Tuning In to TV

Mrs. Richards said she received “an enormous, overwhelming amount of support and people thanking us for addressing it. People who lost family members.”

Fox showing off its ‘New Girl’ a bit early

Fox’s “New Girl” is getting an early push ahead of its Sept. 20 premiere, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

The network has plans to give potential viewers an early peek at the entire first episode of the roommate comedy series starring Zooey Deschanel on multiple digital platforms, including Apple’s iTunes, Hulu and Fox.com. The strategy would seem to place buzz generation ahead of fears of viewer cannibalization.

The episode’s iTunes push began Tuesday, and if successful could provide two weeks’ worth of chatter for a series Fox has paired with younger-skewing Glee. The strategy has been used with cable series, but never with broadcast series still reliant on morning-after ratings.

The half-hour effort, which Fox brass is hoping will improve its flawed reputation in the live-action comedy space, will roll out on Fox.com and Hulu at 12:05 a.m. Sept. 13, and will remain available for streaming through 11:55 p.m. Sept. 19. The pilot episode will not be available for streaming on Sept. 20, the day of the series’ premiere.

The latest marketing outreach follows an aggressive plan that began last month with hotel and in-flight viewings as well as screenings in select cities with Fox affiliates. The “New Girl” pilot also will be available via video on demand and Miss Deschanel’s Hello Giggles blog.