New Girl

Season 2

Re-launch

1. This episode takes place two months after the season one finale.
2. The song that Winston (Lamorne Morris) sings at the end of the episode is the same song that Nick (Jake Johnson) was singing in the shower. "Groove is in the Heart" by Deee-Lite.

Katie

1. At one point Schmidt says to Winston's sister Alisha: «Really? A lot of money that I want to deposit into your Tyra Banks.». Keenyah Hill, who played Alisha, was in cycle 4 of Tyra Banks' America's Next Top Model (2003).
2. "Old Nick" tells Nick that his future will contain a hot air balloon. Later in the series, Nick rents a hot air balloon for his and Schmit's ten year anniversary of living together.
3. When Bearclaw is freaking out in the bathroom, he repeatedly asks if Sam is a doctor. We later find out Sam is in fact a doctor.

Fluffer

1. While Jess and Nick are explaining to each other why they would never work out as a couple Nick exclaims his defense of why he only leaves nickels in tip jars by stating it is the only American currency Thomas Jefferson graces with his presence. (Which is not true he also appears on the 2 dollar bill still in circulation).

Neighbors

1. Near the beginning of the episode, Jess does a impression of Dr. Frasier Crane from "Frasier" (1993). Zooey Deschanel once made a guest appearance on that show during its tenth season.
2. In the opening scene Schmidt (Max Greenfield) says he "crushed it" at work. One of the 20-something neighbors, Chaz (Charlie Saxton), that the gang meets later in the episode played the "Crushing Applicant" in Silicon Valley season 2, episode 4, "The Lady." Coincidentally, this "New Girl" episode is also season 2, episode 4 of the series.
3. Schmidt's fake phone call is from someone called Ferguson. In later episodes, Winston has a cat named Furguson.
4. Ferguson is also the name Winston uses as a lawyer when a man sues Schmidt after he gets injured in a storefront he had originally leased for Jess's sister in season 3.

Models

1. Schmidt is reading the actuary chart from the previous episode, Neighbors, when Nick confronts him about the cookie.
2. The song playing at the car show is "You Make My Dreams" by Hall and Oates. This song was also famously used in a scene in the movie (500) Days of Summer starring Zooey Deschanel. The scene is meant to physically show the confidence and emotions felt by Joseph Gordon Levitt's character on his way to work the morning after sleeping with Summer (Deschanel) for the first time.
3. When Jess and Cece are arguing in the club after Jess calls Cece dumb to her "colleagues", Jess says "it's not like you work in the United Nations!" Which is ironic because Hannah Simone (Cece's actress) did actually work for the UN!
4. At the end of the episode in a flashback, Nick asks Schmidt who his favorite rapper is and Schmidt says Brian Austin Green. Megan Fox, who guest stars as Reagan in season 5, was Brian Austin Green's wife.
5. Bear Hunt: There is a bear poster behind Nick in Winston's bedroom.
6. Later in the series it is revealed that Schmitt and Winston have the same first name, Winston. And that it was agreed that Winston would be allowed to go by Winston and Schmitt would go by his last name. This means that when Schmitt first meets Nick in the dorms he should have introduced himself as Winston not Schmitt

Halloween

1. In the list of items Schmidt says about Robby, he says his height is 6' 4". The actor, Nelson Franklin, is 6' 5" in his stats.
2. There 2 different times where there could be foreshadowing at the Halloween party. The first one being when Winston is dressed as a cop. He later becomes a police officer is season 3. Then Schmidt and CeCe's costumes making them look like a bride and groom. They later get married in season 5.

Menzies

1. This episode debuts Tran, Nick's friend. This is also one of only two episodes where Tran speaks.
2. During the water massage Jess's swimsuit changes from Blue polka dots to Black polka dots.

Parents

1. Despite saying he is not able to kiss a man, Schmidt actually has aggressively kissed Nick on the mouth multiple times before.
2. Rob Riggle states " Marine Corps cook of the year". Rob Riggle is a Lt. Col in the Marine Corps reserves.
3. Jamie Lee Curtis stars as Jess's mom, and the Parent Trap is mentioned several times. Lindsay Lohan starred in the Parent Trap (1998) and also in Freaky Friday (2003) with Curtis.
4. Big Schmidt calls Schmidt "Schmiggle," which sounds similar to the last name of Big Schmidt's actor, Rob Riggle.
5. Rob Riggle guest stars in this episode as Schmidt's cousin, who is also named (last name)Schmidt. Riggle and Jake Johnson, who plays Nick Miller, would eventually star in Let's Be Cops together.
6. Jess's parents are played by Rob Reiner and Jamie Lee Curtis. In real life, Curtis is married to Christopher Guest, who starred in the comedy "This is Spinal Tap", which Reiner directed.

Eggs

1. Kay Cannon, who portrays Melissa, is also the writer of this episode.

Bathtub

1. The male janitor at Angie's strip club who can do stitches later plays Big Bob, a bartender at Nick's bar.
2. Angie, played by Olivia Munn, works as a stripper. She is also in the movie Magic Mike, which is about male strippers

Santa

1. The officer that Jess is confronted by has a badge that says "Nicholas," referring to the fact that Santa is also known as Saint Nicholas.
2. When Nick gets caught (literally) with his pants down, he yells "This is my nightmare!" He said the same thing in the previous Christmas episode when he was trapped with Jess and Paul who were breaking up.
3. Nick (Jake Johnson) at one point says "Nick Miller; turning lemonade into lemons since 1981" implying that he was born in 1981. Jake Johnson was actually born in 1978

Cabin

1. The cabin from this episode is the same cabin from The Office season 8, episode 20 where Andy drives to his girlfriend's friend's bachelorette party to breakup with her.
2. Jake Johnson would later go on to star in "Drinking Buddies", where 2 couples go to a cabin for a weekend and essentially trade partners.
3. David Walton and Olivia Munn starred together in the TV show Perfect Couples

A Father's Love

1. The man Cece is set up with by her mother is named Pavun Shetty, who is an actual producer on the show and is played by himself.
2. The horse taking the pants out of Walts hands was not scripted/directed. The horse did it without prompting and they kept the scene in.

Pepperwood

1. Nick's alter ego, "Julius Pepperwood", is named after former Chicago Bear linebacker Julius Peppers.
2. Nick's friend in the story book is named Jessica Knight this is obviously a play on the word 'night' as Jess' name is Jessica Day.

Cooler

1. Brenda Song (Daisy) and Brooklyn Decker (Holly) both played girlfriends of Pete Eckhart on The League.
2. Zooey Deschanel and Jake Johnson had to do 7 to 8 takes because Jake could not stop touching Zooey's butt.
3. Jess and Nick have their first kiss.

Table 34

1. When Jess is getting over her recent break up with Sam she plays "22" by singer Taylor Swift. Taylor Swift later guest stars in the season finale New Girl: Elaine's Big Day (2013) as Shivrang's new love interest.
2. Schmidt's speech makes a reference to Kal Penn, who makes appearances later in the series (Season 5) as a guest star.

Parking Spot

Tinfinity

Quick Hardening Caulk

1. The exterior shot of the "Pacific Sea Center", is actually the New Orleans Audubon Aquarium of the Americas.
2. At the end of this episode Schmidt grabs the lionfish and tries to throw it into the sea. Grabbing a lionfish is not recommended because the spiny fins are venomous.
3. At the end of the episode when the fish tank breaks in front of Nick and Jess, they walk away and are not wet at all. They would leave wet footprints on the wood floor.

Chicago

1. Actor Dennis Farina, who played Nick's dad, actually passed away 3 months after the air date of this episode.
2. This was Ellen Albertini Dow's final television appearance before her death on May 4, 2015 at the age of 101.
3. Jake Kasdan contacted Margo Martindale directly to play Nick's mother, after directing her on Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007) and loving their experience together.
4. When Nick arrives at the house, Bill Burr says Nick Kroll is being a "douche" which Kroll takes offense to. Kroll later played "The Douche" on Parks and Recreation.
5. In this episode, Nick Kroll guest stars as Nick (Jake Johnson)'s younger brother, Jamie. In real life, Jake Johnson is eight days older than Nick Kroll.
6. In the office scene where Nick is reviewing the family accounts, a framed picture of young Nick and Winston is behind him.
7. Margot Martindale plays Nick's mother Bonnie Miller. She also plays Carol Miller in The Millers
8. Nick asks Jess to help him with eulogy. Zooey Deschanel starred in the movie "The Eulogy".

First Date

1. Contains a shot that was named the #3 all time most painfully distracting product placement by In Your Face Advertising magazine.
2. Second appearance of Tran.
3. During the scene with Nick and Tran sitting together on a park bench, at one point a large pretzel appears in Tran's hands without explanation.
4. When Jess is out with Nick and she sees Russell. She says, " If the happening happens." And goes on to keep saying the happening. The Happening is a 2008 thriller that Zooey Deschanel (Jess) stars in with Mark Wahlberg.

Bachelorette Party

Virgins

1. This was Dennis Farina's final acting role before his death on July 22, 2013, at the age of 69.
2. When Mick Jagger is mentioned in the episode, Schmidt says "The Beatles!?" while Mick Jagger is from The Rolling Stones

Winston's Birthday

1. Cece mentions Salman Khan and Amitabh Bachchan, both of whom are Bollywood stars.
2. In this episode, Shivrang mentions that Cece looks like Mandy Patinkin. Patinkin starred in The Princess Bride (1987), which was directed by Rob Reiner, who plays Jess's dad (Bob Day).
3. When Jess enters the chaotic classroom as a substitute teacher, the blackboard has a list titled "Civil War Blunders" The three blunders are: Gettysburg, Cold Harbor, and Pickett's Charge. This is redundant because Pickett's Charge happened during the Battle of Gettysburg.
4. During the conversation with Jess in the classroom, Dr. Foster (Curtis Armstrong) mentions the name of the school is Coolidge. Curtis Armstrong was the campus security guard at Coolidge College in Van Wilder.
5. During Jess's final talk with her dad, the score in the background resembles the REM song "Everybody Hurts."

Elaine's Big Day

1. Taylor Swift guest stars in this episode. Earlier in the season, Jess listens to one of her songs after breaking up with Sam.
2. When Nick and Winston are talking at the bar toward the end of the episode, "She Drives Me Crazy" by Fine Young Cannibals is playing in the background. The subject of the song summarizes the episode's fairly overt themes.
3. There are 3 weddings in the series. This is the first of 2 that Winston pranks, terribly.
4. Shivrang exclaiming "Elaine!" in a controversial wedding scene is a reference to The Graduate (1967).