New Girl started out as a simple sitcom about a girl moving in with a group of guys, and over the course of its seven-season run, it developed into an iconic story of friendship and romance. Even though the show ended in 2018, its legacy lives on as fans continue to enjoy its comedic episodes years later.
As a whole, New Girl has a rating of 7.7, with each season getting consistently good reviews. But there were some episodes that stood out more than others, and got better ratings from fans as a result. These are the best episodes of each season according to IMDb.
Season 1: "Secrets" 8.2
From the first season, New Girl was an immediate success, as the light-hearted storylines and the comical interactions between the characters were enough to attract a huge audience.
In "Secrets" Winston spills the beans about Cece and Schmidt's relationship, and Jess doesn't take it so well. She sets a new "no secrets" rule for the residents of apartment 4D and she regrets that decision immediately. They all start revealing their secrets and Jess is horrified with what she finds out. Meanwhile, Schmidt tries to give dating advice to Nick which results in some hilarious interactions.
Season 2: "Cooler" 9.1
When the boys decide to go on a guys' night out to re-enter the dating world, they leave Jess behind, accusing her of being their "cooler" and the reason they don't attract girls. At the bar, Nick and Schmidt compete over a girl who is attracted to sadness, and they each exploit their misfortunes to gain her attention. Winston, on the other hand, is confronted by the fact that he doesn't know how to speak to women and meets Daisy, who tries to coach him on how to be comfortable around them.
Meanwhile, Jess who was home alone, becomes convinced that someone is trying to break into the apartment and urgently calls everyone to return home. This episode saw the return of the gang's favorite drinking game "True American" and resulted in Jess and Nick's first kiss.
Season 3: "Prince" 8.6
New Girl had many iconic guest stars, but none stand out the same way as Prince does. In this episode, Cece and Jess get invited to a party hosted by Prince in his mansion. But as they're about to leave for the party, Nick blurts out that he loves Jess and it was completely unexpected. However, the moment was too casual and not nearly momentous enough. So in an attempt to smooth over any awkwardness and redo his love confession in a more romantic way, Nick and the guys decide to sneak into the party.
This episode was both touching and joyful, and the interactions between Prince and the characters are amazing. While they freak out over his mere presence, Prince gives out relationship advice, pancakes, and at the end, has an iconic singing duet.
Season 4: "Clean Break" 9.1
The fourth season finale saw the departure of Coach from apartment 4D, as he was about to move to New York with his girlfriend May. While packing, he introduces the group to his system, where he only takes with him the most essential items and leaves everything else behind to give himself a clean break. Schmidt decides that the system was perfect for him, as he has been struggling to move on from Cece, and tries to get rid of all the memorabilia of their relationship. Meanwhile, Jess and Nick come across a memento of their own relationship and they begin to rethink their feelings.
This episode is a fan favorite, as it features the best wedding proposal in New Girl history with the rekindling romance between Cece and Schmidt.
Season 5: "Landing Gear" 8.9
The fifth season finale features the long-anticipated wedding of Schmidt and Cece. When Schmidt finds out that Cece's mother Priyanka was not coming, he decided to travel to Portland to change her mind. But as always something had to go wrong, and Schmidt gets stuck on the plane. Meanwhile, at the reception, Winston and Jess attempt to stall the wedding with their famous pranking habits until the groom returns.
Even though Schmidt didn't make it back on time, the group had a romantic private ceremony at the loft. "Landing Gear" is easily the best wedding-themed episode of New Girl and a real tear-jerker.
Season 6: "Five Stars For Beezus" 9.2
"Five Stars For Beezus" is the highest-rated episode of the entire show with a 9.2-star rating. The sixth-season finale gave each character their own plot point that helped wrap up their storylines nicely.
While Nick has a meeting with a publisher for his new book, Jess decides that she needs to get on with her life and move out of the loft, despite her feelings for him. Meanwhile, Winston has to decide if he wants to get in touch with his father, and Cece finds out that she is pregnant.
Season 7: "Engram Pattersky" 8.4
After seven seasons, New Girl aired its final episode. Although it certainly contained several hilarious scenes, it left fans with the same bittersweet feelings that every ending tends to bring.
Jess and Nick are the only ones still living in the loft when they learn that they are getting evicted by Engram Pattersky. As Jess is having a hard time accepting that they have to leave, the rest of the group gather together to help her say goodbye to their apartment. They go through old items, reminisce about the moments they spent together, and at the end, they play a final round of their legendary game "True American".