Honestly, if you were watching New Girl back in 2014, you probably remember the collective "wait, what?" that happened when Linda Cardellini suddenly appeared. It wasn't just that she's a massive star. It was the fact that for nearly three seasons, Jessica Day had been, for all intents and purposes, an only child. Then, boom. Linda Cardellini as Abby Day walks onto the screen, and suddenly the Day family tree has a chaotic, leather-jacket-wearing branch no one saw coming.
She was the "wild child." The sister who gets arrested for stealing from a hotel. The one with "chaos in her eyes," as Jess famously put it to Outside Dave.
But here’s the thing: despite Cardellini being absolute acting royalty—we're talking Freaks and Geeks, Dead to Me, and ER—her three-episode stint remains one of the most polarizing moments in the show's history. Some fans loved the friction. Others felt like it was a "Cousin Oliver" situation that didn't quite land.
The Retcon Nobody Expected
Let's get real for a second. The writers basically ignored Abby's existence until they needed a mid-season jolt. In the Season 2 Thanksgiving episode, where we meet Jess's parents (the legendary Jamie Lee Curtis and Rob Reiner), there is zero mention of another daughter. No "Oh, I wish your sister was here." No "Abby's in jail again." Nothing.
So when Linda Cardellini New Girl episodes actually aired, it felt a bit like a glitch in the Matrix.
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Why Abby Day worked (and why she didn't)
Abby was designed to be the "Anti-Jess." While Jess is all polka dots, yarn, and a cappella singing, Abby is knives, jail cells, and making out with Schmidt just to mess with people.
- The Good: Cardellini is incredibly charming. She has this way of being a total mess while making you kind of root for her. Seeing Jess forced to be the "adult" for once was a great character beat. It explained why Jess is so obsessed with fixing people; she’s been trying to fix her sister her whole life.
- The Bad: It felt rushed. The "Sister" trilogy (episodes 16, 17, and 18 of Season 3) moved so fast that we barely got to know Abby before she was gone. One minute she's moving into the loft, the next she's dating Schmidt to get his apartment, and then—poof—she’s moving back to Portland.
That Bizarre Schmidt Romance
Can we talk about the fact that Abby Day and Schmidt actually dated? It was weird. It was really weird.
Schmidt, who is usually obsessed with high-end moisturizers and social standing, fell for a woman who probably hasn't used a "common barber's comb" in years. It was a desperate move for Schmidt, who was still reeling from his breakup with Cece. For Abby, it was purely tactical. She needed a place to stay that wasn't Jess's bottom bunk.
Their chemistry was like oil and water, but in a way that made for some high-tier cringe comedy. Remember the scene where they're role-playing as Jess and Nick? It’s arguably one of the most uncomfortable moments in the entire series.
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The Mystery of the Disappearing Sister
The biggest gripe fans have isn't even about Cardellini's performance—it's what happened after. After Abby heads back to live with their mom in Oregon, she is effectively erased from the New Girl universe.
She isn't at Jess and Nick’s wedding.
She isn't mentioned when their dad gets remarried.
She doesn't even get a throwaway line in the series finale.
It's one of those classic sitcom plot holes that keeps Reddit threads alive at 3:00 AM. Did the writers realize the character didn't fit the vibe? Did Linda Cardellini's schedule just get too busy? Probably a mix of both. Cardellini is a heavy hitter, and keeping her on as a recurring guest would’ve been a tall order for a network sitcom.
Why You Should Rewatch the Abby Arc Anyway
Even if the "Sister" trilogy feels like a fever dream, it’s worth a rewatch if you’re a fan of the craft. Cardellini’s delivery of the line, "If you a cappella sing at me one more time, I will rip that stupid little dress off you and shove it down your mouth," is perfection. It’s the catharsis every viewer who found Season 3 Jess a bit too much was secretly feeling.
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Actionable Takeaways for Superfans:
If you're doing a deep-dive rewatch, pay attention to how Jess's behavior changes when Abby is around. She stops being the "quirky girl" and becomes a stressed-out middle manager. It’s one of the few times we see the cracks in Jess's "everything is sunshine" facade, and that’s largely thanks to Cardellini’s ability to play a foil.
- Watch the "Sister" Trilogy back-to-back: It plays better as a 60-minute mini-movie than as weekly episodes.
- Look for the mother-daughter parallels: Abby is basically a darker version of Joan (their mom). The similarities in their impulsiveness are subtle but there.
- Appreciate the Nick-Abby dynamic: Nick actually liked Abby because she was a "trainwreck," and he's historically a guy who feels comfortable in chaos.
Ultimately, the Linda Cardellini New Girl era was a beautiful, chaotic mess. It didn't make a ton of sense for the long-term plot, but it gave us some of the sharpest dialogue in Season 3. Sometimes, a show just needs to throw a grenade into the living room to see who survives the blast. Abby Day was that grenade.
If you want to track down these specific episodes, look for "Sister," "Sister II," and "Sister III" in the middle of Season 3. They might not lead anywhere in the grand finale, but they’re a fascinating look at the family history the show nearly forgot to tell.