Adam Taylor/FOXWho's that girl...no, seriously. Who is that girl? Because when Coach (Damon Wayans Jr.) returns to the loft in next week's episode of New Girl, he doesn't remember his former roommate Jess (Zooey Deschanel)! How could he forget the stirring restaurant rendition of Time of My Life from Dirty Dancing that they sang in the pilot episode?
For the uninitiated, Damon's character had to leave the loft and New Girl when Happy Endings got picked up for a second season. And then when Happy Endings got canceled (bitter grumble), New Girl fans were hoping, wishing and praying for Coach to make a comeback. Well, our wish has come true! And we've got the exclusive first look to prove it.
Coach just wants to party with Nick (Jake Johnson) and Schmidt (Max Greenfield), so that means strip club shenanigans. Nick and Schmidt are "very tired", as Greenfield says in the preview, and just want to get the hell out of there. And that leads to Coach doing crazy things to get them to stay, like doing some curls using a stripper instead of weights.
Regardless of what goes down in the episode, Greenfield admits that having Damon back is a refreshing reminder of what makes New Girl special.
"It's good for the show because it brings another male energy into the loft and kind of reestablishes what the show is about which is Jess moving in with these guys," he says. Watch the video below for a full preview of Coach's return
For more info on Damon's return to New Girl, check back later for exclusive interviews from our set visit!