Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Starring: Andy Samberg (153 episodes), Stephanie Beatriz (153 episodes), Terry Crews (153 episodes), Melissa Fumero (153 episodes), Joe Lo Truglio (153 episodes), Andre Braugher (153 episodes), Dirk Blocker (152 episodes), Joel McKinnon Miller (152 episodes), Chelsea Peretti (119 episodes), Marc Evan Jackson (18 episodes), Kyra Sedgwick (12 episodes), Jason Mantzoukas (11 episodes), Craig Robinson (9 episodes), Dean Winters (9 episodes), Kyle Bornheimer (7 episodes), Winston Story (7 episodes), Nick Cannon (6 episodes), Kevin Dorff (6 episodes), Antonio Raul Corbo (6 episodes), Marilu Henner (5 episodes), Ken Marino (5 episodes), Merrin Dungey (5 episodes), Mary Lynn Rajskub (5 episodes), Gabe Liedman (5 episodes), Paul Mabon (5 episodes), John C. McGinley (4 episodes), Bradley Whitford (4 episodes), Eva Longoria (4 episodes), Tim Meadows (4 episodes), Gina Gershon (4 episodes), Fred Armisen (4 episodes), Stephen Root (4 episodes), Matt Walsh (3 episodes), Nicole Byer (3 episodes), Sandra Bernhard (3 episodes), Patton Oswalt (2 episodes), Katy Sagal (2 episodes), Jimmy Smits (2 episodes), Dennis Haysbert (2 episodes), Cameron Esposito (2 episodes), Fred Melamed (2 episodes), Chris Parnell (2 episodes), Lou Diamond Phillips (2 episodes), Maya Rudolph (2 episodes), Dan Goor (2 episodes), Stacy Keach (1 episode), Kid Cudi (1 episode), Adam Sandler (1 episode), Andy Richter (1 episode), Sean Astin (1 episode), Lin-Manuel Miranda (1 episode), Ike Barinholtz (1 episode), David Paymer (1 episode), J.K. Simmons (1 episode), Jenny Slate (1 episode), Ed Helms (1 episode), Nick Offerman (1 episode), Garret Dillahunt (1 episode), Nick Kroll (1 episode), Garry Marshall (1 episode), Anders Holm (1 episode), Kathryn Hahn (1 episode), Zooey Deschanel (1 episode), Damon Wayans Jr. (1 episode), Oscar Nunez (1 episode), Nathan Fillion (1 episode), Danny Trejo (1 episode), Desmond Harrington (1 episode), Gina Rodriguez (1 episode), Sterling K. Brown (1 episode) , Reginald VelJohnson (1 episode), Jay Chandrasekhar (1 episode), Mario Lopez (1 episode), Karan Soni (1 episode), Jim Rash (1 episode), Pete Davidson (1 episode), Bill Hader (1 episode), Rhea Pearlman (1 episode), Paul F. Thompkins (1 episode), Rob Riggle (1 episode), Eric Roberts (1 episode), Ryan Phillipe (1 episode), Greg Germann (1 episode), Neil Degrasse Tyson (1 episode), Kyle Gass (1 episode)
Directed by: Michael McDonald (12 episodes), Claire Scanlon (10 episodes), Linda Mendoza (9 episodes), Dean Holland (7 episodes), Betty McCarthy-Miller (6 episodes), Victor Nelli Jr. (6 episodes), Craig Zisk (5 episodes), Rebecca Asher (5 episodes), Tristram Shapeero (5 episodes), Dan Goor (5 episodes), Cortney Carrillo (5 episodes), Phil Lord (1 episode), Christopher Miller (1 episode), Stephanie Beatriz (1 episode), Melissa Fumero (1 episode), Joe Lo Truglio (1 episode), Kyra Sedgwick (1 episode)
Rating: TV-14
Genre: Comedy, Crime
2013-2021

Seasons Seen:
Tim: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8

Summary: Follows the hijinks of police officers in Brooklyn's Ninety-Ninth precinct.

Review:
Tim: What a wild ride it's been, being a fan of Brooklyn Nine-Nine. I was immediately interested the first time I saw the previews. Andy Samberg is a funny guy and the show just looked hilarious from the first previews I saw. I was a fan from the very beginning and I'm so glad I watched it. This 30-minute comedy made me laugh over the course of 8 years, on two different networks. It introduced us to a diverse cast of zany characters and consistently delivered. This is absolutely one of my all-time favorite comedy series.

What I love most about this show is how entertaining it was. You can have funny shows that don't routinely entertain, or powerful dramas that sacrifice entertainment for the story. The series always seemed to put entertainment first. It resulted in a very enjoyable viewing experience. From the cold opens, to the theme song starting, it just made me happy to watch this show. The episodes throughout the seasons were remarkably consistent- you always knew you were in for a fun time. I appreciate creator Dan Goor establishing such an wonderful premise and tone for the series.

It helps that the series assembled an all-time great cast. I didn't know many of these actors before the series, but they'll always hold a place in my heart. The headliner is obviously Andy Samberg. What he did with Jake Peralta was incredible. I thought he was funny, but he was "that SNL guy" more than anything. To watch him infuse Jake with warmth and complexity, to see his character evolve over 8 years was remarkable. Samberg was consistently funny, but he was also able to play the straight man opposite some of the over-the-top supporting characters. Stephanie Beatriz was excellent as Rosa. She routinely acted outside of her normal voice and demeanor- Beatriz might have had the biggest challenge from an acting standpoint and she just crushed it. I didn't expect to love Terry Crews as much as I did. Initially I thought it was weird they named the character Terry, too, but Crews made this character so fantastic, so funny that he emerged as one of my favorites. Melissa Fumero did so many fantastic things, just below the radar. She was never the over-the-top one- others in the cast played that role. Yet, Fumero was able to make Amy Santiago one of the most warm, funny characters. You really appreciated the chemistry she had with Samberg and how she made her character so much more than just a caricature. Joe Lo Truglio always made me laugh. Charles would routinely have the funniest moments throughout an episode. He truly was wonderful in this role. Andre Braugher, however, gets the MVP. His Raymond Holt is one of my all-time favorite characters. He routinely gave remarkable performances and created so many laughs with his delivery. His screaming, "Cheddar!" and then, "This bitch?" is one of the funniest things I've ever seen in my life. As much as I loved this series, it wouldn't have been close to as good without the work of Braugher. Dirk Blocker and Joel McKinnon Miller were on a slightly lower tier than the "top" cast, even though they appeared in nearly every episode. For this series (and Blocker and Miller) to allow Hitchcock and Scully to break free of the usual expectations of side characters was a major win. They were perhaps the most consistently funny of the entire cast. They always appeared in small doses, but always got a laugh. I think nearly every single thing Blocker said was funny. He didn't get a ton of lines, but every one of them was excellent. Chelsea Peretti rounded out the main cast. I really liked her and she had some great moments throughout the series. Her "Because I'm a rascal" line was one of my favorites. Now, as good as Peretti was, when she left, the show didn't miss a beat. That is somewhat telling. I was always glad when she showed up afterwards, but her absence didn't do much to hurt the show.

Now, as much as I loved the entire cast, the list of guest stars who made a difference is extensive. It's still hard for me to believe Kyra Sedgwick was here for 12 episodes. Chief Wunch was the ideal foil for Holt and their antagonism created some of the best moments of the series (I still crack up over Holt's, "But if you're here, who's guarding Hades?" line. Marc Evan Jackson was fantastic as Kevin. Craig Robinson's Pontiac Bandit and the bromance with Samberg was certainly one of the funniest running gags. Jason Mantzoukas was only on for 11 episodes, but his Adrian Pimento made an outsized impact. He was so, so funny. Winston Story was great, too- "Get better eyes, ya moron" is one of the best lines. I love that we got the great John C. McGinley for 4 episodes in the final season (so he appeared in two of the best comedies of all time, adding this to Scrubs). Tim Meadows did good work, here, too. Bradley Whitford was the perfect actor to play Peralta's absent father. Nicole Byer was so funny as Trudy Judy. We got Jimmy Smits as Amy's dad, Dennis Haysbert as Holt's friend, Lou Diamond Phillips and Maya Rudolph. Truly, the amount of talent that showed up at some point in this series is incredible.

I do want to mention a few of this series' standouts. One of the highlights was their use of the cold open. They delivered so many classics, but none better than Peralta's "I Want it That Way" line up. I've watched that scene dozens of times and every time I laugh. It's absolutely perfect. There are so many great moments. The Halloween Heist tradition is another of the biggest highlights from the series. I could go on and on, because I just loved watching this series so much. I will say that the series absolutely crushed the final episode. Like many comedies, the final season was definitely uneven. The show was trying to grapple with the national unrest over police brutality and the many killings of unarmed black men. It's a tough blow to be dealt to a show about cops. The series tried to address it, but it was clumsy and forced. However, that is forgivable because the series delivered one of the greatest finales I've ever seen. It was an absolutely perfect way to say goodbye to one of the most consistently funny series I've ever seen.

If you're still reading, it's obvious that I loved Brooklyn Nine-Nine. It's a delightful series that always made me laugh. I'm sorry it ended, but mostly I feel thankful that we got 8 seasons and 153 episodes. This is one of my favorites. 9-9!

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: N/A



If You Enjoyed This Series, We Recommend: Community, Scrubs, How I Met Your Mother, The Office