For seven seasons, New Girl fans followed the ups and downs of Jess, Nick, Winston, Schmidt, Cece, and co. as they went from strangers to a functional non-blood family. Sadly, the show wrapped up in 2018, but fans came to love to the group and their antics.
With Nick and Jess ending up together, Cece and Schmidt finally getting married, and Winston becoming a dad, all ended well with the New Girl fam. Now that it's been two years since the show ended, let's take a look at 10 things we totally forgot in season 1 of New Girl.
Nick And Jess Pretended To Date To Make Caroline Jealous
When Jess moved in with the guys, she and Nick bonded particularly well because they were both going through breakups. Nick was getting over his on-again/off-again relationship with Caroline, and Jess just moved out of the house she shared with Spencer.
But in "Wedding," Nick and Jess pretended to date to make Caroline jealous. Jess wound up having so much fun pretending to be someone she's not that she butchered the wedding and drove Caroline to actually show affection for Nick again. By the end of the night, though, Caroline wasn't jealous — she was just happy Nick had a girlfriend because she found someone, too.
Jess' Relationship With Paul
Jess has a few boyfriends and hookups throughout New Girl, but Paul was a special one. He was essentially the male version of Jess, and the two made a great couple. Both were musical, both were teachers, and they had the same sense of humor.
However, the two broke up when Jess realized Paul was more into her than she was into him. Funny enough, Paul makes another brief appearance season 4, but it's funny to remember he was the first boyfriend Jess had after Spencer.
Nick's Party Bus
"The Story Of The 50" was a hilarious episode that revolved around Schmidt's 29th birthday. After his plans were canceled, the gang decided to create a party bus out of an old school bus. Everyone got extremely drunk and Nick brought his new girlfriend, Julia. It's obvious Nick really liked Julia because he started acting differently around her, pretending like he didn't know what "bro juice" was even though he was the one who invented it. By the end of the night, though, Jess and Schmidt shared a friendly moment securing his life as a new 29-year-old.
When Winston Found Out About Schmidt and Cece
Schmidt was after Cece as soon as he saw her. Somehow, all his small quirks worked because the two began a secret sexual tryst in the first season. But in "Fancyman Part 2," Winston found out about their romps.
After borrowing Schmidt's car, Winston found out that Schmidt and Cece were sleeping with each other in the back of the car at the Mexico-U.S. border!
How Jess Met The Guys In The First Place
It didn't take long for Jess and the guys to become a tight-knit group. After moving in so quickly after a tough break-up, Jess' loud sobs could have been powerful enough to scare the guys away. Instead, this group of buddies became a family. But how did they get that way in the first place? After seven seasons, it's fun to remember how it all happened.
Jess found out her boyfriend Spencer was cheating on her and wanted to move out immediately. The best she could do is become roommates with Schmidt, Nick, and Coach. Eventually, Coach and Winston swapped places but without Spencer cheating on Jess, New Girl wouldn't have happened.
The Landlord Situation
In the 12th episode, Jess was deterred from calling the landlord because he apparently "sucked." But don't give Jess Day a challenge without expecting her to meet it head on. She told the landlord that their apartment had safety hazards, but this backfired after he realized four people lived in their apartment when it's only big enough for three. The landlord paid the roomies a visit to catch them in a lie, and a bunch of weird moments ensues between the him and Jess — which made for a hilarious episode.
When Schmidt And Cece Were Jess' Wing-People
In the episode "Valentine's Day," Jess found herself single for the first time in years. So who's the best person to help Jess land a date? Schmidt! Schmidt and Cece ended up being Jess' wing-people as she scoured the bar for her next one-night-stand. Jess was more-or-less a relationship kind of person, but this time she was looking for something with no strings attached. Seeing Schmidt coach Jess after every interaction was the kind of gold New Girl fans live for.
Cece Thought She Was Pregnant
In the episode "Kids," Cece and Schmidt thought she was pregnant. How fast things can change! When fans think about the roller coaster relationship that Schmidt and Cece had, it's wild to look back on their pregnancy scare.
The episode opened with Cece and Jess planning on taking a pregnancy test but hiding it from Schmidt until Cece knew for sure. But in a classic twist, Schmidt overheard the girls and he spiraled into potential dad mode. Thankfully for Cece, she got her period and the casual couple was off the hook.
Nick Tried Moving Out
In the season 1 finale, Nick decided to move out of the apartment and in with his on-again, off-again girlfriend Caroline. This left Schmidt, Winston, and Jess needing a fourth roommate, but that didn't go too well. In classic Nick fashion, though, he panicked about moving out and moved back in before the day was over. Knowing how close the group is in season 7, it's hard to imagine Nick leaving everyone so early on.
Schmidt's Horrible Christmas Party
In "The 23rd," it's the holiday season and the gang was getting ready for Schmidt's office Christmas party. As the only man in the office, Schmidt dressed up as "sexy Santa" and scored dirt from his co-workers when they whispered in his ear. Oddly enough, Jess, Nick, Cece, Winston, and Paul showed up to the party and things got messy. Paul found out Jess doesn't love him, Cece's boyfriend acted like a jerk, and Schmidt had "Santa's lap" from sitting for too long. The party was a complete mess, but at least it ended with Christmas lights.