When viewers met Nick Miller on New Girl he was still dealing with a painful break-up with his girlfriend Caroline, but that was not the last they were going to hear or see from her – here’s what happened between Nick and Caroline and why they broke up twice. Created by Elizabeth Meriwether, New Girl debuted on Fox in 2011 and came to an end in 2018 after seven seasons. New Girl was very well received from the beginning, with critics and audiences praising its tone and the performances of the main cast, which allowed it to live on for so long.
New Girl followed young, bubbly teacher Jess Day (Zooey Deschanel), who after she found out that her boyfriend was cheating on her, moved into a loft with three complete strangers. After a period of adjustment from all parts, Jess ended up becoming very close to her roommates Nick Miller (Jake Johnson), Schmidt (Max Greenfield), and Winston Bishop (Lamorne Morris), with her best friend Cece (Hannah Simone) also joining the fun and bonding with the guys. Each character had their own personal problems, but perhaps the one dealing with bigger baggage was Nick.
Nick spent a big part of the first season trying to get over his break-up with Caroline (Mary Elizabeth Ellis). Through flashbacks, viewers learned that Caroline broke up with Nick, who had a really hard time accepting it and spent many drunken nights calling her with an English accent professing his love for her. In the very first episode of the series, Nick and Caroline met up at the entrance of a party, where Nick (following Jess’ advice) confronted her and asked her why she broke up with him. Caroline replied that she didn’t think he cared about her. In another episode, they crossed paths at a wedding, where Jess pretended to be Nick’s girlfriend. After flirting all night, Caroline revealed she had a boyfriend, which once again left Nick crushed.
Near the end of season 1, they got back together after Nick had a conversation with Winston about relationships. This time, their relationship got serious very quickly, and Nick agreed to move in with her. Schmidt and Winston, knowing Nick was about to do something he would deeply regret, showed him a video made by a brokenhearted Nick the last time Caroline dumped him. Nick insisted that being back with Caroline was what he needed, and continued with his plan of moving in with her. Nick ultimately panicked at the last minute, and after a night in the desert with the rest of the group, he realized he was making a big mistake, he shouldn’t have gotten back with Caroline, and he wasn’t ready to commit.
Caroline made her final appearance in season 3’s episode “Exes”, where she demanded an explanation from Nick for leaving her when they were about to move in together. As Nick had already accepted his feelings for Jess at that point, he told Caroline that Jess was the reason why he left, as he was already in love with her, and properly apologized. Caroline accepted the apology and left, and she didn’t appear again. Nick and Caroline’s relationship was not healthy, and (at least when they got back together) she was very controlling while Nick was too scared to commit, so it was for the best that they broke up, even if both break-ups were messy.