Nick Miller started out being the grumpy, jaded, sometimes lazy roommate of Jessica Day on New Girl. But over the course of the series, he started to stand out as serious boyfriend material. But that clearly wasn’t always the case.
There were times where Nick was extraordinarily romantic and went above and beyond to woo the woman he loved — especially Jess. But then there were other times, whether it was with Jess or a different girlfriend, where he was lacking a bit in his romantic ways. Whether he was boyfriend goals or barely hanging on in a relationship, he was always the lovable Nick Miller. But let’s go back and countdown his best boyfriend moments…and his worst.
Best: When He Made Jess Breakfast In Bed
Right after Jess and Nick were together for the first time, Nick woke up the following morning almost in disbelief that he had finally been with Jess, romantically. He even checked her pulse to make sure she was alive and real.
So, he decided to do the sweetest thing he could think of and approached it in the most Nick Miller way possible. He decided to make her breakfast in bed…even though he wasn’t quite sure what he was doing. But it was the effort and romantic nature of the gesture that truly counted, and while it was interrupted by the arrival of Jess’ dad, it was still incredibly romantic.
Worst: He Panic Moonwalks Away From Confrontation
One of the most epic moments in Jess and Nick’s courtship was at the very beginning when Nick passionately kissed her in their hallway. While in the moment, Nick seemed calm, cool, and collected, that quickly unraveled the following morning when he proceeded to freak out.
He didn’t have any idea about how to deal with the consequences of his actions and when Jess went to talk to him about it, he did what he knew how to do best: he panic moonwalked away from her. It came to be his trademark move when he couldn’t handle difficult situations, particularly in relationships. It never was the best way to deal with it, but he just couldn’t help himself.
Best: His Planning For Jess’ Birthday
For Jessica Day, her birthday was always a huge deal to her. She tended to get her expectations way up only to be disappointed when they weren’t met. But Nick went all out for her birthday in season 3 of New Girl.
He created a montage of all of her closest friends wishing her a happy birthday, played it at a rented out movie theater with all of the friends in attendance, and even made a romantic admission all in the same day. This was where we learned he kept the coin that was in his pocket when they first kissed and that he always had it on him. If that’s not swoon-worthy, we don’t know what is.
Worst: The Way He Insulted Amelia
Before anything became romantic between Jess and Nick, Nick had a college crush that he had never fully gotten over. When Amelia came to visit him in Los Angeles, they quickly acted on their mutual feelings.
The biggest problem, though, was that Amelia was immediately clingy and also not the best kisser. Nick tried his best to be polite and not just dump her right away, but it was increasingly more difficult the more time they spent together. While it’s understandable he didn’t want to pursue a relationship with her, he definitely shouldn’t have blurted out not wanting to be with her at a haunted house on Halloween. He even followed it up with an insult about her kissing technique. Yikes, Nick.
Best: He Was Unable To Lie About Schmidt’s Cheating
Schmidt and Nick were best friends from college and by season 3 of New Girl, had been friends for over 10 years. Needless to say, they always had each other’s backs. But Nick is incredibly uncomfortable with lying and that was never more apparent than when he found out about Schmidt cheating on Jess’ best friend, Cece.
Granted, he did still try to keep it under wraps to avoid conflict in the loft, but he came clean to Jess and even helped her to tell Cece the truth to keep Schmidt from continuing to hurt her. Choosing his girlfriend over his best friend must have been difficult, but he did it — for Jess.
Worst: When He Didn’t Label Jess As His Girlfriend
Coach was one of the original roommates we met when New Girl first began, but we didn’t see him again until the middle of season 3 when he returned a newly single man and ready to party with the guys.
This was also towards the beginning of Jess and Nick’s relationship, so when Coach referred to Jess as Nick’s girlfriend, he hesitated. This set off a night of complications on both Jess and Nick’s sides, but it truly began with Nick’s hesitation. He was trying to seem cool in front of Coach instead of labeling their relationship which wasn’t cool.
Best: His Passion With Jess
Jess and Nick always seemed like polar opposites and like there would never be any way they would work as a couple. If she was day, he was night. But the same things that made them so different also brought them together, and all of that had to do with their passion for each other.
What started out as arguing constantly turned into Nick showering Jess with love and intimate affections that instantly made every person watching the show wishing their significant other was just as romantic and passionate as Nick Miller. Who would have ever thought that would be the case?
Worst: He (Accidentally) Convinced Julia’s Intern To Leave
Way back when in season 1 of New Girl, Nick was dating a lawyer named Julia. They were becoming closer and closer until their first Valentine’s Day together.
Nick had planned an evening out with her but she was stuck at the office, so that’s where Nick stayed as well until she was ready. But unfortunately, while there, he told stories of dropping out of law school when he was younger to none other than Julia’s intern who was there to help her. Said intern abruptly and promptly quit his internship to go down a different path in life and this was all thanks to Nick’s lack of decorum in this situation.
Best: The Moment He Fell In Love With Jess
One of the best and most romantic Nick Miller gestures had to be when he confessed the true moment he fell in love with Jess. While in the midst of a confrontation with his ex, Caroline, he began to explain that Jess never stole him from Caroline for one simple reason.
That reason? He fell in love with Jess the moment she walked through the door. As soon as he spoke those vulnerable and meaningful words, Jess, as well as the audience, fell even harder for Nick Miller. It was clear from day one that Nick was head over heels in love with Jess, even if she didn’t know it yet.
Worst: His Irresponsible Nature
Nick was never known for being very responsible on New Girl. His own best friend, Schmidt, didn’t even trust him to help plan their party to celebrate living together for ten years.
There were plenty of examples of Nick’s irresponsibility in relationships, as well. Whether it was when Jess discovered his box full of bills that were left unpaid and he was defensive about it or when he struggled with his ability to express his emotions at pivotal moments, his maturity and responsibility in relationships was not always the greatest. Regardless of his bad moments in boyfriend history, we still can’t help but adore Nick Miller.
