History YMMV / NewGirl

%%** Jess.

** Regardless of one's opinion on Reagan, most would say that Reagan and Nick lacked chemistry as a couple. It's unknown why Reagan fell for Nick in the first place, and their inability to communicate with each other shouldn't have let them last for fifteen episodes.

* StrangledByTheRedString: In order to have Coach PutOnABus after his actor wants to leave the show, new {{Love Interest|s}} May is introduced in the second half of season 4. Womanizer Coach falls in love with May immediately after meeting her in a bar and over the course of ''two episodes'', he decides to leave friends, town, and job to move to New York with her.

* RetroactiveRecognition: Creator/OliviaRodrigo appeared in a bit role in Season 6 as one of Nick's fans, prior to her big role in ''Series/HighSchoolMusicalTheMusicalTheSeries''. After her debut album was released and proved to be popular, Creator/{{Netflix}} [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3EW17CSJX8c&ab_channel=NetflixUK%26Ireland released a video compilation]] of her scenes that was also reported on by [[https://etcanada.com/news/786570/olivia-rodrigo-once-took-a-role-in-new-girl/ various]] [[https://mashable.com/video/olivia-rodrigo-new-girl-scenes/ media]] [[https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2021/05/10469077/olivia-rodrigo-new-girl-actress-season-6-character outlets]].

* UnintentionallyUnsympathetic: Nick, dating Jess in Season 3. His {{Cloudcuckoolander}} antics, while mostly PlayedForLaughs border mainly on Main/ViolationOfCommonSense and reach a point where Jess has to compromise on basically everything on a daily basis just so they can have a relationship. Jess has many quirkys too, but she's an overall very rounded responsible adult otherwise, while Nick just simply can't grasp even concepts such as keeping raw meat in a refrigerator and absolutely refuses to concede. Most of their fights are Jess expecting some sort of responsability on his part and Nick conteur argumenting with his Main/InsaneTrollLogic.

* UnintentionallyUnsympathetic: Nick, in relation to dating Jess. His {{Cloudcuckoolander}} antics border mainly on Main/ViolationOfCommonSense and reach a point where Jess has to compromise on basically everything on a daily basis just so they can have a relationship. Jess has many quirkys too, but she's an overall very rounded responsible adult, while Nick just simply can't grasp even concepts such as keeping raw meat in a refrigerator and absolutely refuses to concede. Most of their fights are Jess expecting some sort of responsability on his part and Nick conteuring with his Main/InsaneTrollLogic.

* UnintentionallyUnsympathetic: In "Jury Duty", John Cho's lawyer character makes a big deal about the importance of law and the civic duty of being on a jury, yet he says nothing about the conflict of interest inherent in one of the jurors on a case he's arguing being a woman he's trying to date, a major violation of the "impartial jury" clause of the Sixth Amendment.

* SeasonalRot: Many thought that Season 3 was a lot more mixed in its quality coming off of the acclaimed Season 2. Frequently cited is the ShippingBedDeath for Nick and Jess, the "Sister" three part episode, ArcFatigue over Schmidt and Cece, and the season finale being such a non-WhamEpisode that a significant portion of the audience didn't even realize the season was over.

** The FlashForward during the finale showing [[spoiler:Nick and Jess' future kid]] wearing a Bears jersey bearing Mitch Trubisky's name. Trubisky would be out of Chicago less than 2 years after the finale aired, and widely considered a complete bust at the position.

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

* FanPreferredCouple:
** Nick/Jess early on, it died out for a while in the middle of the run before popping up again when it became clear the writers weren't going to muck around with the pairings any more.
** One-time OfficialCouple Nick and Kai had a lot of fans hoping they'd last, as she was one of the few interests to really match Nick's personality. Plus, she's related to EnsembleDarkhorse Tran.
** While Nick/Jess is still the most popular ship, many fans still love the Jess/Ryan relationship in season 4 and didn't like the way Ryan was written out of the show.
** Schmidt/Elizabeth seems to rival, if not surpass, Schmidt/Cece in popularity. At least before the cheating LoveTriangle arc in season 3.

** Zig-zagged with Nick, who is definitely loved by fans, but is not necessarily unpopular in-universe. Despite being portrayed as a JadedWashout loser, he has no problem attracting women, and his friends admit he's TheHeart of the group.

** Jess.

* IdiotPlot:
** Jess and Winston's "methheads stole Schmidt's suits" cover-up. Yes, the audience is ''supposed'' to look at them like they're insane.
** The gang trying to hide Jess' "meth" in season 4 as well. From the the fact it didn't even really need to hidden in the first place (it's not like the inspector is a drug sniffing dog) to the increasingly poor decisions on hiding it, to the fact it [[spoiler: wasn't even meth]], it's clear that dealing with meth in any way, shape, or form turns the cast into idiots.

* 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.

* SugarWiki/SheReallyCanAct: 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.

* StrangledByTheRedString: In order to have Coach PutOnABus after his actor wants to leave the show, new LoveInterest May is introduced in the second half of season 4. Womanizer Coach falls in love with May immediately after meeting her in a bar and over the course of ''two episodes'', he decides to leave friends, town, and job to move to New York with her.

** The subplot in "Bad In Bed" with Winston bringing Nick to his barber shop, after Lamorne Morris's role in ''Barbershop: the Next Cut''.

** Rhonda. She's supposed to be a funny DistaffCounterpart to Winston, but comes off as much more unlikable than him and many fans find her annoying. Winston may often go too far with his pranks, but he's hardly ever malicious (more of a childish {{Cloudcuckoolander}}) and has other redeeming traits, while Rhonda's only defining trait is pulling cruel pranks all the time, and it's not clear while Winston likes her so much.

** Abby, Jess's sister. She's disliked for being a pointless character in an AbortedArc of three episodes, with an equally pointless [[StrangledByTheRedString "relationship"]] with Schmidt. Despite all of Jess's childhood flashbacks in early episodes, Jess and her parents [[RememberTheNewGuy never mention any sibling]] before Abby's appearance in season 3, and after her AbortedArc, she's never mentioned again.

** Unfortunately, just as Schmidt/Cece's relationship is definitively resolved, Nick/Jess is picked up again. Even fans of the pairing admit it feels like a RecycledScript.

* CrazyIsCool: Jess talked a man with a gun into not only not shooting her, but giving up the parking space he was trying to steal, by being kind and apologetic. She later did herself one better by scaring off a coyote by getting on all fours and howling.

* CrazyAwesome: Jess talked a man with a gun into not only not shooting her, but giving up the parking space he was trying to steal, by being kind and apologetic. She later did herself one better by scaring off a coyote by getting on all fours and howling.

** Cece has become one in season three due to Schmidt's infidelity. Crowning example is the episode before when she attends Schmidt's office party only to be lied to and forced to hide in the office. She knows that he is up to something bad but can't bring herself to admit it. Let's just say that Hannah Simone has gotten ''very'' good at making emotional pain register.

* PromotedFanboy: Prince. [[Music/{{Prince}} Yes, that one.]] His appearance in the second season came after he ''asked'' to be on the show, and he even pitched the concept for the episode!

* {{Shipping}}:
** If Website/{{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.
** And as of the third episode, Jess/Winston.
** And recently Cece/Schmidt.
** And the obvious LesYay pairing of Cece/Jess.
** There's some Nick/Schmidt going on too.

* RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap: At first, Coach wasn't well-received after he comes back in season 3. But after developing a good friendship with Cece (after their failed attempt to date) as well as a funny school dynamic with Jess, fans start to warm up to him, especially in season 4.

** Jess, because of her appearance, big-hearted naivete, and the tendency she compels in people to take care of her (even if she doesn't always need it).

** Nick/Jess is already being called Ness and/or Nessie. Jick doesn't quite sound right.

** Rhonda. She's supposed to be a funny DistaffCounterpart to Winston, but comes off as much more unlikable than him and many fans find her annoying. Winston may often go too far with his pranks, but he's hardly even malicious (more of a childish {{Cloudcuckoolander}}) and has other redeeming traits, while Rhonda's only defining trait is pulling cruel pranks all the time, and it's not clear while Winston likes her so much.

* {{Moe}}: Jess, because of her appearance, big-hearted naivete, and the tendency she compels in people to take care of her (even if she doesn't always need it).

* SeasonalRot: Many thought that Season 3 was a lot more mixed in its quality coming off of the acclaimed Season 2. Frequently cited is the ShippingBedDeath for Nick and Jess, the "Sister" three part episode, ArcFatigue over Schmidt and Cece, and the season finale being such a non-WhamEpisode that a significant portion of the audience didn't even realize the season was over.

* TheScrappy: Coach. Kind of an Inverted ReplacementScrappy. He appeared in the pilot, then Damon Wayans Jr. [[Series/HappyEndings got renewed for another season]] so [[PutOnABus Coach ended up moving out of the loft sometime between episode 1 and 2]]. When his series was cancelled, [[TheBusCameBack Coach mysteriously moved back]]. Only problem, there was no real role for Coach anymore, having been successfully replaced by Winston. The fans felt that instead of adding to the show, Coach was messing with the casts impressive chemistry. The writers realized this as well, and Coach [[CommutingOnABus left once again by the end of season 4, moving to New York]]. The show itself wasn't above playing off this, as when the gang takes a trip to NYC, they run into Coach on the street, incensed that none of them took the time to visit him. [[TakeThatScrappy They in turn all avoid eye contact and walk away from him.]]