The Best New Girl Guest Stars Ranked

"New Girl" is perhaps television's most criminally underrated sitcom of the past 20 years, one that always seemed to struggle in the ratings department despite having incredibly funny characters. That it managed seven seasons is a testament to the network's belief in the show.

But thanks to a Netflix streaming deal, it has found new life as an under-appreciated gem. Newcomers are discovering just how good "New Girl" is, and that Jess, Nick, Schmidt, Winston, Cece, and Coach comprise one of the best sets of housemates in sitcom history. They're also being introduced to the long list of big-name guest stars that popped up week after week, whose appearances would charm audiences even with limited screentime. With so many memorable performances, even longtime fans may not remember all of them.

From walk-on parts by the likes of Prince and Linda Cardinelli, to recurring guest appearances from some of Hollywood's heaviest hitters, we thought it might help old and new viewers alike to assemble and rank the best "New Girl" guest stars.

Megan Fox wasn't the only notable guest star to pop into the loft when star Zooey Deschanel was having her baby. With Jess sequestered for jury duty for a high-profile murder case, the producers used the absence of their star to their benefit, with several new housemates coming and going. In "No Girl," Nick rents out Jess's room to help pay for Schmidt's bachelor party, and the first boarder is none other than Fred Armisen. The "Saturday Night Live" alum plays Brandon, an oddball author suffering from a case of writer's block, and looking for a change of scenery to finish his novel.

Armisen's character at first appears like any other peculiar one-off character the cast might bump into in the course of some sitcom shenanigans, until he goes from being a quirky creative type to someone considerably more unstable. Armisen only appears in a handful of scenes, but just as we see in his hit show "Portlandia," he's able to make the most of his single appearance, turning a couple of brief bits into a hilariously memorable guest character.

Journeyman character actor and "Live Free & Die Hard" star Justin Long had a brief stint as Paul Genzlinger, Jess's first boyfriend after her split from Spencer in the series premiere. A fellow teacher at the school where Jess works, it takes some time for the pair to get matched up, despite the clear chemistry. Both are simply too awkward to make the first move. But once they do, they become a truly good match. 

The pairing doesn't last, as Jess gets scared off when Paul tells her he loves her, and she can't respond. Realizing she doesn't feel the same way and isn't ready for a serious relationship, the couple parts ways ... for a time. Three whole seasons later, Paul pops up as a surprise sexual backslide for Jess, who learns that he's actually on the verge of getting married, and she may have just screwed things up for the soon-to-be newlyweds. Despite their troubles, Paul's pure-hearted and sensitive nature is a good compliment to Jess' goofy and eager exuberance. Paul is utterly endearing, and the lengths he'll go to in order to make Jess happy (especially in bed) are genuinely touching.

In "Virgins," the gang trades stories about their first sexual experiences. Jess tells the gang about Teddy, the man to whom she lost her virginity on prom night. Everyone — the audience included — expects Teddy to be the awkward boy she takes back to her hotel room. In standard fashion though, Jess screws up her chances with her date and winds up in the hallway alone when she bumps into a good-looking fellow teenager, played by Dylan O'Brien, who leans in for a kiss. 

But just when you think the show is going to zig, it takes a typical "New Girl" zag. Jess's attempts at prom night sex are first interrupted by her bleeding prom date, then by O'Brien's bout with impotence, and neither turns out to be Jess's first lover (who we eventually discover was a firefighter who rescued her from a playground mishap). O'Brien's appearance may be short, but it's a worthy inclusion simply for how memorably unconventional it is: a perfect summation of "New Girl."

Schmidt isn't just part owner of a bar, he's also a hotshot account executive at a Los Angeles marketing firm dominated by women. You'd think that Schmidt, the self-described ladies' man of the loft, would have relished being surrounded by female coworkers. But as the only man at the company, he is openly mocked, and refers to his coworkers as "a bunch of pants-suited corporate She-Hulks." This hostility all comes to a head in a three-episode arc when he becomes the target of a sexual power struggle with his new boss Emma Sharp. 

Played by Carla Gugino, Emma is a tough, overbearing, sexually aggressive executive who uses her power over Schmidt to get him to do what she wants, even coercing him to sign a contract dictating their sexual relationship. It's a unique dynamic that flips the script on the typical workplace sexual harassment storyline, and it could have come across as terribly tone-deaf. But it works because of Gugino's quick-witted and charismatic performance as the inappropriate aggressor.

One of the central themes of "New Girl" is the housemates' relentless pursuit of love and sex, and in "The Last Wedding" all five of them set out to get lucky at a wedding they're attending. But it's the reluctant Jess who needs it the most, having not dated anyone since her break up with Nick. As Schmidt declares, it's their last chance to take advantage of the sexual opportunities that a wedding provides, and while at first, she's not enthusiastic, Jess eventually becomes the most gung-ho for the "sex fist" (her metaphor, not ours) by the end of the night.

As Jess zeroes in on the party's best option, Ted, she runs into competition from guest star Jessica Biel as Kat, a shrewd and beautiful wedding guest who's equally — if not more — determined than she is. What starts out as some friendly sparring quickly turns into a near-literal fight, as the two women's attempts to impress Ted escalate to the point of hysterical ridiculousness. In the end, Ted doesn't turn out to be quite the catch they thought he was, but the episode's bright spot is Biel, whose unexpected comedic chops makes her one of the top guest spots in the show's run.

In the three-part episode "Sisters" from Season 3 of "New Girl," we're introduced to Jess's troublesome, wayward older sister Abby, played by Linda Cardellini. After Abby is released from jail, Jess is tasked with picking her up and putting her on a flight back to her mother's place. But Nick is excited to meet his girlfriend's older sister, unaware that Abby is the trainwreck of the family and that Jess is embarrassed by her. In a classic sitcom mixup, Nick mistakes Jess' attempts to prevent them from meeting for her being ashamed of him. The confusion is made all the funnier by Abby's wild and over-the-top antics: her out-of-control behavior increasingly annoys her sister as she attempts to sleep with Coach immediately after her arrival and puts the moves on Schmidt before she leaves. 

Cardellini's loveable charm makes Abby more adorable than obnoxious. In the role of Abby Day, the actress plays the part with a reckless abandon that can't help but make you smile. The only shame of her appearance is that we never saw her again, with Abby's guest spot in the three-parter being her only showing. But even in those three episodes, Cardellini makes her mark as one of the best guest stars on the show.

When it comes to guest stars on "New Girl" there's nobody as big a star or as charming a guest as Prince. He was not the kind of star to pop up on any old sitcom: He rarely appeared on television and granted few interviews even at the height of his career. But as star Zooey Deschanel revealed on "Conan," Prince had been such a big admirer of "New Girl" that he asked to appear on the series, and producers were more than happy to oblige. The result is what many consider to be the best episode in the series: a Season 3 outing simply entitled "Prince."

Rather than give him merely a cameo role, "New Girl" didn't waste the superstar, centering the entire plot of the episode around him as the gang attends a private party at his residence. He doesn't just turn up for a musical number, either: Prince has a bigger role to play, at one point ending up alone with Jess and giving her important advice that helps the growth of her relationship with Nick.