Summary

• New Girl season 8 hasn't been officially renewed, but the cast is open to the possibility and believes it still resonates with fans.
• The original cast members, including Zooey Deschanel and Jake Johnson, would likely return for season 8 if schedules allow.
• The potential story for season 8 may focus on the characters' experiences with parenthood, with Jess and Nick possibly having children of their own.

Despite the show ending several years ago, the demand for New Girl season 8 hasn't waned. Elizabeth Meriweather’s Los Angeles-set sitcom New Girl focuses on quirky middle school teacher Jess Day (Zooey Deschanel). After Jess discovers her boyfriend is unfaithful she moves into a loft apartment with three male roommates — lovable slacker Nick Miller (Jake Johnson), ladies’ man Schmidt (Max Greenfield), and prankster Winston Bishop (Lamorne Morris). Hannah Simone rounds out the main New Girl cast as Cece Parikh, a model and Jess’ best friend since childhood.

New Girl chronicled Jess as she navigated her 30s, earning praise for its offbeat humor. Despite the demand for New Girl season 8 remaining so long after it ended, the show was never ratings hit, and was in danger of being canceled after season 6. Luckily, the New Girl cast collectively convinced Fox to give the show a proper send-off, and it was renewed for one last — albeit much shorter — season in 2018. Despite half a decade passing since then there's still demand for New Girl season 8, with many viewers itching to catch up with Jess, Nick, and the rest of the gang as they entered their 40s.

Most Recent News On A New Girl Revival

Lamorne Morris Comments On A New Season

While there has still been no official confirmation of a renewal, Lamorne Morris has offered a hopeful update on the chances of one - saying "Whenever the fans want something that if I'm available for, I'd love to." The actor, who played Winston (one of Jess's roommates) on the series, talked about the possibility of a revival with ScreenRant during an interview about his role in Fargo Season 5.

Absolutely. It's one of those shows that because of streaming, I will say, it took on new legs and a different fan base, and it will continue to resonate with fans. People will always be able to identify with the dynamic of this group of friends, and it's just funny.

For me, I want to keep servicing the fans. Whenever the fans want something that if I'm available for, I'd love to. If we can do another season, that would be awesome. Jake Johnson doesn't charge that much, so he won't be too expensive. Everybody else is fair. He might be the one then you got to grease the old palms a little bit. [Laughs] But the rest of us, we're fair to our fans and to our employers.

But Winston, right now, I think Winston is Witt Farr [in Fargo season 5]. Winston's had enough of the silliness, and he wanted to go off the grid once Aly left him and took the kids.

Of course, being open to the possibility does not mean that the series is any closer to getting a revival, only that Morris would be open to it.

New Girl Hasn't Been Renewed For Season 8

New Girl hasn't been renewed for season 8 by original network Fox, nor have any streamers picked up the title to renew it themselves (as has happened with some still-popular-yet-canceled franchises over the last few years). However, while there are no plans for New Girl season 8, many of the cast have been candid about reprising their roles in some form in the future.

In an August 2020 interview on Slate’s Thirst Aid Kit podcast, Jake Johnson said he was still in regular contact with his former co-stars and he “would be surprised if there’s not some sort of thing at some point where everybody comes back.” So, while New Girl season 8 seems unlikely, a one-off reunion episode hasn’t been totally ruled out.

New Girl Season 8 Cast

The cast of New Girl was the driving force behind the show's appeal, even during the period that Zooey Deschanel was replaced by Megan Fox. The core cast of New Girl would, of course, remain the same for season 8 provided all the cast wanted to return. This would mean Zooey Deschanel reprising her role as Jess, Jake Jonson back as Nick, Max Greenfield as Schmidt, Hanna Simone returning as Cece, Larmorne Morris back as Winston, and of course Damon Wayans Jr. as Coach. All the New Girl cast have gone on to star in multiple roles since the show, so the only barrier to their return for season 8 would be possible scheduling conflicts or a lack of interest.

Related: New Girl Cast & Character Guide

Did New Girl Season 7 Set Up Season 8?

While there's certainly demand for it to return, New Girl season 8 wasn't set up by the show's finale. New Girl season 7 picked up three years after the events of season 6 and saw Schmidt and Cece raising their three-year-old daughter, Winston and his wife Aly (Nasim Pedrad) welcoming their first child, and Jess and Nick tying the knot. The series finale offered a satisfying conclusion and was hailed as one of the best New Girl episodes, centering around Jess and Nick learning they’re being evicted from the loft and gathering the gang to hang out there one last time.

As they played a packing-themed edition of their made-up drinking game True American, a touching flash-forward saw the gang playing the game with their kids (albeit with root beer instead of real beer). At the end of the episode, Winston revealed the eviction was a prank, but with Jess and Nick coming to terms with leaving the loft they decided to move anyway. With a perfect finale like that, it was clear that the show wasn't trying to set up New Girl season 8.

New Girl Season 8 Story

While New Girl season 8 isn't confirmed, that doesn't mean the potential story is impossible to predict. For all its quirkiness, New Girl is still a sitcom. The characters are all on a more-or-less standard life path for adults their age (despite how frantic it may seem from their perspective). Season 8 story beats would likely include Nick and Jess having kids, as well as the various parenting problems faced by both the central couple in addition to Cece, Schmidt, Winston, Aly, and their respective children.

The show's title even has a clue as to the direction season 8 could take. Jess was the new girl in the apartment. If Jess and Nick have a daughter the show could easily reposition itself around the "new girl" in New Girl being Jess and Nick's child, taking the same beloved characters for season 8 but with the general theme now around parenthood rather than the struggles of settling down as a young adult.