<P> New Girl has received favorable responses from critics and was named one of the best new comedies of the 2011 fall season . The pilot episode drew 10.28 million U.S. viewers and a 4.8 adults 18--49 demo rating, making it the highest - rated fall debut for a Fox scripted show since 2001 . Particular praise has been given to the performances of Deschanel, Greenfield, Johnson and Morris . Max Greenfield was considered the show's breakout star in season 1, before critics named Jake Johnson the breakout star of season 2 . The show has been nominated for several awards, including five Golden Globe Awards and five Primetime Emmy Awards . </P> <P> On May 14, 2017, Fox renewed the series for a seventh and final season consisting of eight episodes, which premiered on April 10, 2018 . The series finale was aired on May 15, 2018 . </P> <P> Jessica "Jess" Day (Zooey Deschanel) is a bubbly teacher in her early 30s who comes home to find her boyfriend, Spencer, with another woman and leaves him immediately to look for somewhere else to live . Answering an ad for a new roommate on Craigslist, she moves into a loft in Los Angeles with three men around the same age as her: Nick, Schmidt, and Coach . After the pilot episode, Winston, a former roommate and Nick's childhood friend, replaces Coach, who had vacated the apartment to live with his girlfriend . Cece, Jess's childhood best friend and a successful fashion model, frequently visits Jess and the guys . </P> <P> The series follows the group's interactions with each other and their romantic relationships . Midway through season 1, Schmidt and Cece get involved in a mostly sexual relationship but break up at the end of the season . In Season 2, Jess is laid off from her teaching job; she and the others get involved in mostly temporary relationships, although Cece enters an arranged marriage engagement to Shivrang that is broken up at the wedding in the season 2 finale . Jess and Nick become attracted to each other, making their relationship official at the end of season 2, and it lasts through most of season 3 . Coach returns to the loft in season 3 after revealing that he had broken up with his girlfriend and stays through season 4 where he moves out to be with another girl . After bouncing around several random jobs, Winston works to become a police officer with the LAPD, and falls in love with his partner Aly . At the end of season 4, Schmidt proposes to Cece, and they marry at the end of season 5 . Also, in season 5, while Jess is on jury duty, the group brings in temporary roommate Reagan Lucas, whom Nick becomes interested in . In season 6, Schmidt and Cece buy a house that they have to remodel, living with the gang in the meantime . Season 7 advances the storyline three years later where Schmidt and Cece have a three - year - old daughter named Ruth, Winston and Aly are expecting their first baby, and Nick tries to find the right time to propose to Jess . </P>

Where did coach go in season 1 of new girl