10. Daisy
Daisy was short-lived and maybe she will be back, but her main purpose was that she helped Winston open up after his break-up with Shelby. Daisy appeared to be engaged, but it was all a ploy she has at the bar to vend off unwanted men. She saw something in Winston, and although they only hooked up, she really helped him out of his rut and to move on with his life.
9. Paul
Such a sweet guy, and actually nerdier and maybe even a male version of Jess, they were all right and all wrong for each other. They work in the same elementary school together. Paul usually breaks out in spontaneous singing. He also enjoys Air Bud 2, loves dogs, and has a fondness for whistling. He is very kind towards others and likes to cheer people up.
8. Julia
Julia was Nick’s first serious relationship since his breakup with Caroline. Julia seemed very right for Nick, but it was tough for him to put a label on the relationship. Jess and Julia also had a love/hate relationship. This is mainly due to the feelings Nick and Jess have for each other but don’t know it yet. She was very short-lived, but a fun refreshing character. Ironically, she also looked a lot like Jess herself.
7. Russell
Russell is Sarah’s father, one of Jess’s students. He meets with her to discuss the disturbing artwork his daughter has been making in class. After insisting that his daughter is pulled from the creative hour, the principal forces Jess to apologize for fear that he would pull his donation from the school. She refuses to apologize, and on her way to his office to tell him off, her car breaks down. He happens to spot her, and surprises Jess by not only helping her get her car towed, but loaning her a car in the process. He invites her to a barbecue at his house, and brings Nick along for support. Despite the age difference, they begin dating, and they seem to work really well together. As a couple they face many obstacles, and they all seem to come back to their age gap. They end up breaking up knowing the relationship would never be long lasting.
6. Sam
What a charmer! He is the guy everyone wants to date. He appears to be a bad boy, and only interested in Jess for one thing. At the time, that was all she wanted. However, once she sees him in his true Paediatrician light, she begins to swoon. He begins to fall for her too, and they seem like the perfect couple. Much like all of the other relationships Jess and Nick have separately, their undeniable connection always seems to get in the way. Ultimately, He and Jess broke up after he found out about Nick kissing Jess.
5. Winston
Winston moves back into the apartment after Coach leaves. He has just returned from playing basketball in Latvia, completely unaware of anything that has happened in the U.S.A in the past two years. However, after the first few episodes, his basketball years are rarely mentioned. He is a very underused character, and his main role is to be a teammate for the shenanigans the rest of the group is up to. We all hope to learn more about him in later seasons.
4. CeCe
Cece is a professional model and also the longtime, childhood best friend of Jess. She is loving but blunt and gives good dating advice to the whole group. Her parents are of Indian descent, something Schmidt finds attractive. We weren’t too sure what to think of her at the beginning of the series, but we all have come to love her. Her and Schmidt have a huge natural connection to each other, but broke up when she found out that he read through her phone because he was paranoid that she had interest in Gino, her partner in a photo shoot.
3. Nick
Nick is a lethargic, socially incompetent, but hilarious bartender who has a keen ability for reading people’s emotions. He lives with Jess, Schmidt and Winston, and also has a soft emotional side we rarely see. Cece implies that he has a huge crush on Jess, which we all know to be true. Although Nick has a lot of personal struggles, Nick is the most grounded of all the roommates. Something that is constantly mentioned is that Nick dropped out of law school with three semesters to go, something the roommates talk about, a lot. At the end of Season 2, Nick and Jess are together since they finally shared their feelings for one another!
2. Jess
Jessica Day, our main character, is lovable, funny, and nerdy. She moved into the apartment with the 3 boys when she found out her long-time boyfriend was cheating on her. She has a tendency to sing what she wants to say, instead of just saying it. She is shown to do this more often if people try to get her to stop. She also has a signature giggle which she does whenever she sees something hilarious. Jess really is the core of the group, and brings a liveliness to the apartment. Her and Nick have an undeniable connection, and they both finally acted on it at the end of Season 2.
1. Schmidt
Schmidt brings the comedy to this show. Without Schmidt this show wouldn’t even survive. Aside from being the suave funnyman, he also has OCD and is an extreme perfectionist. He is extremely rich, very successful, and a germaphobe. We get to see many references back to his obese days, specifically with him and Nick in college, but now has a perfect physique since becoming fit which is constantly mentioned throughout the show. Schmidt puts a lot of pressure on himself to be the best and have everyone like him. He has a natural connection with Cece, but has too much pride to drop everything to be with her. However, we start to see some of that at the end of Season 2. We can all count on Schmidt to do outlandish things such as dressing up as Sexy Santa, and creating the Douche Bag Jar. He never ceases to bore the viewers, and seems to always top his jokes.