One of the main things that made audiences fall in love with New Girl was its brilliant set of main characters. And in many fans’ eyes, the cream of that particular crop was Winston Bishop.
His sweet nature and oddball antics won over the show’s fan base. However, it didn’t happen straight away. Winston debuted in the second episode of the series, replacing the departing Coach, and it took viewers some time to really appreciate him. People didn’t hate the character, but he was significantly less popular than the likes of Nick, Schmidt, and Jess. Throughout the show’s seven seasons, though, Winston changed in various ways, becoming more popular in the process.
10 Stopped Being The Straight Man
In the show’s early seasons, Winston was the most ordinary person in the loft and acted as a foil for his wackier friends. Including a regularly behaved character in a comedy can help shine a light on everyone else’s zaniness. Although, it tends to make that person bland by comparison.
Winston transformed by season three, though, and developed into the show’s silliest character. He was a lot more entertaining as a result.
9 His Friendship With Cece
Upon meeting Cece, Winston tried to win her affections. Then when she first got together with Schmidt, her interactions with Bishop became limited. However, a few seasons in, their acquaintanceship evolved into a true friendship.
From classic Cece-Winston mess arounds to him becoming one of her bridesmaids, the duo made for a sweet and entertaining pairing. Their friendship was particularly important when Jess was off doing jury duty, as Winston filled the role of Cece’s best friend.
8 Settled Into A Career Path
After his basketball career in Latvia ended because of injury, Winston struggled to find a new career.
He had a temp job, he was a nanny for a little while, and he dabbled in sports radio. Yet, he was never truly satisfied with any of those jobs. Then he found his calling as a police officer and stuck with that career for the rest of the series, meeting his true love in the process.
7 His Wardrobe
In the early years of the show, Winston wore plenty of non-descript outfits that looked fine. Yet, they paled in comparison to the brightly colored shirts that he donned in the later seasons.
These garments usually had birds, fish, or floral designs on them. And they always helped him stand out from the rest of the guys. Plus, the change in wardrobe was perfect for the character, as greys and blacks were too dull for the eccentric oddball he’d become.
6 Became Hilariously Incompetent
In the first season and a half of the second, Winston was great at most things, such as playing the bells and outrunning Schmidt. Nick even admitted at one point that ever since Bishop was a kid, he’d been incredibly talented.
Then as time went on, he became more and more incompetent. He kept making mistakes like accidentally buying 2000 dollars worth of bunny money that was only accepted at one strip club. Also, he started saying the wrong things constantly, as evidenced by that time he mispronounced “Reagan” as “raisin.” This change in his character made him more fun to watch.
5 His Romantic Interests
Winston’s first romantic entanglement in the show was with Shelby. She was a nice woman, but she wasn’t very exciting, and their relationship wasn’t very interesting.
After her, Winston started to get some more entertaining love interests, including the likes of Bertie and Daisy. There was also the prank-obsessed Rhonda, who was divisive, but at least she wasn’t bland. The best he ever had, though, was Aly. She fit Winston perfectly, and they shared a great rapport. Thankfully, the two ended up together.
4 Became Kinder
When Winston joined the show, he was egotistical, ultra-competitive, and kind of a jerk. For instance, in his very first episode, he attempted to manipulate Schmidt into giving him his old bedroom back.
As the seasons went on, Winston started to become a lot kinder. He even saved a kids life at the start of season five and didn’t care for the admiration he got for it. By the end of the show, he was probably the nicest person in the whole gang.
3 Started To Show His Feminine Side
A straight male character who’s in touch with his feminine side isn’t easy to find on television. However, that’s just what Winston evolved into throughout the show.
He started out as a jock in a similar manner to Coach, yet he slowly became more feminine as the series progressed. This was a great thing as the competitive jock character has been done to death. Plus, Damon Wayans Jr. (who portrayed Coach) is amazing at playing that sort of role and made Winston look second-rate by comparison.
2 Fell In Love With Pranks
Pranking was such a big part of Winston’s personality that it’s weird to remember that wasn’t always the case. In season one, he barely mentioned practical jokes, and he certainly didn’t have an obsession with them. But in season two, he gave himself the nickname Prank Sinatra and started to play pranks on his friends regularly.
His inconsistent ability as a prankster was hilarious. He’d often either go way too small like when he put a blueberry in Schmidt’s breakfast, or way too big like the times he tried to hit people with skis.
1 His Love For Cats Grew
Furguson (the cat) came into the show in season three when Winston promised Daisy he’d look after him. Although, when he found out that Daisy was sleeping with other people, he took the cat from her. This was the beginning of one of New Girl’s most beautiful and bizarre friendships.
Winston and Furguson started to do things like shower, eat pasta, and take weekly selfies together. His obsession with the feline quickly evolved into a brilliant running joke.
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