The 15 Best New Girl Episodes, Ranked

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A group of adult friends living in a big city and figuring out what they want in life is a tried-and-true sitcom premise. But the thing that makes the formula last for years is the combination of personalities in said friend group that lead to hilarious and emotional story beats. "New Girl" understands this, and from the very first episode, it was clear this show was meant for greatness. 

Jessica Day (Zooey Deschanel) becomes a new roommate amidst three guys at various stages of career success — the confident Schmidt (Max Greenfield), the cynical Nick (Jake Johnson), and the cocky Coach (Damon Wayans Jr.). The last of which would be replaced by prankster Winston (Lamorne Morris) after the pilot, but Coach would become an on-again, off-again cast member throughout the show. Luckily, the testosterone is balanced out with Jess' friend Cece (Hannah Simone) regularly popping up, and the two have one of the best female friendships in TV history. 

With 146 episodes throughout a seven-season run, there are plenty of highs throughout "New Girl," ending before it had a chance to grow stale. Pretty much every episode has at least one notable joke, but as a fan since the beginning, these are the 15 best "New Girl" episodes that best exemplify this amazing sitcom. 

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Series finales are hard to pull off. We may have judged the "How I Met Your Mother" finale too harshly at first, but the last thing a creative wants is to divide a fanbase in the very last story. Fortunately, "New Girl" does a remarkable job at sticking the landing, wrapping up everyone's stories nicely after the show was almost canceled following Season 6. 

Season 7 only has eight episodes as opposed to over 20, but it's nice to get what functions as basically an epilogue to wrap up all the loose ends. And the final episode, "Engram Pattersky," allows the main cast to ruminate on the central loft where everything on the show began after receiving an eviction notice. This all turns out to be Winston's most elaborate prank yet, as they didn't have to leave the loft at all but decide to anyway. 

The characters have grown in so many ways throughout the series, especially with Nick maturing as a person and being more reliable romantically with Jess. It's only appropriate that he and the others learn to grow beyond the loft and see what awaits them next.

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"New Girl" has plenty of great Thanksgiving episodes, enough to give "Bob's Burgers" a run for its money. But I'll always have a soft spot for the one that started it all — Season 1's "Thanksgiving." This is the one where the ensemble dynamic really feels like it's gelling. Jess' rampant optimism makes her want to have a proper Thanksgiving, even though the guys always keep it low-key, which leads to her biting off a bit more than she can chew. Nick acts curmudgeonly toward Paul (Justin Long), her first proper love interest, somewhat kickstarting Nick's romantic feelings toward Jess.

This is also where we see the beginnings of Schmidt and Cece's romance, as Cece starts getting a crush on Schmidt after seeing him cook. So, early during the 1st season, it feels like everything's falling into place for what the show would become. "New Girl" starts off plenty strong, but this is the episode that absolutely hooked me and made me realize I was onboard with any zany thing these characters would do from here on out.

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Rewatching "See Ya" really makes me appreciate the decision to make "Engram Pattersky" focus on the significance of the loft as a sort of safety net for the main characters. On "See Ya," Nick decides to move in with Caroline (Mary Elizabeth Ellis), only to freak out in the desert when he's unsure if that's what he really wants, culminating in a showdown with a coyote. Of course, Nick doesn't leave just yet, and the episode's an excellent reminder of how it's okay to take the time to grow before making such a monumental decision. 

There are ample funny moments here, like Winston talking about how he'd be the perfect werewolf meal. Even with Nick getting so much attention, it feels like everyone gets a nice arc, especially with Schmidt and Cece. Schmidt also has some growing up to do, as he's jealous of Cece talking to other men and goes through her phone. It may have taken seven years, but they all grew up eventually (at least a little).

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By Season 6, "New Girl" is a well-oiled machine, with "San Diego" offering great examples of what the sitcom does so well. Jess visits her father, played by Rob Reiner, as she sorts through her feelings toward Nick, while Nick breaks up with Reagan (Megan Fox) the only way he knows how — by leaving her on a train so that he doesn't have to break up with her directly. Both Jess and Nick learn to tackle their emotions head on, putting together the final pieces of the puzzle before they finally become endgame. 

If those stories aren't enough, the B-plot is one of the series' best. Schmidt wants to get ahead in his career, which means going by his first name: Winston. Schmidt's first name never being revealed up until this point is a fun gag, but having it be Winston is an exceptional payoff. Not every show can juggle heart and hilarity so well, but it appears effortless on so many of the best "New Girl" episodes. 

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Sitcoms making their characters detectives for an episode will never get old. On "Pepperwood," Jess brings a story from one of her creative writing students home, and the violent imagery makes Nick believe he's a serial killer. He then poses as Julius Pepperwood, which would later become the protagonist of his detective novel, to uncover the truth. It's ridiculously absurd but also strangely sweet. Even though Jess is with someone else at this point on the show, Nick still demonstrates an intense devotion to keeping her safe, even though it was all a misunderstanding in the end (as these things tend to go in comedies). 

It shows how deep the love between Nick and Jess goes. Jess inspires Nick, and it's appropriate he finds success as a writer through "The Pepperwood Chronicles," which is only possible through him creating this character right here. This episode also gave the world, "Thin crust pizza? No, thank you. I'm from Chicago," which is a perfect encapsulation of anyone who rides or dies for the Windy City. 

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The Twilight movies may have turned down a Taylor Swift cameo, but "New Girl" fully utilized her star power for an amazing spot during the Season 2 finale, "Elaine's Big Day." Sorry, Swifties; her appearance comes down to a few seconds toward the end, but the rest of the episode is so zany, it makes her spot just the cherry on top. 

Schmidt and Winston try to sabotage Cece's wedding to another man while Nick and Jess sort out their feelings for one another. Especially toward the beginning of the show, Nick wants the easy route, and love isn't always easy. But here, he makes the decision to be with Jess on one of the hottest moments of the show where he lays on a passionate kiss. 

Season 2 sees "New Girl" lean into more absurdism, which is on full display here with Nick, Jess, and Winston getting trapped in the vents with a badger. It works because the show has built up these characters who would do something preposterous and then allow it to change how they view their friendships. Between badgers and Taylor Swift, "New Girl" understands how to end seasons. 

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Nick and Jess both like each other, but they wind up in a cabin while dating other people on "The Cabin." You would think all those chaotic personalities getting drunk off absinthe in a remote location would be the most hilarious part of this episode, but that's why you should never underestimate "New Girl."

Schmidt's white guilt makes him want Winston to embrace his Blackness, and Winston decides to pull an ol' prank on his friend by saying he wants to do crack cocaine. Schmidt pronouncing it as "crack cuhcaine" is a great start, but when they go to buy some, they inadvertently get a guy in the car who thought they were robbing him. Schmidt and Winston thought he was going to rob them, and realizing the mistake, they all shake hands and laugh about it. Winston messing with Schmidt this way is a great example of how the character really took some time to iron out. 

Throughout the 1st season, it's clear the writers didn't quite know what to do with Winston, having come in to replace Coach immediately after the pilot. Making him a wild card allowed for the show to embrace far zanier moments. 

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Jess' optimism and Nick's cynicism play off one another so well because they typically learn to meet in some kind of happy medium. That's the case with "The Landlord," where Jess convinces their grumpy landlord, Remy (Jeff Kober), to fix some things in the apartment, much to the guys' dismay since they've broken some parts of the lease. 

However, Nick tries to convince Jess that Remy only does those things because he wants to have sex with her, which turns out to be the case. Being nice is certainly a valuable trait, but as Jess comes to learn, sometimes it's good to be wary of what people's true intentions might be. It's kind of beautiful that two people with vastly different views manage to find some common ground and fall in love on this show. They force each other to see their worlds a little differently without giving up what makes the other special, which is what you need when your landlord tries to have a threesome with you. 

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Sometimes you watch an episode of something and early on, realize you're in the midst of greatness. For "Goldmine," that moment comes after Jess finds it hard to bring a guy home after a date because she still lives with her ex, Nick. She discovers a loophole that a guy is okay coming over if he believes Nick's gay, so Jess tells him the plan. And when Nick introduces himself to Jess' new beau, he says, "My friends call me gay Nick." 

Things go off the rails when Nick brings a new lady to the loft who doesn't care in the slightest Nick still lives with his ex, but it's another testament that even after they've broken up, Nick would go to the moon and back for Jess. With an episode like this, there's the worry it could peak early. But when Jess' new man suspects Nick is straight, Schmidt enters dismayed at Cece's proposed breast reduction surgery. Everything Schmidt says to Nick is just vague enough that they pass off as a gay couple (temporarily) even though they're talking about completely different things. Anyone interested in being a better comedy writer owes it to themselves to watch "Goldmine."

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I'm a sucker for a good wedding episode. By the end of Season 5, Nick and Jess are still working out their feelings for one another, but Schmidt and Cece tie the knot. Or at least they try to, as Schmidt gets stuck on a plane while trying to get Cece's mother to the ceremony and ends up missing his own wedding. It's classic sitcom shenanigans, especially with Nick trying to come up with excuses to Cece about where Schmidt is, and Jess convincing Winston to pull off a prank to delay the ceremony. 

But where this episode really shines is the finale, where Schmidt and Cece actually get married back at the loft. It's a sweet, heartwarming moment between two people who couldn't have seemed further apart just a few short years earlier. Schmidt smashes the iconic "Douchebag Jar," and Jess convinces Nick that he's wonderful. The boys have grown up in big ways, and while a wedding can sometimes signal the end of a sitcom's relevance, "New Girl" still had plenty of gas left in the tank to figure out where to take the other couple. 

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Prince, despite being His Royal Badness, doesn't have an extensive filmography. Of course, there's the movie "Purple Rain," which was dwarfed by its own soundtrack. But he didn't do much acting outside of music videos over the years, which makes the fact he specifically requested to appear on an episode of "New Girl" all the more special. 

Jess and Cece get invited to Prince's house party, leading to the boys trying to sneak in. And it's none other than Prince himself who helps Nick and Jess figure out their relationship, giving him an integral role to play in this romance rather than just being in the episode for the sake of being there.

What's even more amazing than this plotline is the behind-the-scenes stories that emerged from Prince's appearance, like him forbidding the crew from including any people from "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" on the same episode. What can you say? Prince is the GOAT.

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"Spiderhunt" proves that sometimes less is more when it comes to a great sitcom episode. It's a self-contained story within the loft while a spider runs amok, causing Schmidt to freak out. Special attention really deserves to go to Max Greenfield for this episode, as he's firing on all cylinders to create a truly unhinged Schmidt. Meanwhile, Nick makes his famous sauce while Coach figures out how to write an email to his crush. 

Bottle episodes tend not to have the best reputation, but I love them for precisely what "Spiderhunt" does. There's no need to rely on over-the-top gags; the characters simply get a chance to show why each of them is hilarious in their own way. This allows it to be one of the most quotable episodes of the show's run. Jake Johnson's line delivery for "Can you imagine how powerful that spider would've become had he entered my sauce?" will never not be incredible. 

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"Cooler" is a vital episode of "New Girl" for how it perfectly leads up to Nick and Jess' first kiss. It begins simply enough, as the guys bring some girls back to the loft, leading to a rousing game of True American, which is always welcome. As part of an esoteric rule of the game, everyone else makes Nick and Jess kiss one another, which Nick is adamantly against — not because he doesn't want to but because he doesn't want it to happen as part of a game. 

There are plenty of humorous bits, like the guys hitting on a woman who's sexually attracted to misery and Nick wearing a woman's coat. And it all culminates in Nick finally kissing Jess on his terms the way he wanted. The episode deftly plays with viewers' expectations because at first, it feels like that big first kiss isn't going to happen right now. When it does at the last second, it's pure magic. 

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"Quick Hardening Caulk" is the spiritual sequel to "Cooler." If "Cooler" finally convinced Nick and Jess that something could be between them, "Quick Hardening Caulk" solidifies it. Jess becomes more attracted to Nick once she sees him taking better care of himself. Naturally, these are all bare minimum things appropriate for Nick Miller, like when he says, "I'm thinking of taking a vitamin today." 

The episode's climax, where Nick and Jess argue about whether or not she's a gold digger, is sensational. As they're arguing about all the ridiculous things about Nick, they take breaks to make out. It exhibits the passion Jess has sorely been missing from her other relationships, and even though Nick still has a lot of maturing to do, "Quick Hardening Caulk" shows the path forward for these two. It's a great showcase of how "New Girl" balances genuine heart with great laughs, as Schmidt also works through his feelings about Cece being with someone else by illegally getting a lionfish. 

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Picking the all-time best episode of "New Girl" is tough. Do you go for something that's thematically significant for Nick and Jess' relationship? Or do you opt for something that's hilariously chaotic? For me, I went for the latter.

"Background Check" involves Winston needing to pass a home inspection in order to become a police officer. It shouldn't be a problem until Jess reveals that she has a bag of crystal meth in her possession, and everyone goes to extreme lengths to hide-slash-get rid of it. Of course, the meth turns out to simply be aquarium rocks because otherwise, the series would end with everyone winding up in jail. Can you imagine a beloved sitcom just sending everyone to jail at the end? That would be awful.

"Background Check" puts all these characters we know and love into a high-pressure situation, and we get to kick back and watch them fall apart in a way that makes sense for what we know about them. It's the kind of episode a show can only pull off this far into its run where you think you've seen it all, and it still manages to surprise and delight you. It's not just the funniest episode of "New Girl;" it might just be one of the best sitcom episodes ever filmed.