Brooklyn Nine-Nine was created by Dan Goor and Michael Schur. It premiered in 2013 on Fox. The series is about detectives at the 100% fictional 99th Precinct in Brooklyn. After Fox canceled the comedy series about the police in 2018, which, despite receiving critical acclaim, had fairly low ratings in live broadcasts, NBC took over and aired the sixth season and two subsequent seasons.
The decision not to broadcast the series was part of a larger change in strategy by Fox, which was selling most of its assets to Disney and planned to focus more on news and sports programming. Meanwhile, the show’s cancellation sparked an immediate and fairly large social media campaign by fans and celebrities, including Lin-Manuel Miranda, who called on other networks to save the show. As a result, it continued to air on NBC for several more years, with the eighth season in 2021 being the last. That’s the short version, but for more details, read brooklynski.info.
Creation of the series
Michael Schur and Dan Gur were the writers and producers of the television series. The men had known each other since their days at Harvard University. What’s more, they even had the opportunity to work together. It was Michael and Dan who collaborated on the series Parks and Recreation. After that, they came up with the idea of creating a comedy set in a police station.
The men were certain that at that time, the work and lives of American police officers were rarely seen on television, especially in television comedies. The co-authors pitched the idea to Universal Television, with whom Shur had a development deal. Universal signed a contract to produce the police series without any problems, but NBC did not want to broadcast it. The authors did not mourn for long, turning to Fox Broadcasting Company and selling the idea to them.
Then, in the spring of 2013, Fox ordered 14 episodes of this comedy. And in the fall of 2013, the series was ordered by the television company for a full season, consisting of 22 episodes. Brooklyn Nine-Nine became quite popular, which led to it being shown in a special hour-long comedy event. Interestingly, the exterior of the fictional 99th Precinct was actually the real 78th Precinct building, which was based in Brooklyn.
As for the plot, the series tells the story of seven New York City police officers based in Brooklyn. The young people are unlucky, as a new commander is assigned to their station. Raymond Holt is a serious and strict captain who demands discipline and order. The series stars Andre Broger, Andy Samberg, Stephanie Beatrice, Terry Crews, Melissa Fumero, Joe Lo Truglio, Chelsea Peretti, Dirk Blocker, Joel McKinnon Miller, and others.
The best sitcom
Some consider Brooklyn Nine-Nine to be the best sitcom of all time. One of the reasons for this opinion is the balance between sensitive topics and humor. Despite the fact that the last season of the series received a wave of hate, primarily for political correctness, i.e., for including episodes that dealt with racism and the Black Lives Matter movement. But, according to the authors, Brooklyn Nine-Nine has never shied away from discussing real social or political issues.
Unlike many other comedies that use crude and often obscene scenes as a starting point for humor, which are not always appropriate or sensitive, this series has explored sexism, racism, workplace discrimination, LGBTQ+ rights, and much more. And it all started in the very first episode.
Even though the last season received a lot of negative feedback, especially from critics, it cannot be considered abnormal compared to the rest of the series, especially knowing that the premise was clearly defined from the very beginning. After all, Captain Holt admitted that he was gay in the first episode. And in season 6, the series addresses the harassment Amy experienced because she is a woman, raising the issue of misogyny, but delicately showing that the girl has a problem with humor.
A series that raises issues
Another feature of Brooklyn Nine-Nine is the fact that none of the characters in the sitcom are bland; each of their actions corresponds to the reactions written in the script. For example, Rosa always has her own opinion and stands up for her beliefs. She would undoubtedly quit her job at the police station to become a private detective, helping those who have suffered police brutality.
Similarly, Amy and Holt’s desire to positively influence the work of the police ultimately prompted them to launch a police reform program, regardless of what happened to George Floyd. At the same time, the structural problems of the police are organically woven into the series. In season 3, Amy and Holt speak openly about the shortcomings of the justice system and their desire to somehow remedy the situation.
All these nuances create perfect chemistry on screen. Although, for some, the first episodes of the first season may have seemed as complex as they were awkward. But soon, the characters developed some of the most sincere and touching relationships on screen.
This is not without reason, as a significant part of the scenes are pure improvisation, and many of the characters are based on the real personalities of the actors. For example, Jake Peralta is a kind of Andy Samberg who carries a gun and a police badge. It is also quite difficult to separate Melissa Fumero from her character Amy Santiago, even when watching the actress’s interviews. In addition, the characters of Gina Linetti and Lieutenant Terry Jeffords were based on their actors. What’s more, the writers decided to include the real childhood friendship between Andy Samberg and Chelsea Peretti in the film’s script.
But despite all the humorous scenes, the characters in Brooklyn Nine-Nine sometimes had scenes where they were quite vulnerable in front of the camera. It should be understood that this is not feigned vulnerability; it is clear that their emotions are genuine and consistent with the characters’ personalities. This gave them greater emotional depth and even drama. In episode 6 of season 3, Rosa tells the captain about her fear of losing her love. This confession, of course, stripped the heroine of her provocative image as a bad girl on a motorcycle in a leather jacket. At the same time, the viewer saw her as an ordinary person who has emotions, can be insecure and doubtful. She is just like everyone else around her.
No deception
After watching Brooklyn Nine-Nine, it becomes clear why other series often feature at least a few characters who cheat on their loved ones. This is supposed to create dramatic conflict and give viewers something to keep them engaged. On the other hand, if one character or another is your favorite, it can be quite painful to watch a character you love become unfaithful to their partner.
In Brooklyn Nine-Nine, things are a little different. Here, characters such as Amy and Jake are forced to wait until their partners break up with them. Only then do they begin a relationship. The same story applies to the rest of the characters. Brooklyn Nine-Nine makes a conscious choice to keep all the characters in the series either in romantic relationships or alone but happy. Sometimes the writers added jealousy to this bouquet of feelings and emotions, but that didn’t make the series any less sophisticated.
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