New Girl: Will Jess and Nick Finally Admit Their Feelings for One Another?

Nick and Jess fans may finally have something to be excited about!

New Girl's dynamic duo — who may be the new Ross and Rachel — will finally hit a turning point in their relationship, possibly taking steps towards the romance fans have been itching to see. But even if Nick (Jake Johnson) and Jess (Zooey Deschanel) do try, will their relationship work? TVGuide.com sat down with Johnson to find out: 

Exclusive New Girl First Look: True American returns — but there's a twist!

What's coming up for Nick and Jess in the relationship department?
Jake Johnson: The writers have decided to put Nick and Jess together more in this season, which has been really nice, and I say that sincerely. I think if you're a fan of Nick and Jess, Season 2 will be a fun one for you.

How does Nick feel about the breakup with Angie (Olivia Munn)?
Johnson: I don't think he's excited about it [Laughs], but I think the cards fall OK for him.

How does Jess feel about them breaking up?
Johnson: It's not a big deal because the way they broke up is kind of a sad Nick thing, so she feels more bad for Nick than anything.

Will they act differently around each other now considering she's still in a relationship with Sam (David Walton)?
Johnson: What starts happening with Nick and Jess, which excites me, is I feel like it is being handled more like adults. That is, sometimes you're in these weird relationships, but you know somebody else means more to you. I think Nick and Jess are that thing for each other. They are the other person's deep-down, not-admitted crush. It is really a fun thing to play, because you can date other people, but they can't escape each other because they live together. I think that is a recipe we're really trying to sell, that no matter what, if somebody starts falling for somebody else, they still have to see that other person, because their doors face each other.

They seem pretty cognizant of the attraction between them, with Jess even jokingly leaning in for a kiss when they were sitting on the bed together.
Johnson: But that is why, as actors, we have wanted the writers to address that, because it has been very obvious for Zooey and I that these two characters have something. But a lot of times you're not allowed to do it. The Christmas episode, for example, I've got my arm around Olivia Munn, and she's kissing David Walton's character and Nick is supposed to be excited that she kisses the doctor. That doesn't feel right to me, because I think Nick really likes her. I'm not comparing it to Cheers, because Cheers is the next level, but what I love about Cheers is that Sam and Diane can get together and so not be together, because they're not right yet. I think I'm excited to see if we can try doing that something with Nick and Jess. Hopefully the audience takes to it, because I would really like to do it.

Are New Girl's Nick and Jess the new Ross and Rachel?

Well there is always that fear of the Moonlightingcurse. Has that been discussed?
Johnson: Not yet because our characters aren't together. I personally don't think they are going to. Look, if you view these people as real people and if Jess Day is real and Nick Miller is real, and when you look at the first 40 episodes as their bible of how they've survived, they're not going to kiss and start dating and get married. It is just not a reality. They're going to try, and it is probably not going to work right away. Now they might be great in three years, but in reality, they wouldn't work right away.

What can you tell us about their interaction in the strip True American episode?
Johnson: That is the big Nick/Jess episode. That is the episode that the dynamic changes for the first time. Without giving anything away, they're playing a drunken drinking game and things happen when you're playing drunken drinking games, emotions and everything change, so they are in this game, and there is a big development between those two.

But in that same episode, he's competing with Schmidt (Max Greenfield) for Holly (Brooklyn Decker).
Johnson: Basically, the idea of it is Nick and Schmidt compete for Brooklyn Decker's character. She is like a really hot girl in a bar. They go to a bar together and then end up trying to chase the same gal, but Brooklyn Decker's character likes weird stuff, and so it helps both of them at different times. She likes sadness, which helps Nick. She likes other things that help Schmidt. She doesn't like any obvious stuff. She likes weird stuff, so the boys compete for her.

Do you want to see Nick and Jess get together?

New Girl airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on Fox.