New Girl — the sitcom about an adorkable teacher who moves into a loft with three guys — ran on Fox for seven seasons from 2011 to 2018. While many of the series' episodes were hilarious, the season finales were some of the best. We're here to look at all the final episodes and figure out which ones come out on top. Get ready to reunite with all your best friends; Here's a ranking of every season finale of New Girl.
Clean Break (S4, E22)
The fourth season of New Girl ends with Coach choosing to move to New York to live with May. He tries to let go of all mementos from the loft, and Schmidt similarly tries to get rid of all mementos of Cece. Did we mention Jess and Nick end up fighting over a mug from their relationship?
Though not the most memorable of season finales, “Clean Break” was still entertaining — especially when Schmidt learns that Cece is still interested in him.
Engram Pattersky (S7, E8)
The Season 7 finale of New Girl catches up with the gang one month after Nick and Jess’ wedding. They learn that they're being evicted from the loft and reflect on their lives as they pack up. After playing a packing-edition of True American, they load up the truck and get ready to move out. However, Winston reveals it was all a giant prank and that they don't have to leave.
The group decides to move anyway, realizing it is time to continue on with their lives elsewhere. They drive off together in the truck. Though the episode isn’t anything incredible, it is satisfying to see New Girl’s characters close a giant chapter in their lives.
Five Stars For Beezus (S6, E22)
Jess gets ready to tell Nick how she really feels about him in the Season 6 finale. Meanwhile, Aly helps Winston and his father get back to together and Cece and Schmidt announce their pregnancy.
Season 6 could have been the finale of New Girl, so the writers acted like it was. They tied up major plot points and got Jess and Nick back together just in case there wasn’t another season to wrap things up. That final elevator kiss scene was long-awaited and so exciting. While the last season was cute, it did feel a little unnecessary and we would have been totally fine if this episode was the final one.
Landing Gear (S5, E22)
“Wedding Eve” shows Nick and Winston helping Schmidt re-write his vows before his wedding, while “Landing Gear” — the episode continuing right after — has him trying to convince Cece’s mom to come to their ceremony. Meanwhile, Jess becomes anxious that Sam will propose to her and pulls the gang into a game of True American to avoid him popping any big questions.
By the end of the episode, Reagan and Nick decide to begin a relationship with each other. Unfortunately, this decision comes at the same time Jess realizes she still has feelings for Nick.
See Ya (S1, E24)
The climactic final episode of Season 1 shows Nick deciding to move out of the loft and into an apartment with Caroline. It nicely ties up Nick’s arc with his old lover, with the bartender ultimately deciding to stay with Jess, Winston, and Schmidt, leaving behind Caroline in the process.
Cece and Schmidt’s relationship hits a low point, with Schmidt deciding he has to “White Fang her,” ultimately moving on to someone new, because he doesn’t believe she can be happy with him. Though Winston has no major developments during the episode, he does overcome his fear of the dark after the group gets stranded in the desert. It may or may not be Nick’s fault for freaking out and throwing his keys into the canyon.
Cruise (S3, E23)
Jess and Nick booked a romantic cruise while they were dating, so rather than letting it go to waste, they decide to embark on it, dragging the rest of the gang along. However, things don’t go well when Jess and Nick get looped into a passionate couple’s package, Schmidt fails to win back Cece through a big romantic gesture, and Coach continues to battle his fear of boating.
The group eventually gets locked in their room and assumes someone will find them soon enough. It actually takes a long time for people to stumble across their door, though, and their frazzled selves end up in the newspaper. Of course, they choose to hang up the photograph on the loft’s wall.
Elaine’s Big Day (S2, E25)
The final episode of Season 2 saw Cece getting married… ahem… attempting to get married to Shivrang. Unfortunately, Schmidt is still in love with her and enlists an over-excited Winston to sabotage the wedding.
Nick and Jess have also recently started dating, and after believing Nick is also in on the schemes to take down her best friend’s big day, Jess becomes upset. However, after learning she misunderstood the circumstances, she goes to apologize to Nick, who is climbing through the air ducts to capture the badger Winston let loose.
The entire episode is hilarious, with every joke building up to the moment Jess and the gang crash through the ceiling right before Cece and Shivrang are married. As it turns out, they weren’t meant to be together. And Elaine — played by Taylor Swift — decides to run off with Shirvang in a twist ending.
The Series Finale
Yes, we did already cover this. The series finale, "Engram Pattersky" (S7, E8), was previously mentioned. However, it's worth taking one final look at through the-last-episode-of-the-entire-show lenses and not just the-last-episode-of-the-season ones.
It's incredible to look back on this episode and realize how deeply the series had developed. While at first Jess and Cece weren't even friends with the guys, they eventually marry two of them — and a flashforward shows all their kids hanging out together. This montage was a nice way to salute the future that wouldn't be making it into upcoming episodes.
The series finale was not perfect, but it was sweet and tied it nicely all together.