In the Season 7 premiere episode of New Girl, it’s three years after the end of Season 6. Jess (Zooey Deschanel) and Nick (Jake Johnson) are back from their European book tour for The Pepperwood Chronicle. While everyone expected them to come back engaged, they’re not…yet. Nick is planning to propose at the loft. But before that big moment, they visit Schmidt (Max Greenfield) and Cece (Hannah Simone) who are the proud parents of 3-year-old Ruth. At Ruth’s birthday party, Jess runs into her ex-boyfriend Russell…who also has a 3-year-old too.
NEW GIRL, Season 1, Zooey Deschanel, Dermot Mulroney, photo: Greg Gayne/FOX
Jess’s ex-boyfriend Russell is portrayed by Dermot Mulroney. Mulroney is known for his roles on Shameless (Sean Pierce), Pure Genius (Dr. Water Wallace), Enlightened (Jeff Flender), and Friends (Gavin), among others. Mulroney is also well recognized for his roles in films including Zodiac (Captain Marty Lee), About Schmidt (Randall Hertzel), Young Guns (Dirty Steve Stephens), and two movies with Julia Roberts — My Best Friend’s Wedding and August: Osage County). New Girl airs Tuesdays at 9:30pm on FOX, right after LA to Vegas, on which Mulroney also occasionally appears as Captain Steve.
