We’ve all been there – we encounter a new show, binge watch all the released episodes, and then have to wait like peasants for one new episode each week. It’s like going to an all-you-can-eat buffet only to find out that the second you leave the place, you’ll have to starve yourself for seven days. And with the anticipation come the expectations until you suddenly realise that, hm, that last episode wasn’t as good as the previous one.
Not so with Brooklyn Nine-Nine, however. Like a fine wine or Chris Evans, Brooklyn Nine-Nine stands the test of time and appears to be getting only better and bolder with age. Care to elaborate on that, you ask? Why yes, I do.
Let’s break this down and first discuss the most important part of the show: the characters.
You’d think that for a comedy show to work, each character would have to stay in their lane (and niche). Not so on B99. True, Scully and Hitchcock are known for their laziness, all they want is to sit in comfy chairs and get to retirement. But in episodes with flashbacks to their glory days, we get to see how these two detectives used to rule the blocks of Brooklyn and that they worked hard to get where they are now – and have earned their naptimes.
Rosa has been a badass from episode one. But she’s never reduced to being merely “the woman with the axe”. Instead, we learn about her upbringing, her struggles with coming out to her parents as bisexual, and see her in healthy relationships (with both men and women) and still be her badass self. Rosa’s sexuality is not the most interesting part of her character and yet it isn’t pushed under the rug, either. In a comedy show, you’d expect being bisexual to be a running gag. You know the jokes. The ones we are supposed to laugh at but make us feel wrong for doing so. Well, bisexuality isn’t a joke here. It’s who Rosa is and for the LGBTQ+ community, this representation is as refreshing as it is healing.
These characters are never put into boxes – and if people try, they will fight you on it. Hard. Most shockingly, perhaps, was Charles Boyle’s momentary bad boy turn. When a magical leather jacket turns Charles – let’s just say it – cool, I guess I wasn’t the only one who feared that we would lose his essence. No longer be the friend you can always count on, the man who would do anything for his son Nikolaj (you’re pronouncing it wrong, JAKE) and puts the well-being of everyone else above his own. Instead, we got to see another side of him, let him explore what it means to be popular and then do exactly what we would expect him to do – giving his jacket to a guy who seems like he needs it a lot more – and love him more for it.
Basically, these characters get the opportunities to grow and evolve without ever losing the things that make them tick. In a show that has been running for over six years now, characters can turn stale, their storylines recycled. Yet Brooklyn 99 manages to create characters we root for, six years in, and love every second of their development.
As the seasons go on, the audience has only gotten more unexpected friendship dynamics (Rosa and Holt sitting together in silence, listening to heavy metal and drinking to cope with a tough breakup is the type of friendship I aspire to have) and pairings that we never knew we needed – this squad is a family and with every new combination (who didn’t love Kevin and Jake being cooped up in a hideout watching Nicholas Cage movies) and every storyline (the rivalry between Wunch and Holt is more legendary than any enemies-to-friends trope I’ve ever encountered), they only grow stronger.
Speaking of, the storylines.
This show could give you whiplash – one moment we’re watching Raymond Holt scream the word BONE for ten minutes, the next the troubles and pressures of starting a family are discussed.
How can a show about cops be anything other than the run of the mill? Well, Brooklyn Nine-Nine makes every episode stand out without ever patronising or talking down to its audience. From racism and sexual harassment to homophobia in the workplace, or what it means to be a family and struggling to fit work and everything else under one hat, there is no topic that B99 shies away from. Instead, it opens up discussions about things that are so often ignored in a very accessible manner.
Sure, there are running gags (who doesn’t love Title Of Your Sextape? And thank god the mystery of Kelly has finally been revealed) but the humour never falls flat – and it isn’t hurtful. There isn’t gay-bashing or underhanded comments about women being inferior. And if there are jokes about objectification, they’re never in the ‘roll-your-eyes-and-wait-until-it’s-over (title of your sextape) way but subverted by the audience’s expectations. Women aren’t ridiculed for liking balloon arches or loving the smell of a new binder (and when they are, it’s not degrading but teasing like friends do), men aren’t reduced to their looks or constantly talk about themselves while barely listening to women. Terry can be a great and loving father and still question whether he would make a good Sargent. Amy can be obsessed with rules and proper etiquette and then hunt down and catch a bad guy while wearing a wedding dress that is exactly what she wants. Jake can be the biggest child out there and still break into tears when Holt calls him son. No one is compartmentalised, no one is just one thing. Brooklyn Nine-Nine proves time and again that you don’t have to rely on antiquated societal norms or outdated offensive jokes to be relevant and relatable. Audiences crave authenticity and B99 never fails to deliver. It’s a refreshing and rare thing on television and I for one, cannot wait to see what they come up with next. Now, go and earn a “noice” from Jake by watching the show.
You can catch new episodes of Brooklyn Nine-Nineevery Thursday on NBC and catch up with the episodes on Netflix. If you need further incentive to giving this show a go, head on over here.
Love everything you said about this and agree whole-heartedly! This show is truly a pioneer, and should be as widely loved as other comedy shows. Very well written!