Fans won't be seeing Zooey Deschanel in the initial episodes of "New Girl" season 5. The actress is on maternity leave so she had to skip filming. Her temporary absence isn't at all bad though, at least for other characters, who could step up and show off in the new season.
Upon the show's return, viewers will be welcomed with a celebration with Cece and Schmidt carousing their nearing marriage. In a chat with US Weekly back in May, Max Greenfield, who plays the soon to be groom and husband to Cece, revealed that the premiere episode will center on the couple.
"The first episode back is an engagement party," the actor revealed. "And Cece's mom comes to town; we're not quite sure if she approves of Schmidt or not. There's definitely going to be some road bumps on our way to actually having a wedding," he added.
In the same interview, Greenfield teased that there will be tons of guest stars in "New Girl" season 5. Stars such as Steve Rannazzizi, Fred Armisen and Taran Killam will be putting in an appearance in the first episodes of the season.
While working on "New Girl," Greenfield will also show up in "American Horror Story: Hotel," which will be headlined by Lady Gaga and with Lily Rabe reportedly returning with a role as a serial killer. Greenfield's role is still unknown though.
Creator Liz Meriwether told The Hollywood Reporter that the premiere episode of "New Girl" season 5 will be called "No Girl" to fully illustrate that the title character won't be seen in the episode. Meriwether also explained what will happen in this episode without Deschanel.
"Jess gets sequestered on a jury. The idea behind it was to be able to do those pastel courtroom sketches, so you could still see her in the jury. It's a little weird, but we're having fun with it," she said.
"It's a way to have all of the guys check in with her. They watch the news reports on the trial. And they show being set in L.A., this is a city where celebrities get into trouble and juries really do get sequestered," she added.
