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- A New Girl podcast titled Welcome to Our Show, hosted by Zooey Deschanel, Hannah Simone, and Lamorne Morris, launched earlier this year (via Entertainment Weekly), giving fans the chance to relive the series with some of the central stars who made it. Over its seven seasons, New Girl's main characters went through a lot, including a range of unsuccessful relationships, before finding romantic happiness.
Even though Jess was the titular character of New Girl, the sitcom also saw the rest of the main cast through the highs and lows of plenty of relationships. Nick Miller in particular had multiple love interests throughout the series before he ultimately ended up with the girl of his dreams.
Though all of Nick's girlfriends brought something unique to their relationships, some were far better suited to him than others. Whether they lasted through multiple seasons or faded quickly, Nick's romances were varied and often complicated.
Updated on December 7th, 2022 by Stacie Rook:
A New Girl podcast titled Welcome to Our Show, hosted by Zooey Deschanel, Hannah Simone, and Lamorne Morris, launched earlier this year (via Entertainment Weekly), giving fans the chance to relive the series with some of the central stars who made it. Over its seven seasons, New Girl's main characters went through a lot, including a range of unsuccessful relationships, before finding romantic happiness.
8 Shane
In the episode “Quick Hardening Caulk" (S2E19), Nick begins picking up more responsibilities at the bar and working harder, which is highly attractive to Jess. Nick says that his actions are down to his new boss, Shane, who Jess soon learns is a woman.
Nick and Shane's romantic relationship doesn’t last long, as Jess, under the influence of pain medication, expresses interest in getting intimate with Nick. Nick then cuts off his fling with Shane, and in that very same episode, he and Jess become an item. In the end, Nick and Shane just served as a launchpad for Nick and Jess' relationship.
7 Caroline
Caroline was Nick’s serious girlfriend whom he was madly in love with before Jess moved into the apartment. Though they had broken up, he still had feelings for her, and much of season 1 sees Nick trying to grapple with his lingering emotions.
Nick eventually decides to move in with Caroline in the season 1 finale, “See Ya” (S1E24), but returns to the loft with his moving truck after having ultimately ended things with her. Nick and Caroline's relationship is an element of season 1 that didn't age well, as Caroline's treatment of Nick was terrible, and their breakup was definitely for the best.
6 Kai
The granddaughter of one of the best New Girl characters, Tran, Kai meets and starts to date Nick in season 4. Kai's fondness for doing nothing makes Nick worry that she is dating him for his—admittedly little—money, but it's soon revealed that Kai is very successful, and she even pays Nick to not go to work at the bar and hang out with her instead.
When Nick has a change of heart and becomes serious about his career, Kai cuts things off because she likes doing nothing with him. This is for the best, as Kai paying Nick sets up a very unhealthy relationship dynamic, even though it was played for laughs.
5 Amanda
Amanda is a woman Nick works with at the bar in season 1. Although he has a difficult time determining when she’s being serious and when she’s kidding, he decides to ask her out. However, when Jess walks in on Nick dancing in his bedroom naked to some groovy music before his date, he becomes insecure about any other woman seeing him in the same state.
When Nick finally gets over his irrational fears, he brings Amanda back to his room, only to soon discover that Jess was hiding out there, naked, in order to make things "even" with Nick, at the advice of CeCe. All in all, Nick's relationship with Amanda doesn’t end well, but his friendship with Jess does get mended.
4 Angie
In season 2, Nick comes across a woman in the bar who is upset over having just broken up with her boyfriend. They hit it off and begin dating, but when he learns of her occupation as an exotic dancer and her wild tendencies, he becomes uncomfortable.
Though Nick decides to take a chance on Angie in one of New Girl's holiday episodes, “Santa” (S2E11), Angie removes herself from the relationship in “Cabin” (S2E12) soon after flirting with Jess’ boyfriend, Sam. Ultimately, Nick and Angie's personalities were just too different, and their lifestyles clashed too much for their relationship to last very long.
3 Reagan Lucas
A New Girl side character with main character energy, Reagan is a businesswoman who is professional and direct, two things Nick is not. Unfortunately, though, the pair share an inability to open up to people. This adds lots of complications to their relationship, and towards the end, Nick starts wondering if he even really knows Reagan.
Though Reagan and Nick’s relationship was not a bad one, it was hard to truly enjoy as a viewer, given that it was keeping Nick and Jess apart. If Nick and Jess’ past wasn’t a factor, Nick and Reagan might have been able to figure things out. Ultimately, what Nick really needed was someone he could truly connect with.
2 Julia Cleary
Appearing in season 1, Julia is a person who is far more serious about life than Nick. She is a lawyer who has been through therapy for her anger management issues, and she is basically Jess’ complete opposite. In fact, it terrifies Jess when she learns that Julia is “not a dessert person.”
Julia and Nick’s relationship is overall solid, if not a little scattered, and for a few episodes, it looks like they will have a future. However, things end when Julia sends Nick a cactus before heading on a business trip to China, and Nick thinks it means something and freaks out. This prompts Julia to actually break up with him when she realizes their relationship isn’t anything special.
1 Jessica Day
Of course, Nick Miller's best girlfriend is Jessica Day. Though their relationship went through many ups and downs, Nick and Jess were always destined to be with each other, which made the pair's wedding in season 7 very satisfying to watch.
Nick and Jess tend to fight a lot, and they are very different people, but at the end of the day they’re best friends, and putting that friendship first has always kept them afloat. They appreciate one another for who they are, not who they could be, and support each other in dreams both big and small.