The hit Fox sitcom New Girl has been off the air for three years, but the loft's most recognizable drinking game, "True American," lives on. It's the non-descriptive name of the hard-to-follow and never-quite-explained drinking game favored by Jess, Nick, Winston, Schmidt, Cece, and whoever else ended up in the apartment. Despite appearances and mentions in numerous episodes, the rules are never explained and the goal is never pinned down.
Part of New Girl's magic is and always was the chemistry between the core characters. The group's ease with each other, comedic timing, and generally entertaining antics carried the show for seven seasons. It makes sense that these characters would play a drinking game they made up and know the rules for. The game took off among viewers, many of whom took the idea of piecing together the rules as a challenge.
So why not explain those rules to devoted fans? Speaking with The A.V. Club in 2012, New Girl creator Elizabeth Meriwether went on record explaining that making the whacky game's rules increasingly hard to follow is part of the running joke. Running jokes are a major part of New Girl's comedic structure. From the "douche jar" to Jess's go-to break up movie, the series is filled with callbacks and in-jokes that are as hilarious as they are rewarding for viewers. In many ways, not revealing the rules for True American proves the idea that it's less about the game and more about what the game represents. It highlights a dynamic group of friends who have countless jokes between them and a whole lot of spare time on their hands.
If New Girl had taken the time to explain True American in detail, it may have made some viewers happy, but it would have taken the wind out of the joke. The confusing rules felt like an essential component of True American by the end of the series. Some viewers might even argue that the gang themselves didn't know the rules from one round to the next. It'd be easy to believe that with that much drinking involved, the residents of 4D might lose track of some of the details, making the game that much more realistic.
A few things in New Girl's iconic game do stand out though, like using American historical figures and moments, standing on furniture, and the infamous rule that led to Nick and Jess's first kiss. In many ways, True American changes as much as the relationships between the characters do throughout New Girl. This makes the game the perfect reflection of the whole group: eccentric, ever-changing, and above-all very fun to watch.