History YMMV / NewGirl

** When Jess is absent for jury duty, she's replaced by Reagan for a few episodes. Reagan turns out to be surprisingly popular, an interesting ContrastingReplacementCharacter who is very different from Jess, and a good foil to the rest of the cast. Many fans missed her when Jess came back.

* EnsembleDarkhorse: Nick's best friend, Tran. Despite having very few lines and generally being entirely silent with Nick having one-sided conversations with him, he is very popular with fans.

** Schmidt/Elizabeth seems to rival, if not surpass, Schmidt/Cece in popularity.

* TearJerker: The episode "Injured" became this as it showed just how broken and unhappy Nick truly is and how much he regrets many of his life decisions.

* FamilyUnfriendlyAesop: Several episodes in season 4 seem to have the aesop of "you should judge a book by its cover," as several times Jess tries to see the goodness in people after being initially turned off and winds up being unable. And Ryan, whom she initially thinks is cute? He winds up being even more amazing the more Jess gets to know him.

** Nick/Jess early on.

* EnsembleDarkhorse: Nick's best friend, Tran. Despite having one line thus far, he's very popular with fans.

%%* ValuesDissonance: Just a decade later and many aspects of the show, particularly in earlier seasons, don't hold up well. For example, the casual racism (especially against Asians) that abounds in early episodes. It does improve quite a lot as the show progresses, however -- still, it's quite hard to imagine a successful, feel-good slice-of-life show today that has a white man (such as Schmidt) casually make fetishistic/unnecessary remarks about the Indian heritage of his canon love interest (Cece).

* ValuesDissonance: Just a decade later and many aspects of the show, particularly in earlier seasons, don't hold up well. For example, the casual racism (especially against Asians) that abounds in early episodes. It does improve quite a lot as the show progresses, however -- still, it's quite hard to imagine a successful, feel-good slice-of-life show today that has a white man (such as Schmidt) casually make fetishistic/unnecessary remarks about the Indian heritage of his canon love interest (Cece).

* MagnificentBastard:
** Between the key fake-out and the coyote face-off, Jess in "See Ya."
** In "First Date," Jess reveals that she hides her extra phone chargers because she enjoys watching Schmidt and Winston fight over the loft's communal charger.

* ValuesDissonance: Just a decade later and many aspects of the show, particularly in earlier seasons, that don't hold up well. For example, the casual racism (especially against Asians) that abounds in early episodes. It does improve quite a lot as the show progresses, however -- still, it's quite hard to imagine a successful, feel-good slice-of-life show today that has a white man (such as Schmidt) casually make fetishistic/unnecessary remarks about the Indian heritage of his canon love interest (Cece).

* InformedWrongness: In season 3, Winston dumps Daisy for dating another guy and lying to him about it (and steals her cat). However, they very explicitly weren't exclusive, and while she did initially lie about it when she was put on the spot, she came clean eventually. While she could've handled it better, she wasn't the clear-cut villain she was made out to be.
** She did, however, sleep with that third party ''after'' agreeing to be exclusive with Winston when he picked up Ferguson, which was the deal-breaker for Winston.
-->'''Winston''': How do you know him?
-->'''Daisy''': From sex. But it was sex from before you and I were exclusive.
-->'''Winston''': Have you had sex with him since?
-->'''Daisy''': No. Wait. Yes. Last night.
-->'''Winston''': Look, um I really liked you, Daisy. You know, I wanted this to be a thing, but, uh I deserve better. ''(beat)'' And so does Ferguson. ''(takes the carrier and closes the door)'' [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments I GOT YO' CAT!]]

* LesYay: While it can be explained as them being best friends since childhood, Cece really is very protective and caring of Jess.
** In Cabin, with Jess and Angie as the latter tries to teach the former to shoot a gun. Nick comments that his nightmare and fantasy are colliding.
* MagnificentBastard: Between the key fake-out and the coyote face-off, Jess in See Ya.
** In First Date, she reveals that she hides her extra phone chargers because she enjoys watching Schmidt and Winston fight over the loft's communal charger.

* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotSymbolic: Jess and Paul, her first boyfriend on the show, have sex in an elevator. [[spoiler: Nick [[BridalCarry carries]] Jess out of the elevator to his room for sex.]]

** Alternately -- or additionally -- Nick.
*** Nick is getting there more and more. He is stuck in a low paying job, his best friend is an egotistical douchebag who constantly judges him, he has such a poor credit history he can't even buy a phone, his relationships never seem to work out, he is extremely fragile emotionally, he has many dreams and ambitions he never fulfilled because he lacked confidence and he is filled with regret and self-loathing about his life. Then the writers made him think he had cancer. Which only became apparent through a severe back injury he had to go to a gynecologist for because he can't afford health insurance. To make matters worse, Nick is already incredibly cynical, not having the luxury of Jess' rose-tinted glasses.
*** Yeah, Jess got past her break-up angst (a lot more quickly and cleanly than Nick got past his) and has since been basically replaced by Nick as the designated woobie.

* ActorShipping: Jake Johnson and Zooey Deschanel have been getting this recently.

* EarWorm: The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Mrxye-LKy0 opening theme]].

* FridgeBrilliance: It's possible that Nick's still got law school debt hanging over him and that's why, despite bartending tips, he's so desperately short on and overly cautious about money.
** In one episode, Nick makes fun of Schmidt for getting his socks dry-cleaned. Later, it turns out Schmidt doesn't know how to do laundry.
** In "Chicago", it's revealed that Nick had to step up and take care of his family when his father wasn't around. This may explain his laziness and irresponsibility in his own life, only having himself to look out for has caused him to slack off.
** Why does Winston get to use [[spoiler: their first name]] instead of Schmidt? Nick was probably the one who decided, as their only friend in common, and [[spoiler: he knew Winston first.]]

* SugarWiki/FunnyMoments:
** Winston's flip-out with the napkins.
** SHE SENT ME A CACTUS!
** Nick Miller's love of "Cotton Eye Joe" and the fact he was fist pumping to it without even realizing.

* CrowningMomentOfFunny:
** Winston's flip-out with the napkins.
** SHE SENT ME A CACTUS!
** Nick Miller's love of "Cotton Eye Joe" and the fact he was fist pumping to it without even realizing.

-->'''Winston''': Look, um I really liked you, Daisy. You know, I wanted this to be a thing, but, uh I deserve better. ''(beat)'' And so does Ferguson. ''(takes the carrier and closes the door)'' [[CrowningMomentOfFunny I GOT YO' CAT!]]

* [[HeReallyCanAct She Really Can Act]]: Creator/MeganFox was so funny as Reagan that some expressed that they would be fine with her being a permanent replacement for Jess, although seeing as how it was so heavily [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] that she was doing maternity cover for Zooey Deschanel, it was never really on the cards.

* RelationshipSue: In season 4, Ryan. His sheer perfection is lampshaded multiple times.

** Winston thinking Crispin Glover was the first person to die in the Boston Massacre is funny. However, knowing that the name Winston meant to say was Crispus Attucks makes it hilarious.

** If {{Tumblr}} is anything to go by, back in the beginning of the first season there already was a small fandom of people who ship Nick/Jess and a handful for Jess/Schmidt.

* [[HeReallyCanAct She Really Can Act]]: MeganFox was so funny as Reagan that some expressed that they would be fine with her being a permanent replacement for Jess, although seeing as how it was so heavily [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] that she was doing maternity cover for Zooey Deschanel, it was never really on the cards.

** Unfortunately, at the culmination of their relationship, Nick/Jess is picked up again. Even fans of the pairing admit it feels like a RecycledScript.

* ArcFatigue: It's season 4 and the Schmidt/Cece WillTheyOrWontThey is wearing pretty thin.

* HeReallyCanAct: Many viewers were shocked at how pleasantly surprised they were to find out MeganFox had a genuine talent for comedy as her stint as Reagan, to the point many expressed that they would be fine with her being a permanent replacement for Jess.

* DesignatedVillain: Caroline. For someone who purportedly abused Nick physically and emotionally for years, she seems nothing but nice in all of her appearances. If she truly was such a terrible person previously, she does seem to have genuinely become a better person in the intervening time.