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24 Episodes 2011 - 2012
A sitcom centered on Jess Day (Zooey Deschanel), a twentysomething teacher who shares a loft in Los Angeles with three single guys. In the show's first season, Jess breaks up with her longtime boyfriend and moves in with her new roommates, which include law-school dropout Nick Miller (Jake Johnson) and womanizer Schmidt (Max Greenfield). The third loft mate, Coach (Damon Wayans Jr.), moves out after the pilot episode (due to Wayans returning to his "Happy Endings" series). He's replaced by Nick's childhood friend Winston Bishop (Lamorne Morris), who has recently returned to the U.S. after playing basketball professionally in Latvia. Hannah Simone rounds out the cast as Jess' best friend, Cece, a model who catches Schmidt's eye. Justin Long and Dermot Mulroney both have recurring guest-star arcs as guys that Jess dates after her breakup.
Episode 1
Tue, Sep 20, 2011 30 mins
Jess Day (Zooey Deschanel) is crushed to catch her boyfriend cheating on her, and promptly sets out to find a new place to live in the series premiere. She meets three single guys who have an open room in their loft, and tries to convince them that she's the new roommate they're looking for.
Episode 2
Tue, Sep 27, 2011 30 mins
The guys help Jess get her stuff out of her ex's apartment, and Winston (Lamorne Morris), their old roommate, returns from playing basketball overseas and moves back into the loft.
Episode 3
Tue, Oct 4, 2011 30 mins
The guys are invited to a wedding, and Nick is fearful that he'll run into his ex (Mary Elizabeth Ellis), so he asks Jess to be his date. Meanwhile, Winston takes his role as usher very seriously, and Schmidt catches the eye of two women (Katie Cassidy, Natasha Lyonne).
Episode 4
Tue, Nov 1, 2011 30 mins
Nick lands a date with an attractive coworker (Lake Bell), but then Jess accidentally walks in on him naked and her laughter makes his self-confidence plummet to an all-time low. Meanwhile, Winston studies up on pop-culture references.
Episode 5
Tue, Nov 8, 2011 30 mins
Cece crashes at the loft after breaking up with her beau, and Schmidt relentlessly tries to seal the deal with her. Meanwhile, Jess becomes convinced that Nick wants to be more than friends.
Episode 6
Tue, Nov 15, 2011 30 mins
The gang hosts Thanksgiving dinner at the loft, and Jess invites a colleague (Justin Long) whom she always had a crush on.
Episode 7
Tue, Nov 29, 2011 30 mins
Jess gets jealous of Winston when he joins her youth handbell quartet and steals the spotlight with his natural talent. Meanwhile, the toilet at the loft breaks, and Nick and Schmidt have different ideas on how to fix it.
Episode 8
Tue, Dec 6, 2011 30 mins
Jess seeks sex advice from the guys after deciding to take her relationship with Paul to the next level; Schmidt weasels his way into his boss's baby shower to compete with his office female counterpart.
Episode 9
Tue, Dec 13, 2011 30 mins
The roommates attend Schmidt's holiday office party; Jess frets when she receives an extravagant gift from Paul.
Episode 10
Tue, Jan 17, 2012 31 mins
Schmidt is turning 29, and Jess takes charge when plans for his birthday party fall apart. Meanwhile, Nick has his first date with a beautiful lawyer who's harboring a secret.
Episode 11
Tue, Jan 31, 2012 30 mins
Julia agrees to help Jess get out of a traffic ticket, but before long, the two are butting heads. Meanwhile, Winston tries to reconnect with an old flame.
Episode 12
Tue, Feb 7, 2012 30 mins
Jess goes against Nick's wishes when she makes it her mission to befriend the loft's landlord, who's notoriously cranky. In doing so, Jess inadvertently jeopardizes their living situation. Meanwhile, Schmidt is convinced that his boss is sending him mixed signals.
Episode 13
Tue, Feb 14, 2012 30 mins
Schmidt agrees to be Jess' wingman when she sets out to have a one-night stand on Valentine's Day. Elsewhere, Nick's romantic plans for the holiday are foiled when he finds himself spending more time with Julia's male assistant than with her.
Episode 14
Tue, Feb 21, 2012 30 mins
Jess deals with a bully in her classroom; Nick frets when Julia sends him a cactus; and Schmidt's new love interest insists on keeping their relationship a secret.
Episode 15
Tue, Mar 6, 2012 30 mins
Nick hurts his back while playing touch football, but he doesn't have health insurance, so Jess brings him to her doctor friend, an OB/GYN. Later, Nick reevaluates his life after learning the seemingly innocuous injury may be more serious than initially thought.
Episode 16
Tue, Mar 13, 2012 30 mins
Jess encourages Schmidt to go on strike at the loft after noticing he does all of the housework with no help from the others. Meanwhile, Nick must pay up to Winston after losing a game of poker.
Episode 17
Tue, Mar 20, 2012 30 mins
Part 1 of 2. Jess is asked out by the wealthy and handsome father of one of her students. Meanwhile, Schmidt and Winston get ultracompetitive over bar trivia, and Nick sets out to buy a new cell phone.
Episode 18
Tue, Mar 27, 2012 30 mins
Conclusion. Jess' first date with Russell doesn't go as planned; Nick's old college pal visits and invokes Nick's inner frat boy; Winston panics when Shelby takes off on a girls' getaway; Schmidt and Cece's secret relationship is found out by one of the roommates.
Episode 19
Tue, Apr 3, 2012 31 mins
Jess and Cece have a falling-out after Jess learns that Cece hasn't been honest with her. Meanwhile, Nick reluctantly turns to Schmidt for help as he juggles dating several women at once.
Episode 20
Tue, Apr 10, 2012 30 mins
A nervous Jess invites Russell to spend a weekend at the loft, and he ends up getting along a little too well with the guys. Meanwhile, Winston starts working for a radio shock jock and meets basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (as himself); and Nick works on an invention from his Idea Notebook.
Episode 21
Tue, Apr 17, 2012 31 mins
Jess babysits Russell's daughter for the weekend and has her first encounter with his ex-wife. Elsewhere, a pregnancy scare sends Cece and Schmidt into a panic; and Nick dates a younger woman.
Episode 22
Tue, Apr 24, 2012 30 mins
Unwilling to admit her true feelings for Schmidt, Cece encourages him to go on a date with one of her beautiful roommates. Meanwhile, Jess wishes she and Russell shared the same fiery passion he exhibits with his ex-wife; and a morose Nick channels all of his energy into his new vegetable garden.
Episode 23
Tue, May 1, 2012 30 mins
Nick and Jess run into their exes Caroline and Paul; Schmidt deals with a delicate medical issue; Winston has a wild night out with his boss and suffers the consequences; Cece introduces Schmidt to her grandmother.
Episode 24
Tue, May 8, 2012 30 mins
One of the roommates decides to move out of the loft in the Season 1 finale. Meanwhile, Winston faces his fear of the dark when the gang makes an unexpected trip to the desert; Schmidt and Cece's relationship reaches a turning point.