Ruth Parekh-Schmidt

Ruth is the baby daughter of Schmidt and Cece, born into the whirlwind of the loft's found family. As an infant she doesn't scheme or speak, but her arrival reshapes the group around her, giving the show's most anxious control freak something bigger than himself to worry about.

A newborn is a strange thing to write into a sitcom, but Ruth works because the show never pretends she's a plot device: she's a mirror for Schmidt's neuroses and Cece's steadiness, and the cast's real affection for the character makes her presence feel like warmth rather than gimmick.