By Aaron Moore

Brooklyn Nine-Nine, a cop-based sitcom just finishing its seventh season on NBC, follows the life of a childish New York Police Department (NYPD) detective named Jake Peralta (played by Andy Samberg). Peralta is an immature but very talented detective. In the words of Sergeant Terry Jeffords (played by Terry Crews) from the show, “The only case he hasn’t solved, is how to grow up.” He is often followed by his best friend Charles Boyle (Joe Lo Truglio), a food lover who will do anything for Jake’s approval. My brother Collin Moore (’15), who graduated from the University of Virginia in 2018 and is a fan of the show, says, “he’s definitely not the detective type but is somehow really good at his job.”

BROOKLYN NINE-NINE: Cast L-R: Chelsea Peretti, Joe Lo Truglio, Joel McKinnon Miller, Andre Braugher, Andy Samberg, Terry Crews, Melissa Fumero, Stephanie Beatriz, and Dirk Blocker. Photo credit: Scott Schafer/FOX

Jake’s close friend and colleague Amy Santiago (played by Melissa Fumero) is detail-oriented, ambitious, and fiercely competitive. Alongside them is Rosa Diaz (played by Stephanie Beatriz), the scary, courageous, and secretive personality, and Jeffords, who is extremely protective of his police squad. Scully and Hitchcock (played by Joel McKinnon Miller and Dirk Blocker), are also detectives, but they mostly sit and file paperwork most of their days. This diverse crew is led by their Captain, Raymond Holt (played by Andre Braugher), the first Black and homosexual captain in the NYPD. Holt joined the NYPD in the 1980s and fought through plenty of adversity as a double minority, and his hard work paid off, putting him in charge of his precinct. Throughout the series, this hard-working group of cops plays constant pranks on each other, compete in inane competitions in their free time, and, most of all, take down dangerous criminals.

Personally, my favorite character is Captain Holt. Although he faces many challenges in his job, he never complains or loses his love of his occupation. Just like any other detective, he loves to catch criminals and put them in jail. Most of all, I love the gravitas he has in his voice. Every word he speaks is clear, deliberate, and demanding, which is the perfect voice for a captain. 

Some popular episodes include the episodes with Doug Judy (played by The Office’s Craig Robinson) and the Halloween Heist episodes. Moore says, “I like things in tv shows that you can look forward to every season, and that’s a classic example. It takes a break from the timeline of the story just to explore one particular event.” Judy is a criminal that goes by the nickname The Pontiac Bandit because he has stolen over 100 Pontiacs. Judy has similar interests and personality to Peralta, and while Jake always wants to arrest him, they also become friends due to their shared interests. However, every episode that Judy emerges, he finds a way to escape Peralta’s grasps. The Halloween Heist episodes start in the first season, when Peralta bets that he can steal Holt’s Congressional Medal of Honor from his office. The heist becomes a tradition within Nine-Nine. Cameron Jacobson, a senior at Manchester High School and a fan of the show, says, “These episodes stand out by doing something special structurally, thematically, and comically.” This makes these episodes quite appealing to many viewers.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine actors at the 2014 NCLR Alma Awards. Photo credit: Kevin Winter.

After season five ended in 2018, there was much uncertainty about the fate of the Nine-Nine because Fox had canceled the show. This was due to the other shows, like Bob’s Burgers, getting more views than Nine-Nine, and Fox felt that they no longer had room for the show in their schedule. After news of the cancellation, there was much support from the fan base, including from many celebrities like Seth Meyers and Mark Hamill. Within a day of cancellation, the show switched networks and was picked up by NBC. After the sixth and seventh seasons, Brooklyn Nine-Nine received its highest ratings and viewings score, at 95%, on Rotten Tomatoes.

While Brooklyn Nine-Nine is a comedy, it also addresses many important topics. Jacobson says, “The show never crosses any lines and maintains a level of realness when talking about any of these topics.” Some more serious topics addressed in the show include family dysfunction, feminism, LGBTQ+, and racial profiling. Family dysfunction is shown through Peralta’s childhood. When he was young, his father cheated on his mother often and eventually left their family. Throughout the series, Peralta reveals how influential and challenging this made aspects of his life. 

Feminism is addressed through an episode where Santiago is part of a he-said, she-said sexual assault case. Throughout the episode, Santiago reveals how hard being a female cop is, and the problems with cases of sexual assault, such as many cases ending without charges. The struggles of the LGBTQ+ community are represented through Holt and Diaz. Holt is homosexual, and Diaz is bisexual. Holt discloses how being homosexual has been a struggle for him throughout his years on the NYPD, and that it held him back from many promotions. Diaz comes out as bisexual to her parents in season five. Her family does not take the news well, and for some time, her mother and father will not talk to her. 

Finally, racial profiling is brought to attention when Sergeant Jeffords, a Black man, is arrested in his neighborhood. Jeffords later addresses the cop, and he explains that, “9 times out of 10, when I get a call from this neighborhood, it’s about a man that looks like you.” This shows that prejudice and racial profiling is evident and a problem within our police system. Brooklyn Nine-Nine can combine serious topics with humor, allowing the show to make their viewers think about problems within our society, without feeling as if they are being preached to. 

Brooklyn Nine-Nine is a progressive and hilarious show that keeps viewers entertained throughout each episode. I cannot wait for season eight to come out so that I can binge-watch it, just like I did the others.