10 Huge TV Shows That Have Been Sued For Being Complete Rip-Offs

10. New Girl

Screenwriters Stephanie Counts and Shari Gold caused major headaches for lots of people when they filed a lawsuit claiming that they came up with the concept for Fox’s hit show New Girl, with showrunner Elizabeth Meriweather, executive producers Peter Chernin and Jacob Kasdan, and 21st Century Fox all being accused of plagiarism in 2014.

When Counts and Gold pitched their show Square One all over Hollywood, it was met with high levels of interest, though they were unable to strike a deal to get the show into production. As they continued to search for a buyer, a show named New Girl appeared that they claimed was so similar to their own that even the personality traits and names of two characters were exactly the same.

Square One was based on Counts’ real experience of moving into a bachelor pad with three men after uncovering her husband’s affair. Like New Girl, her script features an awkward, quirky protagonist in her 30s whose cheating ex is called Spencer and whose best friend is called CC. None of this was enough to convince a judge that the idea was stolen, however.

Two years after the suit was filed, US District Judge Stephen Wilson ruled that there were too many holes in it for him to rule in favour of the plaintiffs, adding that you cannot copyright traits like quirkiness, optimism and sexual inexperience as they are too general to be afforded protection. The show will return for a sixth season in 2017.