New Girl boss Liz Meriwether is the latest to submit to our Vulture Showrunner Survey, and that’s how we know that she’s planning to pitch an amazing Homeland–New Girl crossover for musical soul mates Mandy Patinkin and Zooey Deschanel, and soon. Read on to find out on which reality show contestant she thinks Max Greenfield models Schmidt.
What’s the first TV show you remember being obsessed with?
Started with He-Man, years later switched to Hey Dude on the Disney Channel, years later switched to Dawson’s Creek and Friends simultaneously. I think that pretty much sums up my life. Â
True or false: When I was growing up, the day the TV Guide “Fall Preview†issue came out was almost as good as the last day of school.
False. And I actually loved school. I was a nerd.Â
Which show would you like to do a crossover event with and why?
Homeland. Because we all write on the same floor, and I love their show. Mandy Patinkin, recovering from the separation from his wife, starts to date Zooey, and they obviously spend half the episode singing Broadway standards while remotely killing terrorists in Pakistan. I’m going to pitch it to one of the writers in the bathroom tomorrow.Â
If you could bring back any killed-off TV character for just one more episode, who would it be?
Sean Bean in Game of Thrones. That shit was not right.Â
Do time slots still matter? Explain.
I genuinely don’t know. From what I’ve seen over the last year, no one really watches scripted shows live anymore, but I also think it’s important to build a night that an audience can reliably tune in for every week. The scary part is … I’m not sure anyone knows.  Â
Pick one character from your show; which reality show would (s)he be most suited for, and why?
I’d like to see Schmidt on Top Chef, because it would make him so happy. I think he models a lot of himself on Marcel from season two.
Which character do you wish you had created?
Sam and Diane on Cheers. I guess that’s two characters. They’re just perfect … they’re perfect. There’s nothing else to say about it.Â
What was the biggest creative misstep you ever saw made by a show you love?
I was really freaked out when I heard that Cookie Monster was going to be changed to Veggie Monster, but that turned out to be a lie. I don’t know. After working on a show for a year, it’s really hard for me to point fingers at “creative missteps†— I make creative missteps every day, and you just hope that no one notices and writes about them on the Internet …  Â
If you could let your kids watch a single episode of your work, which one would it be and why?
First of all, I don’t have kids — probably because I’m too busy making episodes of television … but. I’m really proud of “Injured,†Nick’s cancer scare episode. Yeah, I’d definitely sit my imaginary sweet children down and make them watch an episode about cancer.
Which writers’ room in all of TV history would you most like to have gotten to sit in on?
The first season of Saturday Night Live. Actually, any season of Saturday Night Live, even the super-weird ones. Second place: Freaks and Geeks. Â Â
Finish this sentence: The hardest thing to pull off on a TV show is …
Oh God, I don’t know. It’s all hard, and it’s all amazing.