Welcome back, Jess: ‘New Girl’ kicks off its final season
As prime-time romances go, few are as compelling as the friends-first budding relationships that take years to develop. One of television’s sweetest couples is about to return to the airwaves, and fans couldn’t be happier.
After years of will-they-won’t-they angst, it looks as if Jess (Zooey Deschanel, “Elf,” 2003) and Nick (Jake Johnson, “Paper Heart,” 2009) might finally live happily ever after in a new season of “New Girl,” premiering Tuesday, April 10, on Fox. The season 7 opener will be a bittersweet beginning for fans, as it marks the debut of the show’s final season. What’s worse is that there are just eight episodes to look forward to, as opposed to the usual 22 to 25.
Nevertheless, loyal “New Girl” viewers will likely cherish these last moments with Jess and the gang.At the end of season 6, Jess confessed her feelings for Nick, and season 7 makes a big time jump to three years into the future. Jess and Nick are just returning from a European book tour, while friends Cece (Hannah Simone, “Kicking & Screaming”) and Schmidt (Max Greenfield, “Modern Men”) are busy raising their young daughter, Ruth. Also, Winston (Lamorne Morris, “The Assistants”) and Aly (Nasim Pedrad, “Saturday Night Live”) are now married with a baby on the way.
In typical Jess Day fashion, series star Deschanel has a positive outlook on “New Girl’s” last hurrah. In an exclusive interview at the 2018 Winter Television Critics Association Press Tour, she told “ET’s” Leanne Aguilera that she was very happy with the show’s final season.
“I feel like we covered a lot of our classic sort of scenarios in the last season,” she said. “The writers did a good job. There are a lot of ‘Easter eggs.’”
Fans should be on the lookout for so-called Easter eggs, which are special hidden messages or jokes referring to previous seasons of the show. It’s been a long haul for the cast and crew of the comedy, and a lot has happened since it premiered in 2011. It all started when young schoolteacher Jess came home to find her boyfriend in bed with another woman and left to find a new home. She ended up moving into a loft with three strangers — Nick, Schmidt and Coach (Damon Wayans Jr., “Happy Endings”), the latter of whom left the loft to move in with his girlfriend in the second episode, making room for Winston to move in. Jess’s childhood bestie, Cece, is a frequent visitor to the loft and a core member of the cast of characters.
Throughout the first six seasons, the relationships between the friends evolved as the initial physical attraction between Cece and Schmidt became much deeper and Nick and Jess realized they were meant to be together. Meanwhile, Winston worked a variety of jobs before becoming an LAPD officer and falling in love with his colleague, Aly.
In addition to Pedrad, the final season features a number of memorable returning guest stars, including Wayans Jr., Dermot Mulroney (“My Best Friend’s Wedding,” 1997), Nelson Franklin (“The Millers”), Sam Richardson (“Veep”), David Walton (“Perfect Couples”), Jamie Lee Curtis (“True Lies,” 1994) and Rob Reiner (“All in the Family”). Tig Notaro (“One Mississippi”) also makes a special guest appearance, and J.B. Smoove (“Curb Your Enthusiasm”) portrays Winston’s father, whom Winston meets for the very first time.
The wrap-up season promises plenty of laughs as the award-winning cast and crew bid adieu to characters that have captured the hearts of TV viewers for years. A breakout hit of its debut fall season, “New Girl” drew more than 10 million viewers to the premiere.The show was particularly popular with critics, who’ve praised the performances of Deschanel, Schmidt and Johnson in particular. Entertainment industry pundits have taken notice over the years, honoring the show with numerous nominations, including five Golden Globe nods and five Emmy nominations.The program won the 2011 Critics’ Choice Television Award for Most Exciting New Series, Deschanel won the 2012 Critics’ Choice Television Award for Best Actress in a Comedy Series and Simone won the 2012 Teen Choice Award for Choice TV Breakout Star — Female.
Unfortunately, the ratings have waned over the years, clocking in around two million for the season 6 finale, which led to the show almost being canceled at the end of last season. Luckily for fans, “New Girl” has been granted a short reprieve to say farewell.
Fans of Deschanel may be interested to know that the actress has been cast as Belle in a live concert version of Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast,” alongside Kelsey Grammer (“Frasier”) as Lumiere, Rebel Wilson (“Pitch Perfect,” 2012) as LeFou and Anthony Evans (“The Voice”) as The Beast. The concert will take place over two nights at the legendary Hollywood Bowl, but no plans for a television broadcast have yet been announced.
Saying goodbye to this beloved cast of characters won’t be easy, but fans should take heart in the knowledge that there are eight whole episodes of “New Girl” left to enjoy. Catch the show’s final season premiere when it airs Tuesday, April 10, on Fox.