Fox renews ‘New Girl’ for a fifth season

“New Girl” will be back on Fox for a fifth season.

Despite so-so ratings in its fourth season, the Zooey Deschanel-fronted comedy is still one of the network’s key assets on the live-action comedy front.

Production on season 4 wrapped a few weeks ago, and production has now begun on season 5 to bank some episodes before Deschanel’s maternity leave kicks in.

Deschanel’s pregnancy, which was announced in January, will not be incorporated into the series.

“Four seasons in, ‘New Girl’ continues to be one of the smartest and most relatable comedies on television,” said Fox Entertainment President David Madden. “The writing is razor-sharp, the ensemble is consistently hilarious, and we couldn’t be more proud of Liz [Meriwether], Brett [Baer], Dave [Finkel] and the entire ‘New Girl’ team. We absolutely love this show and we’re so excited to bring it back for season Five.”

And there will be more for the show to celebrate: The comedy will log its 100th episode during the 2015-2016 season.

The show, after running repeats the last three weeks, will return with new episodes tonight. As previously announced, Damon Wayans Jr. will depart the comedy at the end of its current season.

“New Girl” joins “Empire,” “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” “Sleepy Hollow,” and “Gotham” as returning series for the upcoming season.

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