Jessica Day is the center of everything New Girl, but it’s time to consider that perhaps she isn’t the main character – just the one that launches the premise by moving into the loft. Instead, Winston Bishop may be the most important, the most relevant, and the one that holds the whole thing together. From moving into the loft to being the glue of the group, Winston makes this sitcom what it is.
With Ferguson in tow, Jess should step aside – because Winston always knows what’s going on. Without this quirky and hilarious character, there would be no New Girl as fans know and love it, and although he may seem like the most minor Loft-dweller, this is why he’s actually the most important.
He Moved Back In
Basically every sitcom starts with a big change or decision made by one of the show’s main characters. While Jess moved into loft 4D with Nick, Schmidt, and Coach, Winston returns in the second episode (after Coach leaves).
From that point, there’s a whole new dynamic to be had, and his return to the loft could actually be said to be the start of the show as all fans know it – not just the moment that Jess arrives. It is Winston’s arrival that really rounds out the gang.
He’s The Most Mature
This might seem like a sad statement, but it’s also true. Despite his weird obsessions with pranks, Winston is actually the most mature – in the sense that he’s the most ‘adult’.
He has the profession he wants, and he’s settled into who he is – at least, by the end of the show. The rest of the characters are off doing crazy things and trying to figure out their lives, but Winston was settled into his rhythm.
He’s The Voice Of Reason
With Nick and Jess’s messy relationship and Schmidt dating Cece AND Elizabeth and Coach trying to move to New York with May, Winston is the voice of reason through each character’s toughest moments.
He’s always the one to take care of things and lead people in the right direction. Winston is the one everyone comes to – and that’s an important part of a main character’s job.
His Career Changes Are Important
Cece becomes a modeling manager, Nick becomes a writer, and Jess becomes a Principal, but no one goes through as much change as Winston does.
From quitting basketball to working in radio to becoming a police officer, his career changes take up a lot of time on the series. His character arc is one of the best, and is highlighted the most.
He’s The Funniest
Some fans might immediately argue that this recognition should go to Schmidt or Nick or even Jess, but those characters might just have the best punchlines and one-liners.
On the other hand, Winston is often at the core of the funniest gags and plots of episodes. His humor extends far beyond a single joke, but he’s always running the gag – like a main character would.
Ferguson
Only the main character of a show would have a pet, right? Most sitcoms don’t include fuzzy little creatures, but Winston wasn’t going to let that stop him from having Ferguson.
This shows he’s responsible and stable, despite how much of a crazy cat dad he really was. Still, this point deserves some recognition.
He Always Knows Everything
It doesn’t matter who is keeping a secret from who, it’s safe to say that Winston is almost always in the loop. Everyone in the loft confides in him, and he has all the information at any given time.
Winston is the puppet master, basically, and guides everyone in a direction they need to be going in. Jess does this, too, but she isn’t as good of a secret keeper as Winston.
His Relationship Is Stable
This isn’t a shot at Jess, but it proves that Winston has a linear and stable character arc that is the backbone of this show. He does go on a few dates and has some ex-girlfriends, but Aly comes into the picture soon enough.
Then, they go from partners to friends to a romantic couple, and the rest is history. Every sitcom has that one steady couple (like Chandler and Monica or Bernadette and Howard) – and Winston is it.
He’s Closest With Everyone
Jess might be closest with Cece, but she and Schmidt aren’t the tightest of buds. The same could be said about Cece and Nick or Coach and Jess. However, Winston is tight with everyone.
He and Cece have a weird special bond, and he’s equally close with Coach, Nick, and Schmidt. Plus, he’s also one of Jess’s closest confidants. For this reason alone, he proves that he’s the glue of this group – and this show.
He Never Leaves The Loft
Apart from the ending of the series where he moves in with Aly, Winston never moves out of the loft from the second episode. Jess does jury duty and stays with her dad, Schmidt and Cece move out, and Nick tries to move in with Caroline and travels with Jess.
However, Winston is the heart and soul of the loft – he even has the biggest bedroom. Since the show pretty much entirely takes place in loft 4D, it goes without saying that Winston deserves some more recognition as the main character because of this.
