8 Things We Know About New Girl's Final Season

Updated on 1/20/2018 at 3:15 PM

Going into the end of season six, the New Girl team didn't know if that would be their last season for Fox or not. Just in case it was, they made sure that the season six finale would have totally worked as a series finale. Fortunately, creator Liz Meriwether fought for her show and was given a chance to bring it back for an eight-episode seventh season to wrap things up.

At the 2018 TCA Winter press tour, she told reporters that they feel so lucky to be able to end the show "they way that we wanted to," and she, her fellow executive producers, and cast members offered a few teases about the show's sendoff. Take a look before the final season premieres on Jan. 12!

It's three years later.

There's a time jump, but the storylines are still able to pick up where they leave off.

Jake and Jess have been touring the world.

Zooey Deschanel revealed, "[Nick is] a very successful YA author . . . and Jess has been a witness in a federal . . . I don't know how much I can give away. She hasn't been working in a few years and she's gone on some literary tours with Nick and that's how we start the season."

Nick and Jess still have some relationship hurdles to overcome.

"We come back in season seven and Winston and Allie and Schmidt and Cece have kind of moved on to different parts of their lives and Nick and Jess are still kind of in this, like, they're traveling around the world and they aren't married and they don't have kids, so they're still . . . there's room for growth," Deschanel said.

Cece and Schmidt are parents.

Cece and Schmidt's child is now 3 years old, and Max Greenfield slipped and revealed that the baby is a girl. While Cece works as a modeling agent, Schmidt is a stay-at-home dad.

Schmidt's a helicopter parent.

"What's bigger than a helicopter?" Meriwether joked. That's the kind of parents Schmidt is.

"He's just sort of trying to figure out a way where he can get rid of all responsibility in his life and dedicate all of his focus to the child," Greenfield said. "I think he's just completely enamored with this child and wants to spend every waking minute with her."

Winston has had some life changes.

"Winston's married," Lamorne Morris teased, adding that season six leaves off with Winston deciding not to call his father. But his father is going to be in season seven, played by JB Smoove.

There's a death coming.

Hannah Simone revealed that there's "the death of a pretty big cast member that's heartbreaking for all of us," and we're sorry to say, it's probably Ferguson. The cast and creators will not confirm that guess, but we're a bit afraid it's the end of the furry companion.

Meriwether did joke, however, that Ferguson was one of the hardest actors to book for the show — and she actually wasn't really joking. "The actor, the cat actor, he was in high demand and there were actually episodes where they were like, 'I don't know if we're going to be able to get him,'" Meriwether said.

True American will make one final appearance.

The cast revealed it's a lot more fun to watch on the show than it is to actually shoot it, but this insane drinking game will be getting one last round on the show.