Here Are The 25 Best "New Girl" Episodes, Ranked

"Who's that girl?"

New Girl is the kind of show that will go down in history as being a pinnacle of perfect comedy. For seven seasons, audiences were treated to beautiful friendships, witty comebacks, and realistic characters. Anyway, if you're ready to rewatch the show and can't decide where to start...look no further! Here are the 25 best episodes:

25. "Thanksgiving III" (Season 3, Episode 10)

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New Girl has some of the strangest, most memorable Thanksgiving episodes of any show I've ever seen, and this one is no exception! The gang decides to go into the woods "to honor the traditions of our Four Fathers" and it sticks out in my mind mostly for being the episode where Jess — somehow — thinks she has to prove her loyalty to Nick by eating a dead pond fish.

24. "The Crawl" (Season 4, Episode 15)

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Winston is so underrated and underappreciated for being one of the most genuine friends to every New Girl character, but especially Nick. Winston and Nick’s friendship shines through in this episode as Winston supports him after his breakup with Kai.

23. "Engram Pattersky" (Season 7, Episode 8)

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While this episode is quite funny and heartwarming, it's also bittersweet because it's the series finale. For the most part, New Girl did a great job wrapping up such a swell show, but it feels like the ending was almost too simple. The main redeeming factor — beyond the entire episode being a giant prank by Winston — was that the audience was able to reminisce about old episodes along with the characters.

22. "See Ya" (Season 1, Episode 24)

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This is such a beautiful, sentimental episode. Nick thinks he's going to move out of the loft and move in with Caroline (jokes), but then gets freaked out at the last minute and forces everyone to spend a night in the desert.

21. "The Story of the 50" (Season 1, Episode 10)

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Schmidt and his endearing die-hard douche attitude is in the forefront of his 29th birthday episode ("TWENTY-NYNE".) Season one was when the "douche-jar" was usually brought up at least once an episode, and this episode highlighted the reason for one of his biggest donations.

20. "Backslide" (Season 1, Episode 23)

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Nothing is particularly notable in this episode, but it is enjoyable to watch all of the loft pals roast each other. Jess rebounds with Paul, but then helps him propose to "Asian Jess," Nick gets back together with Caroline and Schmidt is recovering from his...genital injury.

19. "Dance" (Season 3, Episode 22)

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It's always heartening to see how easily the boys will rush to Jess's side to help her whenever she needs them. This is one of the best examples of an episode that highlights each character's personality as Jess assigns them each a different task to manage at the school dance. Not much is funnier than Schmidt, Winston, Nick, and Cece attempting to rap for 12-year-olds.

18. "Mario" (Season 7, Episode 6)

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A lot happens in this episode: Jess and Nick get a dog, Jess and Nick finally get engaged, Cece and Schmidt decide to have another baby, and Winston sees color appropriately for the first time. The latter is a fun throwback to a Season three episode where Winston explains how he believed Kermit the Frog to be a brown frog.

17. "Teachers" (Season 4, Episode 8)

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This episode includes one of the rare Jess and Coach moments we are treated to on the show, but it's a cute one nonetheless. Jess requires Coach's assistance to help act as a buffer, so she doesn't have to be alone with Ryan. It's also the episode where we learn that Schmidt, the king of clean, doesn't know how to do laundry.

16. "Thanksgiving IV" (Season 4, Episode 9)

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One of the elite Thanksgiving episodes — or should I say, "Bangsgiving" — is when Ryan and Jess finally decide to get together. Schmidt forces everyone in the loft to bring a date to set-up with another loft member. Naturally, Nick brings Tran as his date, but then later falls for Tran's granddaughter.

15. "A Chill Day In" (Season 5, Episode 18)

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Similar to the episodes that highlight the boys' friendship, this is a great example of Cece and Jess's beautifully hilarious friendship. The first five minutes alone consist of Jess and Cece high out of their minds while sitting on the couch watching Anne of Green Gables, and it's certified gold. And it's nice to see Aly around people other than Winston.

14. "Coach" (Season 3, Episode 7)

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It's always a great day when Coach is back on-screen, and this time he comes back with a bang. Hot off the heels of his latest heartbreak, Coach moves back into the loft and gathers the guys to go to a strip club — much to Jess's dismay. The main highlight: All four male leads drunkenly heading to the police station to confront the new boyfriend of Coach's ex.

13. "Fancyman, Part 2" (Season 1, Episode 18)

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Obviously a continuation of "Part One," but it's still glorious in its own right. Not only are the scenes with Russell hilarious, but all of the conversations Jess has with her roomies about him and wealth disparities are equally funny.

12. "Birthday" (Season 3, Episode 13)

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This is such a sweet episode for multiple relationships. We get to see Cece and Schmidt's evolving romance as Schmidt gives Cece a pep talk about her future. Nick plans Jess's birthday party and — before things go oddly right — they go horribly wrong. But, the best part IMO is Coach and Winston working so hard to make Jess the perfect birthday cake that it turns into a competition.

11. "Elaine's Big Day" (Season 2, Episode 25)

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The Season two finale ends with an almost wedding (cue Taylor Swift). This is one of the few times Winston's prank idea is at the appropriate level of crazy when he and Schmidt decide to release a badger into the venue to stop Cece from marrying Shivrang.

10. “Jess and Julia” (Season 1, Episode 11)

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Personally, Julia is one of my least favorite people Nick has ever dated (which is sad, considering she's played by the incredible Lizzy Caplan). BUT, this episode made the top 10 because 1) Jess stands up for herself and her quirky personality, and 2) The damp towel conversation alone is comedic gold.

9. "Big Mama P" (Season 5, Episode 1)

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I could have honestly put all of the wedding episodes on this list because they are all uniquely great, but this one stands out because Nick tries to pick up Cece's mom at the airport and instead — in classic Nick fashion — picks up a random Indian woman.

8. "Menzies" (Season 2, Episode 7)

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The "Menzies" episode is a prime example of the simplicity some of the older episodes had when they focused on one theme and created an entire storyline out of it. Winston — being the empathic king that he is — convinces himself he has PMS like Jess. Meanwhile, Nick meets Tran for the first time.

7. "Godparents" (Season 7, Episode 5)

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Sometimes it's hard to watch beloved characters age on a TV show, but with Schmidt and Cece it's a rollercoaster of fun. This episode is packed with a double fail, first on Cece's part for failing to properly pick up her child from school, and then on Jess's part for trying to connect Winston with his long-lost father, who ends up being a stranger. Plus, it's so endearing to watch Nick try so hard to impress a three-year-old Ruth.

6. "Prince" (Season 3, Episode 14)

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Ok, well, this one obviously had to be on here. Prince HIMSELF asked to guest star on the show, and the results were exactly what you'd expect from an episode about Prince playing himself. Plus, we get to see Nick's good ol' high-pitched scream right before passing out.

5. "Landline" (Season 4, Episode 5)

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This episode is such an underrated gem. Every character has an individual subplot that ties into the overarching larger plot. Also, it contains this glorious one-liner from Schmidt: "Oh my God! Will you not stop until the whole world is aroused?"

4. "The Box" (Season 3, Episode 5)

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"The Box" is proof that the show's writers know their characters like the back of their hands, and their dialogue reflects that. Look no further than the scene where Nick decides to retaliate against Jess for going through his box (aka, his "bank") and begins going through her room. "There shouldn't be day peanuts and night peanuts! They're just peanuts!"

3. "Fancyman, Part 1" (Season 1, Episode 17)

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Honestly, Season one delivered some stellar episodes, but the "Fancyman" duo was a particularly comical treat. Jess first meets Russell while she's dressed as "Mr. Monogamy" for a class demonstration, and it only goes uphill from there. There's also not much funnier than Nick realizing his idolization of Russell ("The only man we both loved.") and obsessing over his office and sweater.

2. "Models" (Season 2, Episode 5)

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It's always fun to see Jess in an outfit other than her usual polka-dot school teacher attire, but that's not why this episode made the list. The entire plot involving the "cookie" — i.e. Winston and Schmidt calling Nick out for his inability to express affection for his friends — is so pure and so funny.

1. "Cooler" (Season 2, Episode 15)

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I feel very confident in my analysis that this is the best episode of New Girl ever. It should have won an Emmy. So much happens, and all of it is good. Nick wears a strange trench coat he found, and a solid 75% of the episode is about the gang playing "True American," which always makes for good content. It's also the one where Jess and Nick finally gave the audience their long-awaited first kiss.