New Girl has been a very steady hit for Fox over the last six seasons, and fans of the show have been on a bit of a ride over the past few days wondering whether or not the show was going to be picked up for another season. The show was nearly canceled, but then was picked up for a shortened seventh season at the last minute. Now, the first plot details for New Girl season 7 have emerged, and the show will feature a major time jump, showing the main characters three years in the future from where we left them at the end of season 6.

Warning: minor spoilers ahead for New Girl season 6. The details come from Deadline, who are saying that New Girl season 7 will have major arcs for all of the core characters on the series. Jess (Zooey Deschanel) and Nick (Jake Johnson) will be continuing their rekindled romance which was a big deal at the end of last season. Cece (Hannah Simone) and Schmidt (Max Greenfield) will be expecting a child, and Winston (Lamorne Morris) will be in touch with his father. That gives plenty of threads to pull next season, despite the decreased episode order.

Deadline also has some details on how New Girl season 7 came to be. The show was never officially canceled, but it was very close to happening. Part of that had to do with a lot of threads being tied up at the end of season 6. Also, Zooey Deschanel is currently on maternity leave, after giving birth to her second child. Plus, the other cast members are busy and wouldn't be able to fit filming into their schedule logistically to make season 7 work, at least not for a full season. So, creator/executive producer Liz Meriwether reportedly made a "last-minute call" and pitched the new idea for New Girl season 7. Fox liked the idea, the network made room in the schedule and the deal got done just in time.

The way that New Girl season 7 sounds like it is going to unfold is similar to what we have seen other shows do in recent history. Parks and Recreation did a very similar thing in its final season, jumping ahead several years for the meat of the final season, while showing everyone's lives play out over a longer timeline in the finale. The Netflix revival of Gilmore Girls also took place over the course of an entire year, so this could wind up being a satisfying way to send off the series.

New Girl season 7 will consist of eight episodes, but no specific premiere date has been announced. But we do know that the series will get a proper conclusion, with a major milestone promised for the series finale. We will be sure to keep you up to date as new details on New Girl season 7, such as a premiere date and plot details, are made available.