Zooey Deschanel stars as Jess Day, a young woman who, after discovering her long-term boyfriend is cheating on her, moves into a loft apartment with three male roommates – prickly bartender Nick, womanizer Schmidt and intense personal trainer Coach. In the opener, the guys try to help Jess get back on her feet and into the dating world.

The guys are invited to a wedding of a mutual friend. Nick, fearful he will run into his ex-girlfriend Caroline (guest star Mary Elizabeth Ellis), asks Jess to be his date. Meanwhile, Winston takes his role as an usher very seriously and gets competitive on the dance floor with a young guest. Schmidt not only catches the eye of a beautiful woman (guest star Katie Cassidy), but also his “frenemy” Gretchen (guest star Natasha Lyonne) whom he sleeps with at every wedding reception.

Jess accidentally walks in on Nick naked, sending his self-confidence to an all-time low – just after an attractive co-worker (guest star Lake Bell) agrees to go out on a date with him. Meanwhile, Winston becomes obsessed with learning pop-culture references online.

Cece convinces Jess that Nick likes her more than just as a roommate and Schmidt tries to seal the deal with Cece.

Jess invites Paul (guest star Justin Long), a music teacher at her school on whom she always has had a crush, to the gang’s big Thanksgiving dinner at the loft, which naturally goes horribly awry.