New Girl's 15 Best Love Stories

Over its six seasons on Fox, New Girl has been filled with love stories good — hello, Winston and Aly! — and not-so-good (sorry, Sam). With its sixth season finale airing Tuesday, we’re looking back at the comedy’s 15 best (read: most memorable) relationships.

Jess and Nick were a long time coming, the Jim and Pam of New Girl, if you will — just a little (okay, a lot) weirder and with the added obstacle of, you know, being roommates who have to see each other every single day whether they like it or not. After episodes and episodes of tension, it finally culminated in a passionate hallway kiss that was about as steamy as a Fox comedy can get. After some occasionally uncomfortable, occasionally sweet time spent dating, the two ended things once they realized they missed the friendship they had. But that wasn’t really the end, because of course it wasn’t: Though there was a brief period where Jess and Nick were very much Not Romantic, the show’s recently been pushing them back toward each other, hinting that maybe their romantic relationship was more important to them than their platonic friendship after all. —Ariana Bacle

These two had the classic rom-com romance with a twist: He was the reserved douchebag, and she the adorkable free spirit who conned him into thinking she’s his blind date. (Okay, so maybe there’s more than one twist with them.) They struck up a no-strings-attached, extra-sexy relationship that morphed into something more quickly and beautifully… until they realize their hearts belonged to others. It’s a tragicomedy of an affair that worked, an ironic love story that began with two opposites embracing how different they were and ended with both understanding each other’s need to be with other people. For Jess, Dr. Sam would never be Nick — and in a twist of fate, Jess would never be Sam’s soulmate Diane (shoutout to Cheers!). Romance is never easy, and these two proved it. —Shirley Li

Jess seemed perpetually awed by the British teacher’s good looks (really, who wouldn’t be?), but that may have ultimately been a sign of their doomed relationship. Still, they were adorable together… until Ryan asked Jess to move in with her and she kinda wigged out. She was saved (or not, depending on your level of shippage for these two) when Ryan was offered the position of headmaster at a school in England. As any supportive girlfriend would, she urged him to take it, and we all know what can happen with long-distance relationships. —Breanne Heldman

A memorable early relationship in the show, fancy-man Russell encapsulated everything Jess thought she couldn’t achieve. He was a capital-M Man, a magnetic divorced dad who drinks brown liquor, smokes cigars, and wears suits. He was no Spencer, the one who broke Jess’s heart and forced her to move to a loft with a group of wacky weirdos. And best of all, he liked Jess for who she was, and even tried out a game of True American once. But ultimately, Jess’s fling with him was important because it led her to realize something important about herself: that when it comes to love, she wants the same passion he and his ex-wife have, that same natural chemistry she still hadn’t found. Oh, and Nick also idolized Russell, so consider this two love stories wrapped in one. —SL

Aside from Nick, season 1’s Paul was possibly Jess’ best, or at least most obvious, match. He was sensitive and nice and a music teacher. But things with him moved a bit too fast — especially since Paul was the first guy Jess dated after her breakup with Spencer in the pilot — and when he tells her he loves her, she just says “thank you,” and soon, they were dunzo. —BH

Sometimes, a genuine friendship can be better than any romantic relationship. Friendship is epic, and the one between the women at the center of New Girl proved it. They had each other’s backs since childhood, and for all their differences in their jobs, their personalities, and their backgrounds, their lives only became even more intertwined as adults — and not only because Jess’s move into the loft introduced Cece to her eventual husband Schmidt. Not only were they the most high-larious pair on the show, but they also considered each other the best people they know. Now that‘s friendship and relationship goals. —SL

This unlikely duo didn’t seem to have a shot at anything long-lasting when they first began sneaking around for sex. But after a while, they both caught feelings, and Schmidt freaked, dumping her because he felt thoroughly unworthy. But, many a Robby scene later (yeah, remember when he and Cece dated?), they made their way back together, down the aisle, and even out of the loft and into a house of their own. —BH

Nick and Schmidt

There’s nothing like an old friendship; there’s also nothing like a Nick-and-Schmidt friendship, which is basically a marriage without the sex. After hitting things off in college, the two opposites have been adorably inseparable and even celebrated their ten-year anniversary of living together by throwing an all-out bash titled Tinfinity (tin is that year’s anniversary theme, partly because the symbol for tin is Sn — short for Schmidt and Nick). They have problems, sure — that celebration, especially, is riddled with them — but at the end of the day, they’ll do anything (like, anything) for each other. Schmidt and Nick forever. —AB

Reagan turned up just in the Nick of time (ha ha ha) when Jess was on jury duty and sequestered for a lengthy trial. She landed herself a home in Jess’ room — and a spot in Jess’ ex’s bed. After a slow start — Nick was intimidated, and who wouldn’t be? It’s Megan Fox! — their romance eventually got rolling and then got serious when Reagan surprised Nick to attend Schmidt and Cece’s wedding as his date. In season 6, Reagan moved into the loft again (kinda), but the serious relationship fell apart by the season’s end. —BH

Julia only appeared in four episodes in season 1, but Lizzy Caplan’s performance gave the character a depth that, frankly, many similarly short-lived significant others lacked. As a hardworking lawyer, Julia juggled work and play, and had issues of her own that rivaled Nick’s: She struggled with anger management and clashed spectacularly with Jess, who up until that point had been ultra-quirky and picture perfect and everything Julia was not. (And for some critics of early New Girl, Julia was a refreshing guest star for pointing out Jess’s over-eccentric nature.) For Nick, dating Julia showed he could be mature about his relationships, even if he wound up dumping Julia over a cactus. In Nick’s defense, he had a point: A cactus makes a poor, prickly gift of love. —SL

It all begins when Nick’s stuck sitting on a bench with an older man. Although Nick at first insists he wants to be alone, he soon opens up to this completely silent man named Tran, telling him he’s afraid of dying and also showing off how high he can jump. This one-sided conversation is exactly what Nick needs, and later, he even joins Tran at the pool where his new pal cradles the initially hesitant Nick like a baby in what turns out to be a relaxing, transformative moment. Their relationship blossoms, and Nick continues to go to Tran whenever something goes wrong in his life. The last time we saw him, he was leaving the loft after bringing over lasagna for a dinner party. Lasagna and listening: That’s what friends are for. —AB

Winston’s come a long way from trying out terrible pick-up lines on Daisy in season 2. He and Aly start out as professional partners at work, and eventually become more than that once Aly realizes Winston is basically the greatest person ever, especially compared to her lame boyfriend. Turns out Winston thinks the same of her, and with that, the two oddballs — his eventual proposal to her involves him saying “I’m the king of crazy” and listing various quirks, like the fact he has inside jokes with his cat — give dating a try. Now, they’re engaged, and happy as can be. Winston’s finally found someone who thinks his stories are as funny as he does — and isn’t that all anyone can really hope for in a relationship? —AB

Season 2 Winston was having some trouble with the ladies when he sat down at a bar next to an engaged woman named Daisy. Knowing he didn’t have a chance, they chatted with ease, and when she revealed that she wasn’t actually engaged, he made his move. One really good thing came of that short-lived relationship: Furguson. Just as Winston was about to ask Daisy to be his girlfriend, he discovered that she was cheating on him. When she owned up to it, he declared that he deserved better… and so did her cat. —BH

Coach was in the early episodes of New Girl before leaving, and then came back, only to leave again. His second departure was sweeter, though: He shows up to May’s cello practice to declare his love for her, and to tell her that he’s ready to fight for her, even though they haven’t even been dating that long. This means he’s ready to move to New York (okay, Jersey City) with her — so he does. Some things are worth leaving the loft for. —AB

Winston is a man who loves many things, from pulling off pranks to piecing together complicated puzzles. But above all, Winston is a man who loves — nay, wuvs — his cat, Furguson. We may never know if Furguson loves Winston just as much, but there’s a reason why Furguson became the show’s favorite running gag. The furry little monster and his owner were part of an unforgettable bromance, one that began with Furguson helping to heal Winston’s wounded heart — remember, Winston stole Furguson from Daisy (Brenda Song), who cheated on Winston. From then on, they took weekly selfies together, bantered when loft-mates were out of earshot (Winston once referred to Jess as Furguson’s sister, which was appropriate), did crafts together, and shared pasta. Sorry, Aly: You may have had Winston’s heart in the end, but a piece of it will only ever belong to Furguson. —SL