmas and goes along with Bryan's desire to have godparents for their child.
46	* IntergenerationalFriendship: Bryan and Shania clearly are very close, often sharing similar views and attitudes and often hanging out together in whatever scheme or plot they might be involved in for the week.
47	** Jane and Rocky, they didn't like each other at first, and are still drastic opposites by the end of the series, but respect each other for being strong, independent women.
48	* JewishMother: Frances is pretty much a stock example in appearance, behavior and voice.
49	* KidAnova: There's one in Shania's class. He even hits on ''Nana''.
50	* KissingInATree: A more bitter version:
51	--> '''Bryan:''' You know, the old the playground song? Bryan and David sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G. First comes love, then comes inability to marry, then comes a stranger with a invasive procedure, then comes the baby in the baby carriage.
52	* LittleMissSnarker: Shania is pretty sardonic for a girl her age.
53	%% * ManicPixieDreamGirl: Shania, at times.
54	* MemeticMutation: Invoked in-universe with the "Gayest Video Ever", which takes the internet by storm.
55	* MissingMom: Goldie's mother left her to be raised by her grandma.
56	* MoralMyopia: Jane seems to exhibit this on a range of issues. But most striking is her willingness to collaborate with Goldie's adulterous husband in challenging for custody of Shania just to try to force them to move back to Ohio. Made all the more appalling by her pontificating about the sanctity of marriage and her claims of caring about their well-being.
57	* MrFanservice: Goldie's very buff, if very stupid, husband Clay is repeatedly seen in bed nearly naked.
58	** David's "young clothing" also counts
59	** Bryan's ex-boyfriend Monty is shirtless more than he's not and played by [[Series/WhiteCollar Matt Bomer]].
60	%% * MyBelovedSmother: Jane, while actually her grandmother, is this to Goldie and Shania.
61	* NWordPrivileges: Nope. Shania sings Cher's "Half-Breed" in a school performance and is promptly suspended for it.
62	* NoBisexuals: "Gaydar" has our motley crew putting on a elaborate game to determine whether Jane and Rocky's new love interests are gay or just CampStraight, but never actually considers the possibility bisexuality as an option.
63	* NoNameGiven: Goldie's mother. Her name is deliberately left out.
64	* OneHeadTaller: Not quite one head, but David is clearly shorter than Bryan. Noticeable only because the show doesn't seem to bother to try and make the two seem the same height as with other TV couples.
65	* PinkBoyBlueGirl: Bryan and his sister, according to him.
66	%% * PleasePutSomeClothesOn: David, to Monty in "The Goldie Rush", upon seeing Bryan ogling him.
67	%% * PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: While not out-and-out villain, Jane is the main antagonist.
68	%% * RaisedByGrandparents: Goldie
69	%% * RacistGrandma: Jane, but portrayed as more threatening than usual.
70	%% * ReplacementGoldfish: Discussed prior to attempting. It backfires, because the selected replacement turns out to be [[YourTomcatIsPregnant a girl]].
71	* TheReliableOne: David is usually the voice of reason and the one who concerns himself with the practical details of his and Bryan's lives.
72	* SassyBlackWoman: Rocky lives the stereotype.
73	* SickeninglySweethearts: Their moments are usually well done, but Bryan and David verge on this at times.
74	* SilverFox: Jane is a very attractive woman for a great-grandmother. Once she truly learns to take advantage of that fact she starts to enjoy it.
75	* StraightGay: David loves sports and is often clueless as to Bryan's pop culture references.
76	* TakeThatMe: In 'Sofa's Choice' Bryan breaks up the main couple in his show just so he can start a Website/{{Twitter}} war, thus showing him as a pretty unprofessional and fickle writer. Series co-creator and writer of the episode Ryan Murphy has been known to toy with relationships [[ForTheEvulz for his own amusement]] in [[Series/{{Glee}} his other hit show]].
77	** And keeping in mind that Bryan is supposed to be an expy of Ryan...
78	---> '''Bryan''': Well if it's good enough for ''Series/SavedByTheBell'' then it's good enough for me!
79	---> '''Rocky''': Oh I know, I watch your show.
80	** "Stay-at-Home Dad" has a scene where Rocky bashes the idea that a high school girl wouldn't be singing anything but Music/BarbraStreisand. [[Series/{{Glee}} Sound familiar?]]
81	** Really, anytime we actually see anything with "Sing", there's a 99% chance they're going to make fun of Glee.
82	* TeenPregnancy: Jane only appears to be in [[VagueAge her sixties]] and is already a great-grandmother. She had her daughter when she was extremely young and her granddaughter got pregnant at around the same age. It's mentioned that Goldie's mother was also very young. Jane calls it "the family tradition" and hopes her great-granddaughter will break it.
83	* ThanksgivingEpisode: 1 x 10: "Pardon Me".
84	* TheCastShowOff: Andrew Rannells shows a fraction of his singing skills in Bryan's video.
85	* TitleDrop: In the pilot: "Face it. Abnormal is the new normal."
86	* TitleOnlyOpening: At first.
87	* TheUnFavourite: Bryan felt like this with his parents because he was so different from his siblings. He still feels this somewhat as an adult, especially since his mother gets along very well with StraightGay David. Plus David's own mother is so adoring of her son that it gets on Bryan's nerves.
88	* VitriolicBestBuds: Jane and Rocky started out as plain enemies but are now buddies without losing their insults to one another.
89	* WhamEpisode: 1x11, ''[[{{Foreshadowing}} The XY Factor]]''. The baby's sex is revealed. [[spoiler: It's a boy!]]
90	* WiseBeyondTheirYears: Shania

Context Series / TheNewNormal