A gag-filled take on detective work in Brooklyn New York, the crimes are secondary and in many cases a tad ludicrous, but that’s because they’re the setup for comedic brilliance and a heap of punch lines that the characters easily reel-off one after another. The creators of Brooklyn Nine-Nine coming with a wealth of comedy writing, from Saturday Night Live (a series of televised sketches), to the comedy stylings of night-time talk shows. And the thing is they’re not the only ones, with two of the actors, Terry Crews and Andy Samberg, having exceptionally funny bones and being well-established veterans of comedy.
Suffice to say, Brooklyn Nine-Nine is like being tickled to death (especially in its cold opens) for the laughter can’t stop, and neither do the infectious antics of the detectives, who would have you signing up to the police academy in seconds, or committing just a tiny wee crime in which to meet them.
Set in the 99th precinct of Brooklyn, specifically in the detective department, there’s a bucketful of characters to welcome you; from its “leader” Jake Peralta (Andy Samberg) – a crime-fighting Peter Pan who happily leads the rest of the grown-ups to join him in his Never-Land of childishness. His high-jinxing shenanigans continued by his best friend Charles Boyle (Joe Lo Truglio) who would literally jump off a cliff if Jake asked him to do it, his character most easily being compared to a puppy on a sugar high. This doesn’t however make him safe from harm, for Gina Linetti (Chelsea Peretti) – and my human spirit – would happily shoot Charles and wear him around the office as she performs an improv dance, but only if she can stop drooling after Sergeant Terry Jeffords (Terry Crews). The muscle-bound hardman of the group, Terry is actually the biggest softie, still it’d be best not to annoy him and definitely do not eat his yoghurts for he could easily throw you over the Atlantic. Then again, he’s far less frightening than Rosa Diaz (Stephanie Beatriz), a motorbike-riding, all-in-black rock goddess, who must have at least one hidden wall of weapons and can kill you in multiple ways. Unlike the stationery-loving, super-organised, goody-two-shoes Amy Santiago (Melissa Fumero), her competitiveness rivalled only by Jake, the romantic tension between them being so fraught as to self-ignite at any moment. However, her idol and mentor, Captain Raymond Holt (Andre Braugher), will make sure everything is within the safety standards. The stoic boss generating a thousand laughs with his tone-deafness of lines and lack of emotions, but when the formal veneer cracks and a raised voice or wry smile seeps through, it causes mini-earthquakes of effect.
A cult following that includes fans from around the world and the most famous of names, but Brooklyn Nine-Nine never takes itself too seriously, much like the last but not least characters of Hitchcock (Dirk Blocker) and Scully (Joel McKinnon Miller). They’re slapstick and loud humour having a bigger presence in recent years, breaking up the cleverer of the show’s lines and making the two land that much stronger.
The show is full of camaraderie and everyone’s best friends both on and off the show, there’s no deep drama – except for the extremes they’ll go to in winning Halloween Heist. The writing is intelligent, stomach-splitting, and brilliantly culture-commenting from the MeToo movement, racism, sexuality and more – leaving a note that makes you think, challenge for change and feel positive in hope.
Jake may be the biggest kid, but the rest of the team need very little incentive to join him in his games, with every mission a chance to have a competition, quote lines from Die Hard, and all whilst doing the most important part of the job – looking cool while catching the bad guys and making sure everyone knows it.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine is a comedy detective series that will have you smiling from ear to ear. The characters are likeable, their relationships warm and brilliant, while the jokes are clever.
Creator: Michael Schur
Other notable works:
- Hacks 2021 –
- The Good Place 2016-2020
- Master of None 2015 –
- Parks and Recreation 2009-2015
- The Comeback 2005-2014
- The Office 2005-2013
- Saturday Night Live 1975 –
Creator: Dan Goor
Other notable works:
- Parks and Recreation 2009-2015
- The Daily Show 1998-2001
- Late Night with Conan O’Brien 1993-2009
