How New Girl 'Predicted' Alexandra Daddario's Mayfair Witches Future

Alexandra Daddario began her career in the early 2000s playing striking supporting roles that centered on how she looked. She played "pretty girl" in Noah Baumbach's "The Squid and the Whale," and "girlfriend" in "Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience." Fans of YA fiction may remember her from the 2010 film adaptation of "Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief," playing Annabeth, the daughter of Athena. Horror fans may note her lead role in the actually-pretty-okay "Texas Chainsaw 3D," although she exploded in fame in 2014 after a supporting role on the hit crime series "True Detective." Daddario has spoken very frankly about that role and how offers immediately began pouring in after she played it. 

At about the same time, Daddario also took a guest spot in the third season of "New Girl," the hit Fox sitcom. "New Girl" starred Zooey Deschanel as a quirky teacher named Jess who, in an attempt to recover from her boyfriend's infidelity, moves into a loft apartment in Los Angeles with three swinging bachelors named Nick, Schmidt, and Winston (Jake Johnson, Max Greenfield, and Lamorne Morris). "New Girl" was a huge success for the network, lasting an impressive 146 episodes over its seven seasons. The series was widely celebrated and was nominated for multiple Emmys and Golden Globes, although it never won. It famously became one of the more popular shows on Netflix, so millions of people are still watching "New Girl," despite the series having ended in 2018. 

In the episode "Mars Landing" (March 25, 2014), a pair of attractive young women move into Jess' building, and Nick, Schmidt, and Winston all make asses of themselves trying to charm them. The women are Michelle and Laurie, and they are played by Daddario and Stevie Nelson. There is a scene in "Mars Landing" wherein Winston describes Michelle as having "crazy witch eyes," a reference to Daddario's own large blue eyeballs. The "crazy witch" description, in a fun coincidence, ended up being prescient for Daddario, as she currently plays a witch on the TV series "Mayfair Witches."

"Mayfair Witches" is based on the novels of Anne Rice, and stars Daddario as Dr. Rowan Fielding, a neurosurgeon who unwittingly discovers that she can accidentally kill sexist dudes with her mind. This will lead her to discover that she is actually the heiress of a dynasty of powerful witches and has strong, mysterious connections to multiple supernatural scandals. The show's first season aired on AMC in 2023, and the second season in the early months of 2025. A third season is expected. Daddario plays a harder-edged character than is typical for the actress, infused with a note of cynicism and bitter righteousness. "Mayfair Witches" didn't start out well-beloved by critics, but it seems to have improved in its second season; the newest year sports a 71% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on seven reviews. 

It's just a coincidence, but it's amusing to think that Winston on "New Girl" would look at Daddario and notice her witch-ness, given that the casting agents of "Mayfair Witches" likely said something similar. Sadly, there are no winking supernatural phenomena in "New Girl" wherein Daddario casts spells or stirs a cauldron. Daddario's "New Girl" character Michelle would also return, albeit very briefly, for the fourth season episode "Goldmine" (November 11, 2014), and she remained little more than the object of Winston's affection. He tried to do Michelle favors, hoping that it would make him more attractive to her. Michelle's roommate, Laurie, was replaced by a character named Viv (Amber Stevens West). They are funny characters, but have little bearing on the story. 

Between "New Girl" and "Mayfair," Daddario rose to fame in many high-profile roles across film and TV. She was in three episodes of "American Horror Story," and in films like "Baywatch," "We Have Always Lived in the Castle," and "We Summon the Darkness" (one of her better performances). She played Lois Lane in a few animated Superman movies and turned up on "The White Lotus." Without question, "Mayfair Witches" is her most strenuous gig to date.