The Brooklyn Nine-Nine is a sitcom about a group of dysfunctional cops working in the 99th Precinct. It is made by Universal Television and airing on Fox. I had my doubts about this show due to the fact Andy Samberg can get annoying, but he works well in this show, and it is probably the best new sitcom on TV. The Golden Globes seemed to agree, giving this show two statues.
Samberg plays Detective Jake Peralta who is quite immature, but surprisingly effective at catching bad guys. He is always competing against the also effective Detective Amy Santiago (Melissa Fumero). The show starts when the new captain, Ray Holt (Andre Braugher) takes over the precinct, and he tries to get everything back under control much to the chagrin of Peralta.
The reason this show works is that while Samberg is definitely the star, the rest of the characters stand on their own, and they are able to carry on a conversation that is not about Peralta. Since Samberg can be very irritating, it is nice that the show doesn’t completely lean on him, and gives us a break from his antics.
Now having good sub-characters only works if the cast is good, and the people making Brooklyn Nine-Nine really put together a great one. Andre Braugher, Terry Crews, and Joe Lo Truglio probably all could have had their own shows, so to get them to lend their talents to this show was quite an impressive piece of cast directing.
With all the cop shows on TV these days, the idea to make sitcom out of one was a brilliant idea. It plays off everything we know about police procedurals, and it gives Fox another winning comedy. If you need a laugh brought to you by a talented cast and crew, the Brooklyn Nine-Nine might just be what you are looking for. I haven’t regretted tuning in yet.