In a world full of uncertainty, one thing you can always be sure of is that each episode of New Girl is guaranteed to make you laugh. Throughout its seven seasons and 146 episodes, Fox’s New Girl has proven time and time again that it’s one of the most consistently funny television series to date.
While each episode is sure to leave you with a smile on your face, there are some episodes that are better than others. From Jess mistaking aquarium rocks for meth to Nick befriending a mute, eccentric asian man, this show is jam-packed with hilarious chaos. Here are our picks for the top 10 best New Girl episodes ranked.
10. Quick Hardening Caulk (Season 2, Episode 19)
From the complicated relationships of Jess and Nick to Schmidt and Cece, this episode centers around the chaotic and unpredictable love lives of the characters. For Jess and Nick specifically, this episode moves their relationship to a new level, as the two are seen making out for the first time.
While the episode revolved around Jess and Nick’s slow-moving relationship, it was also a key episode for the growth of Winston and Schmidt’s friendship. After falling into a depressive slump from Cece’s recent engagement, Schmidt goes on a lengthy drinking binge. Concerned for his roommate, Winston decides to take him to the aquarium to cheer him up. Odd choice, but it’s fitting for Winston’s character.
Of course, the trip to the aquarium doesn’t go as planned, as Schmidt tries to purchase a lionfish that he bonds with. To his disappointment, Schmidt learns that you can’t just buy an exotic fish from your local aquarium, but that doesn’t stop him.
In the span of the episode, Schmidt ends up buying a giant aquarium for the loft and even gets stung by a jellyfish from his voyage into the ocean. In the end, he gets what he wants. Although it landed him in the hospital, Cece ends up bringing the desired lionfish to Schmidt on a golden platter.
In the “Quick Hardening Caulk” episode of New Girl, we saw a small bit of progression in the tortoise-like relationship of Nick and Jess, as well as one out of the many times Schmidt is heartbroken over the love of his life, Cece.
9. Engram Pattersky (Season 7, Episode 8)
In the last season of New Girl, many drastic changes are made, such as the gang parting their ways with the loft. In this episode, newly-married couple Nick and Jess call the crew to inform them that they’re being evicted by “Engram Pattersky”, along with everyone else in the building. While Nick, Cece, Schmidt, and Winston have let go with ease, Jess doesn’t seem to be able to move on as easily.
In an effort to cheer her up, the others participate in her nostalgic activities including going through old items and even playing their classic drinking game, “True American.” To make things even more emotional, a flash-forward is shown of them and their kids playing the game in the future.
While the eviction notice lays heavy on the gang’s hearts, Winston reveals that it was all just another one of his pranks. Once the truck is loaded, he explains that “Engram Pattersky” is an anagram for “My Greatest Prank.” Despite this, Nick and Jess decide to move anyway, and the group drives off together in the moving truck.
8. Virgins (Season 2, Episode 23)
In season 2, episode 23, Jess, Nick, Schmidt, Winston, and Cece share with one another how they each lost their virginity. In a series of flashbacks, each character reflects on their past and come to a realization that their stories have directly affected their present-day sex lives.
For Jess, her flashback goes on for the entire episode and involves an awkward prom night where her and her date attempt sex, but it does not go well. Later on, she ends up sitting in a hotel hallway where she ends up being serenaded by a high school knight in shining armor.
It wasn’t long before Schmidt breaks in and tells his story, which might be one of the funniest ones out of all of them. This flashback involved a pep talk from his college roommate, Nick, while high on mushrooms, and an enormous amount of lube, which made for a slippery and hilarious venture on his dorm room bunk bed.
Further along in the episode we learn that CeCe lost her virginity to Mick Jagger, Winston lost his virginity to a prostitute that Nick’s dad bought for them, and Nick didn’t lose it, but he did take his first steps into alcoholism.
7. Prince (Season 3, Episode 14)
When CeCe and Jess are suddenly invited to a mansion party thrown by the legend himself, Prince, they’re determined to not let the boys know as they fear they’ll ruin their chances at everything running smoothly. But of course, the boys do find out and become determined to crash the party and get in on the action.
While Prince’s appearance on the show in itself is amazing, what makes it even better is that he helps contribute to Nick and Jess working through their relationship. When the two love birds find themselves in a fight, they end up in a spot they’d never thought they’d be in: sitting on a park bench with Prince, working things out between the two of them.
This episode was one of the best because not only did it feature the iconic Prince, but it also showed growth in one of television’s favorite couples, Nick and Jess.
6. Elaine’s Big Day (Season 2, Episode 25)
On the day of Cece and Shivrang’s wedding, there is expected to be chaos. Whether it’s Schmidt being in denial of the situation or the others in the crew getting themselves in sticky situations, it’s safe to say that no one expected this particular wedding to run smoothly.
In the episode, Schmidt believes that CeCe doesn’t want to go through with the wedding, which he somehow gathered from prolonged eye contact with her. Obviously, that doesn’t make it true, but that doesn’t stop Schmidt from doing his thing.
Schmidt ends up convincing Winston and Nick to help sabotage the wedding. With Nick’s shameless personality and Winston’s knowledge of pranks, the two make for perfect help in this type of situation.
The plan is divided into three phases. In phase one, they will blow an air horn to scare off the white horse in the wedding. In phase two, they will blast “Cotton-Eyed Joe” during the ceremony. Lastly, they plan to take the badger they saw earlier in the episode and let it loose.
In the end, it worked, as CeCe admits to everyone that she doesn’t want to be with Shivrang. In one of the biggest plot twists in the show, Shivrang confesses that who he wants to be with is Elaine, who is played but the one and only Taylor Swift.
5. Background Check (Season 4, Episode 6)
This next episode of New Girl is in my opinion, one of the funniest to ever air from the show. In Winston’s journey to become a police officer, he must pass a home inspection and background check as a part of his training. With his crazy roommates, he was extremely nervous, to say the least.
As it turns out, Winston had every right to be apprehensive about the inspection. Once Jess finds out about the incoming visit from the LAPD, she waits until Winston leaves to freak out and tell the others that she has a bag of meth in her closet. There truly is never a dull moment in this show.
After breaking the news, Jess starts freaking out and attempts to hide the meth in her bra, while Nick starts profusely sweating because he knows he’s a bad liar. While the officer looks around the apartment, Jess and CeCe immediately try to find the best way to get rid of the drugs and dump it into the toilet, which causes a lot of noticeable ruckus.
In the end, Jess admits defeat and confesses her possession of meth to the officer. In a hysterical twist, the officer points out that the “drugs” she was in possession of are really just aquarium rocks. After the chaotic inspection, we see a happy ending as Winston passes the background check.
4. Landing Gear (Season 5, Episode 22)
This next episode provides just another example of the lengths Schmidt will go to in order to make CeCe happy. In this case, Schmidt makes an effort to convince CeCe’s mom to come to their wedding. In doing so, he ends up missing his wedding party because his plane is stuck in Portland with no landing gear.
Luckily, Schmidt was able to virtually attend, as the group and CeCe carried around an iPad throughout the night. The episode does end with a heartfelt moment, though, as the gang provides Schmidt the wedding he’s always dreamed of, right in the comfort of their loft once he returns.
3. Cooler (Season 2, Episode 15)
Season 2 Episode 15 marks a huge milestone in Nick and Jess’s relationship, as they finally kiss for the first time in the show. From the very beginning of the series, it was obvious to any viewer that Nick and Jess were destined to be together. As the show continued, the two only grew closer and closer, building anticipation for what was to come out of their relationship.
The episode starts off with Nick, Schmidt, and Winston having a boy’s night. When Jess expresses that she wants to come, Nick tells her that she’s his cooler, and doesn’t think it’s a good idea for her to join along. But, in her typical fashion, Jess appears at the bar later in the night anyways.
After several drinking games and a fun night out, Nick and Jess end up locked behind a door, while the others chant, encouraging them to kiss. As they both hesitantly lean in, Nick stops and blurts out “No, not yet!” This caused quite a bit of confusion for Jess, because she quickly discovered that Nick has thought about kissing her before.
Later on, Nick and Jess have a bit of late night banter, and Nick grabs Jess and the two share the steamy makeout sesh that viewers have been waiting for. Much like the rest of us, Jess is in a state of shock, especially because Jess’s boyfriend, Sam, is in the other room. This episode not only stirred the pot, but it also gave us progress in Nick and Jess’s relationship.
2. Clean Break (Season 4, Episode 22)
In this episode, Coach reveals to the gang that he’s moving to New York with his girlfriend, May. In order to make a clean break from Los Angeles, Coach gets rid of any non-essential, materialistic things. In the process of packing, it seems that Coach is handling his move well, but to Jess, it’s not that simple. Jess tells Coach that she wants him to keep things to remember him by such as photos of her, which of course, he won’t do.
During this episode, Nick and Jess as well as Schmidt and Cece also take the spotlight as they all work through their memories as they declutter the loft. Nick and Jess discover their sex mug that they’d use to signal they’d want to hook up with eachother in the past, and Schmidt finds objects that remind him of his love for CeCe.
In the end, Coach leaves happily for New York, Schmidt and CeCe finally become engaged, and Nick and Jess decide to put the past behind them and move on in their lives.
1. Five Stars for Beezus (Season 6, Episode 22)
The season 6 finale of New Girl is jam-packed with heartfelt moments that make it one of the best episodes in the series. Nick, Jess, Schmidt, Winston, and even CeCe and Aly all experience events in the episode that are seriously life-altering.
For instance, Jess tells Nick how she really feels about him, while Nick finally scores a meeting with a book publisher. For Winston, his girlfriend, Aly, helps him reconnect with his dad and finds his phone number for him to make the important call. For Schmidt and Cece, they discover some important and big news; CeCe is pregnant!
Throughout the entire series, we see events in all of the character’s lives that shape them and influence the story line greatly. This season gives us all the closure and resolutions that we’ve been needing all along, making for a satisfying, pleasant ending to the season.