New Girl was a beloved show and a huge success for Fox, but why did it end after a shortened season seven?
'New Girl' started back in 2011 on Fox after 'Jess' played by Zooey Deschanel moves into an apartment loft with three single men, while she is going through a tough break-up. It was the premise of the show and the five leading personalities were anchored by Jake Johnson who plays 'Nick Miller', Max Greenfield who played 'Schmidt', Lamorne Morris who played 'Winston Bishop' and Hannah Simone who played Jess’ friend 'Cece Parekh' and with all the leading men and women, the show ended its seven-season and 146 episode run.
Watch: The promo for season 1 pilot episode
Back in 2011, the show was picked by Fox, and the gang quickly became a fan favorite because the cast was so good together, the chemistry was there to be seen, and ratings for the show showed people were interested in spending time with these characters. But why was the series not able to make it to season eight and ended with just eight episodes in the seventh season?
The reason for the ending is not something crazy like the cast not getting together or the creators losing interest, it all came down to the numbers, viewership numbers to be exact. Rating in most cases plays a massive role in a series getting renewed, which is why there is still no end in sight for The Walking Dead because the ratings keep the show going (ninth season on a Zombie killing show!)
The initial run for New Girl was a highly profitable one with over 10 million people watching the pilot episode. The numbers were solid throughout the year which is why Fox renewed the show for a second season. By the end of the third season the ratings were going down gradually. Though season five did pick up some slack, everyone saw the writing on the wall. So, the creator of the show Elizabeth Meriwether and her writers made the season finale into a series finale just so they can be safe if the studio decides to pull the plug.
The season six finale acted as a series finale, even if Fox didn’t renew the series for a seventh season the finale was a good one. Nick got back together with Jess, Cece and Schmidt, were going from two to a three, and Winston put a ring on Aly’s finger. No one, in particular, would’ve minded the ending but still, it left a sour taste in the mouth.
Watch: The finale of season six which was programmed as a series finale
New Girl was one of the highest-rated and longest-running live-action comedy-drama TV shows and better than to just cancel the show after season six, it was essential to give the show a final bow. After the series stuck in a limbo with the finale airing on 4 April 2017 but the actors needed to end the show the right way so, after the go-ahead of Elizabeth, the actors wrote to the studio about ending the show the right way, and Fox renewed the series on 14 May 2017 with only eight episodes to wrap up the series. The final season jumped three years ahead in time and a flash-forward to make sure the fans who stuck with the show, the friends lived a happy life.
When talking about the show’s ending Zooey said the cast was ready for the ending “in a bittersweet way” and the actors felt prepared for it. “It wasn’t difficult. It was like finishing a marathon like we did this really long run for seven years and we’ve played these characters a long time. It’s not like there was any unfinished business,” she said. “It felt like the right time to be ending it in the best way. I’m sad not to see my friends that I’ve worked with every day for so long, but it was all really positive in the end.”
Also Read: It's Never Happening! David Schwimmer Just Shot Down Any Chance Of A Friends Reunion!
The final season was not in the cards with season six seemingly being the end, but the renewal gave the characters an ending they deserved and the final season also gave some fan service with some memorable former members of the show, coming back to make cameo appearances. Also, the series ended with a glimpse into the future which assured the fans, no matter how tough the going, the gang will always be the way we remember them.
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