Starting today, Fox is making the premiere episode of Zooey Deschanel-led ladycom “The New Girl” available online, a full week ahead of the official 9/20 network debut.

The highly anticipated sitcom—featured on our own “10 TV shows to check out this fall” list—is Deschanel’s second small-screen leading role, after 2007’s Sci Fi Original Series Tin Man (where she played a modern-day Dorothy).

In The New Girl we meet Jessica, an impossibly adorable, highly awkward late 20-something who gets cheated on, gets a Craigslist apartment and gets enlightened by a trio of men who try to get her over her unexpected breakup (both because they’re the sensitive type, and because her nonstop Dirty Dancing marathon starts seriously freaking them out).

CultureMap’s resident fall lineup expert, Minh Vu, says:

The series has room for some interesting pairings and the opportunity for various “will they or won’t they” storylines, which could be a good and bad thing. But honestly...who can resist Zooey’s puppy-dog eyes and overall adorableness? Critics couldn’t. According to Deadline, critics listed the show as one of the 8 “Most Exciting New Series” at the Critics’ Choice Television Awards last June.

Fox has definitely been pushing the hipster-centric series hard; it’s slated to air alongside runaway hit Glee, and this online exclusive pre-premiere makes the pilot available today on iTunes, and on Hulu and Fox.com on 9/13 (you can watch it up to the show’s official premiere on 9/20).

Will it work? Well, this fall’s certainly looking good for lady-led comedies (think Whitney, 2 Broke GirlsandAre You There Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea). Deschanel’s also earned herself a devoted fanbase; acting aside, she sells out tours with her band, She & Him, and is enjoying the success of her latest venture, editorial site Hello Giggles.

While the show's already taking hits for some admittedly cheesy moves (lots of breaking into song, for example), we're willing to wager it finds an audience with the similarly unlucky-in-love and fans of relationship dramadies alike (not sure how big the overlap is on that Venn diagram). I'll be watching for the cute outfits and hair envy, if nothing else.

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The New Girl officially premieres on Tuesday, September 20 at 8 pm.