assistant director:

Maximillian D. Day , Michael Risoli , Michael Judd , Bill Purple

cinematographer:

Russ T. Alsobrook

number of seasons:

7

producer:

Zooey Deschanel , Erin O'Malley , Pavun Shetty , Luvh Rakhe , Dana Fox , David Iserson , Ryan Koh , Megan Mascena Gaspar , Rachel Axler , Alex Cuthbertson , Matt Fusfeld , Kim Rosenstock , Bari Halle (pilot) , Josh Malmuth , Ryan Janata , Ryan Guellow

distributor:

20th Television

creator:

Elizabeth Meriwether

showrunner:

Brett Baer , Dave Finkel , Elizabeth Meriwether

premiere date:

September 20 2011

main characters:

Jessica Day , Nick Miller , Schmidt , Winston Bishop , Cece , Coach

number of episodes:

146

After a bad break-up, Jess Day (Zooey Deschanel) needs a new place to live. An online search leads her to a great loft... and three single guys she's never met before. But Jess moves in, and through her unique sense of self and the support of her new roommates, she learns to move on.

Of her three new male roommates, Nick (Jake Johnson) is the most grounded... and also the most jaded. A law school dropout, he spends most of his time hiding under his hoodie and tending bar. Schmidt (Max Greenfield) is a hustling young professional who's pretty proud of his own abs. Winston (Lamorne Morris), is an intensely competitive former athlete who doesn't know what to do next-but whatever he does, he wants to win it.

In the pilot episode, Jess also meets Coach (guest star Damon Wayans Jr.), a personal trainer with a bit of an anger problem, who's subletting a room. Rounding out the group is Jess' childhood best friend, Cece (Hannah Simone), a model with a killer deadpan. As their relationships progress, these five realize they need each other more than they thought they would and end up forming a charmingly dysfunctional - or strangely functional - family.