New Girl returns on Tuesday night, leading off a re-ordering of Fox sitcoms, with Grandfathered, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and The Grinder following, each with new episodes. In addition to giving freshman shows Grandfathered and Grinder comfortable berths between two seasoned shows, there’s a certain thematic coherence at work here. Each of these comedies is built around an optimistic character who is surrounded by friends and those who would thwart her or his optimism, and who meets a challenge to that worldview every week.
