By McKenna Middleton | Opinion Editor

While some shows should stop while they are ahead, “New Girl” Season 7 offers viewers closure, consistency and some final laughs before the fun ends on May 15.

Much like the final season of “Parks and Recreation,” this last season of “New Girl” takes place three years in the future, a jump in time from Season 6 that allows the show’s creators to innovate the characters while maintaining their same lovable qualities. Unlike the final season of American Idol, where the judges were completely different from Season 1, the characters are all the same, played by the same actors and offering the same charm and uniqueness to the show.

Although Season 6 ended satisfactorily for viewers, its finale lacked a certain closure that such a long-running show requires. Sure, Nick and Jess end up together at the end of Season 6, but their past of being on-again/off-again leaves the viewer unsure of their future.

This final season, however, gives viewers closure while bringing innovation and fresh ideas to the show. The first few episodes have dealt with more mature topics like parenting and gender equality in the workplace — issues the characters hadn’t had to deal with prior to the three-year time jump between seasons 6 and 7.

These more mature versions of Jess, CeCe, Winson, Ally, Schmitt and Nick finally occupy the real world. In previous seasons, the group seemed to live in this liminal space between young adulthood and real adulthood, represented and manifested by the loft itself. This is especially true of Schmitt and Cece who, in Season 7, have a 3-year-old child named Ruth Bader. Schmitt, now a stay at home dad, still wrestles with some of his past demons of insecurity and extravagance, but has been noticeably humbled and encouraged by his new role. Similarly, Cece’s full-time job at the modeling agency has redrawn her character to be confident in a way that discards her former cynicism.

Although Season 6 left viewers with hope for the future of the tight knit group of roommates and friends, Season 7 confirmed that the characters we have grown to know and love for the past 6 years will be OK without us. Even though we won’t get a glimpse into their lives each Tuesday night, they have grown into competent adults that I will continue to cherish long after the credits roll on May 15.