Brooklyn Nine-Nine, with its diverse cast and representation of marginalised communities, is taking the world by storm. It’ss hilarity and breaking of negative stereotypes is something never seen before. The show is about to start with its sixth season and the fans can’t seem to wait!
Have you always been a fan of off-beat comedies like Parks and Recreation and The Office? Do the characters make you love the weird people you encounter in your everyday, melancholic life? Then, hold your horses because Brooklyn Nine-Nine is here. This American television series revolves around a team of detectives based in New York of the 99th precinct.
Jake Peralta is a goofy, mischievous, immature, and an intelligent detective whose favourite movie is Die Hard. His sidekick and best friend, Charles Boyle is the loyal, people-pleaser connoisseur whose vocabulary is not really great. Rosa Diaz is the badass detective who doesn’t believe in showing feelings and emotions and is extra secretive about her life. Amy Santiago is the workaholic, type- A personality who respects her captain more than anyone else. Lieutenant Terry Jeffords is the soft- hearted, muscular, yogurt-loving man who absolutely adores his twin baby girls. Captain Raymond Holt is serious and stern whose one-liners and lack of facial expressions would make you scratch your head. Gina Linetti is the hilariously self-centred administrator who loves to dance and practically every B99 fan’s spirit animal. Hitchcock and Scully are the two dim-witted veterans of the precinct who just love to sit and eat.
So, what makes this show so unique and a must-watch? Well, the list is endless. The ensemble cast is terrific and lovable. Apart from that, it is one of the most ethnically diverse casts on television. The main leads have two black men, along with two Latina women. The show has LGBT characters where Captain Raymond Holt is a happily married gay man and Detective Rosa Diaz is a bisexual woman. It doesn’t promote stereotypical personalities and doesn’t make a big deal about it. The show doesn’t shy away from discussing social issues like feminism, racism, police brutality, and sexism at the workplace and never makes the marginalised groups the butt of jokes.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine doesn’t stress on romantic relationship, needless drama. The relationships it presents are non-toxic and non-abusive where the emphasis is on healthy communication. It prioritises friendships where the detectives respect and appreciate each other for their hard work and talent. Many sitcoms show women characters where they are always at war with each other but in Brooklyn Nine-Nine, they do not tear each other down. They might be different but they always look out for each other no matter what. It doesn’t show toxic masculinity and ‘angry, tough, and heartless man’ as the ideal. It promptly breaks the notion that ‘nice guy gets the girl’. It highlights how men should handle rejection and back off if the women do not show interest instead of pestering them.
The show is a perfect balance of drama and comedy. It has wackiness with an amazing comedic timing. Its multi-dimensional characters and memorable one-liners are out of the world and worth a mic-drop. The heart- warming scenes would make you smile ear to ear. Jake’s evergreen ‘title of your sex tape’, ‘cool cool cool cool, no doubt no doubt no doubt’, ‘noice’ and ‘smort’ are weirdly funny and of course Gina Linetti is the self-proclaimed human form of 100 emoji whose quirkiness and absurdness takes the show to another level. So, instead of watching hardcore police dramas like Criminal Minds and NCIS, give Brooklyn Nine-Nine a shot.
Feature Image Credits: Her
Disha Saxena