For seven seasons, sweet sitcom New Girl followed a group of roommates who lived in a loft that would cost more than a house in real life. Jess (Zooey Deschanel), Nick (Jake Johnson), Winston (Lamorne Morris), and Schmidt (Max Greenfield), plus Coach sometimes (Damon Wayans Jr.), have a tight-knit bond and incredible friendship that many people only dream of.
Even though Nick is a popular character who would be missed if he wasn’t on the show, that doesn’t mean that everything about him is awesome, and this become more apparent as the show progressed. There are definitely some things that could have changed about Nick on New Girl.
A Kid At Heart, But It’s Not A Positive Thing
Jess has evolved as a character but that doesn’t really happen to Nick. He says “I’m not a successful adult” and mentions that he doesn’t engage in any self-care or eat veggies.
This never changes, and while it’s meant to be light-hearted, it does speak to how one-note Nick was throughout all seven seasons of the show.
Always Paranoid
Nick may be one of the funniest people on New Girl but that doesn’t mean that he behaves responsibly. Nick often shows that he’s a very paranoid person and this only seems to only get worse.
One example is how he doesn’t actually keep his money in a bank account. He doesn’t “believe” in them and this is meant to be a hilarious character quirk, but this is actually super strange, and proof that his character deteriorates over the course of the show.
Has Trouble Committing To Jess And The Wedding Is A Disaster
Nick and Jess are one of the most shipworthy couples on the popular sitcom, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that he has trouble committing to Jess. He struggles with saying that he loves her, he takes forever to propose, and even their wedding day is a total disaster.
It would be nice if fans saw some character growth from Nick and if he was able to make their wedding special, but it felt inevitable that they would struggle to even say “I do.”
Doesn’t Figure Out His Career For So Long
While New Girl isn’t a workplace comedy, the characters are in their thirties and therefore have supposedly been in the working world for a while. Nick is a bartender at the gang’s favorite watering hole for the majority of the series and doesn’t seem to want to follow his dreams. He definitely suffers from not having any ambition.
Sure, by the season 7 premiere, Nick went on a book tour and seems to be a successful author. But fans get the feeling that Jess really convinced him to do that and if it was up to him, he would have just stayed home.
Always Makes The Wrong Decision
Nick isn’t the best partner that he could be and it seems like he’s always making the wrong decision. One example is when he thinks it’s a good idea to reunite with his ex, Caroline. He literally leaves his pals in the desert when he’s driving to his new place.
It’s hard to root for a character who is constantly acting immaturely and making silly choices.
Hygiene Is Always Poor
It’s supposed to be funny that Nick has really poor hygiene, but it comes off as gross and awkward, and it’s something about this character that never seems to change.
It’s not cool that he doesn’t put his towels in the laundry or that he doesn’t seem to shower much. If there was some character development, he would stop this bad habit after a while.
Relationship With His Dad Feels Unfinished
Nick’s dad Walt (Dennis Farina) isn’t exactly a model parent, and it makes sense that the two don’t have a relationship. But Nick doesn’t try to fix their broken bond and then Walt passes away.
If this happened IRL, it would make sense that Nick would have trouble loving his dad, as he has never felt like a priority in his life. But this is a TV show and there is often a heartwarming and moving resolution for these types of family fights. This doesn’t take place on New Girl, so it feels like a flaw on the show’s part.
Avoidance Is His Middle Name
Instead of making Nick a strong, solid character who takes action, the show constantly had Nick avoid the things or people that he was worried or stressed out about. Case in point: when he avoids Reagan (Megan Fox) in the loft, or when he won’t share his feelings.
It would have been a lot more interesting to see Nick change his ways but it just doesn’t happen.
Never Has Any Self-Awareness
In the fourth season episode “Goldmine,” Nick doesn’t want to cause any tension with someone who Jess is dating, so he figures that the best thing to do is say that he’s gay.
This could definitely be viewed as offensive, and it seems like he could have just owned up to the fact that there would be some conflict between them and try to be an adult about it. Nick never has any self-awareness, which seems like a flaw with his character. He doesn’t think carefully about the things that he says.
Doesn’t Work To Better Himself
Nick’s biggest character flaw? The fact that he doesn’t work to better himself. This is true of the pilot and of the final season, too.
Nick seems so content and comfortable with who he is that he isn’t willing to change. And while it’s great to have self-esteem, especially since so many people struggle with that, it’s tough to love Nick when he’s so stubborn.
