An ensemble cast delivers a fast-paced festival of laughs that sometimes tugs on the heart strings
Created by Michael Schur and Daniel J. Goor, Brooklyn Nine-Nine centers around ace detective Jake Peralta (Andy Samberg) and the police squad of Brooklyn’s 99th precinct. Peralta is super smart but often fails to take himself seriously. This causes considerable friction when the precinct gets a new captain, Raymond Holt (Andre Braugher.)
The Nine-Nine Cast
Samberg is tough to watch early on, but once the entire cast shares the screen, the show really flourishes. His interactions with colleague/love interest/competitive detective Amy Santiago (Melissa Fumero) are both funny and emotional. Sergeant Terry Jeffords (Terry Crews) is always good for physical comedy and deprecation.
Jake’s sidekick is clumsy and socially awkward detective Charles Boyle (Joe Lo Truglio.) They are joined by veteran cops, Hitchcock (Dirk Blocker) and Scully (Joel McKinnon Miller), who do little other than eat and nap. Holt’s assistant, Gina (Chelsea Peretti) is self-absorbed and full of unsolicited advice. The standout is the stoic Rosa (Stephanie Beatriz) who shows a ton of range as the show progresses.
Also of note is the show’s endless stream of cameos. The best and most frequent is the Pontiac Bandit, Doug Judy (Craig Robinson) who appears once a season to rekindle his complicated and comedic relationship with Jake. Other highlights include The Vulture (Dean Winters), Chief Wuntch (Kyra Sedgwick), murderer Caleb (Tim Meadows), and Fire Marshall Boone (Patton Oswalt.)
The Nine-Nine Running Gags
Each season of Brooklyn Nine-Nine follows a calendar of events. Like many sitcoms, there are plenty of Christmas episodes. The best recurring gag is the heists that occur every Halloween. There is always a target that has to be stolen and a complex series of steps leading to a surprise victor, sometimes even involving Holt’s Corgi, Cheddar.
Hitchcock and Scully are routinely represented as the laziest versions of cops riding out their time before retirement. This hits a pinnacle when Season 6 features an episode with young, buff Hitchcock and Scully from the 80’s. The show also uses familiar Saturday Night Live writing tactics like repetition, characters referring to themselves in third person, and tons of callback jokes.
The Nine-Nine Emotion
As the show evolved and matured, the writers took chances on covering several heavy topics. Holt’s character arc is controversial by design. He has grown through the ranks of the police as an openly gay African-American. Diaz later comes out as bisexual and her family isn’t necessarily on board.
Season 6 also includes a “He Said, She Said” episode that digs into social commentary of sexism. In another, Jeffords is faced with a racial situation that gives him a choice between professional advancement or making a difference for future police of color. The show continuously hits the comedic buttons while also raising important questions.
Conclusion
Brooklyn Nine-Nine is similar to other Schur creations like The Office and Parks and Recreation. The first season is fine but the shows don’t hit their stride until the whole cast gets a chance to get in on the fun. This show improves with every season as the cast and crew explore new topics and drive belly laughs for the audience.