New Girl had a pretty excellent run, as sitcoms go. Instead of petering out in a final season, they had a shorter finale that ended on a bang, with one of Winston’s most outrageous pranks yet. Across the seven seasons, there are hundreds of hilarious moments, dozens of sweet scenes, and sometimes combinations of both all in one episode.
Here’s a look at some of the best episodes of New Girl, ranging from the funniest to the most heartwarming.
10) ‘Elaine’s Big Day’
No, we didn’t just pick this because of Taylor Swift — that was only half the reason. Anytime we get to see Winston run riot with his pranks is a good day and Cece and Shivrang’s wedding is prime pranking time.
There’s a badger in the ceiling, a dramatic interruption to the wedding, and a happy ending for Nick and Jess at the end of the episode. What’s not to love?
9) ‘Five Stars for Beezus’
Just before the three-year time jump, all we want to see from the finale of Season Six is Nick and Jess getting together. “Five Stars for Beezus” gives us just that, along with plenty of nostalgic callbacks to the very first pilot. Hits us right in the feels.
8) ‘Halloween’
No one plays fear for comedy quite like Nick Miller, and his romantic gesture running into a haunted house for Jess, only to end up punching her in the face, is a series of events that’s too hilarious not to make it onto this list. Plus, we haven’t even mentioned Schmidt’s costume shenanigans with Robbie and Cece.
7) ‘LAXMas’
Billy Eichner is a sitcom dream, so pairing him up with the entire gang while trapped in an airport right before Christmas makes for an episode that’s equal parts hysterical and sweet. It warms the heart at any time of year, but especially at Christmas.
6) ‘A Chill Day In’
Characters being stoned is inevitably funny, but somehow more so when it’s doe-eyed, innocent Zoeey Deschanel. Combine this with a quest to buy a bread maker from a snooty department store and we’ve got ourselves a winning episode of New Girl.
5) ‘The Landlord’
“The Landlord” is one of those episodes that just spirals further and further out of control, culminating in Nick and Jess bating each other deeper and deeper into a potential threesome. Even the sub-plot where Winston finds Schmidt’s 2007 New Year’s Resolutions is hilarious, including: “No. 5 — Find out where Winston gets his sparkle, then steal it.”
4) ‘Background Check’
Not every episode has the whole gang all in one place for the whole episode and “Background Check” truly delivers. Despite being well-meaning about helping Winston pass his background check for the police force, Nick predictable crumbles under the pressure and chaos ensues.
3) ‘Landline’
“Landline” starts strong with the whole gang in Nick’s room, shouting over each other as they try to get service. The rest of the episode centres around Nick acting as the group’s secretary, fielding calls and offering unique insights into everyone’s doings. It’s a classic for anyone who loves Nick’s buffoonery — so, basically any New Girl fan.
2) ‘Double Date’
It’s essentially one scene that earns “Double Date” this place in the top three New Girl episodes. Nick’s disbelief when Schmidt reveals he’s dating both Cece and Elizabeth is absolutely priceless and one of my all-time favourite scenes from the show.
1) ‘Prince’
In the top spot, it had to be “Prince”. I mean, it’s Prince. Nick and Jess act exactly how we’d expect two people to act when they meet the iconic star. Plus, you get the absolutely-not-shoehorned-in Ford Fusion promo, which never fails to crack me up.
(featured image: Adam Taylor/Fox)
