New Girl had various guest characters, but its best one was possible thanks to Jake Johnson. The 2010s saw a variety of sitcoms, and one of the decade’s best and most popular ones was New Girl. Created by Liz Meriwether, New Girl premiered on Fox in 2011, and its success led to it running for a total of seven seasons. New Girl was praised by critics and became one of the best TV shows of the decade, and earned more attention after its arrival on Netflix in 2022 (though it has since moved to Hulu).

New Girl followed eternal optimist Jess Day (Zooey Deschanel), who, after a sudden breakup, ends up moving into a loft with three strangers she found on the internet. Said strangers – Nick (Johnson), Schmidt (Max Greenfield), and Coach (Damon Wayans Jr.), later replaced by Winston (Lamorne Morris) – end up bonding with Jess, becoming a very special family. Throughout seven seasons, all the main characters in New Girl met some colorful guest characters, of which some had a strong impact on their lives, and the best of all was possible thanks to Jake Johnson’s creativity.

Nick’s Friend Tran In New Girl Was Jake Johnson's Idea

We Can Thank Jake Johnson For Tran

Nick was never the most social character in New Girl as he struggled to open up, but always with a very unique sense of humor that won the audience over. Nick’s best friends were Schmidt, Coach, Winston, and Jess, but in season 2, he met a very special man named Tran (Ralph Ann). Nick and Tran met in New Girl season 2 episode “Menzies”, when Nick was sitting on a bench at the park after arguing with Jess, Schmidt, and Winston over his anger issues.

Though Nick initially told him he was weird, he warmed up to him and ended up opening up to him about his problems, with Tran silently and patiently listening to him.

Tran casually arrived to sit next to Nick, who was annoyed by his presence and told him he wanted to be alone, but he quickly changed his mind. Tran simply smiled at him, and though Nick initially told him he was weird, he warmed up to him and ended up opening up to him about his problems, with Tran silently and patiently listening to him. In every one of their encounters, Tran didn’t need to say a word for Nick to understand him, and he quickly became Nick’s best friend.

Speaking to AV Club in 2013, New Girl producer Dave Finkel revealed that Tran was Johnson’s idea, as he would text ideas to Meriwether. One of them was an idea for Nick to have a “Vietnamese friend in a park” who doesn’t speak English and whose family gets mad at Nick for being friends with him. Producer Brett Baer added that Tran was originally going to be part of the Thanksgiving episode of season 2, but as they had nothing before the table-read of “Menzies”, they decided to introduce him earlier.

Tran Only Spoke Twice In New Girl, But He Became A Fan-Favorite

Tran Didn’t Have To Speak To Communicate With Nick

Tran became best known for not speaking at all, only smiling, laughing, and nodding while Nick opened up to him about whatever was bothering him at the moment; however, Tran did speak twice throughout his run in New Girl. The first time Tran spoke was in his debut episode, when he took Nick to a pool for some therapy. Tran cradled Nick in the pool, which was very weird to Nick at first, but he eventually enjoyed it and even did it for Jess and Winston. While in this therapeutic moment with Tran, the latter said “you’re a huge baby” to Nick.

The second and last time Tran spoke was in his final episode in New Girl season 7, episode “The Curse of the Pirate Bride.” This was the episode where Nick and Jess got married, so of course, Tran had to be present. Tran was in the car with Russell (Dermot Mulroney), and after they dropped the bride and groom at the hospital, Tran simply told Russell, “Drive.”

Why Tran Is New Girl's Best Guest Character

Tran Was Quiet, But Unforgettable

Although Winston, Schmidt, and Coach were definitely Nick’s closest friends, his bond and chemistry with Tran were very special and absolutely unique. Their connection was so deep that Tran didn’t need to say a word for Nick to feel safe and comfortable around him, and it was thanks to his patience, silence, and kindness that Nick felt safe enough to open up, which was something he always struggled with, even with his best friends.

On top of that, Tran was a very simple character, but so brilliantly funny, too. Tran’s silence was key to the character’s subtle comedy, and his kind face and smile made him unforgettable and a pretty soothing presence in New Girl – and we can thank Jake Johnson for all this.

Source: AV Club.