Created by Daniel J. Goor and Michael Schur
First seasons are hard, especially for comedies. Dramas can win an audience over quickly with strong story turns or a unique and engrossing atmosphere, but comedies, sitcoms especially, are based mostly around the way the ensemble interacts with one another. This often takes time, and as such a lot of these shows seem to require a degree of patience before the audience can become truly invested. It is to Brooklyn 99's great credit, then, that it does not at all feel like a show in its first season.
From two of the head writers of Parks and Recreation, this show depicts an incredibly dysfunctional police station which is thrown for a loop when a new no-nonsense captain is brought in to whip them into shape and get them acting like a team. Most thrown by this change is Jake Peralta (Andy Samberg), an immature and conceited officer with an authority problem who also happens to be a very gifted officer.
From the getgo Brooklyn 99 felt much more confident than most shows in their first season could even hope for. Featuring a talented, ethnically diverse cast, which includes an excellent and unique depiction of a homosexual character, and not shying away from the darker aspects of police work the show managed to elevate itself merely by giving it their best shot rather than following the cookie-cutter. It helps that a lot of the comedy comes more from social commentary than from easy, sophomoric humor. While it does occasionally have those moments, they are aided by the fact that most of the comedy is more thought out and comes about more genuinely.
What also helps is that most of the shows characters are played somewhat straight. While they do all have their own quirks, they show the capacity to change as the season goes on, and reveal new layers which fit with the character despite being not instantly noticeable. Andre Braugher, playing the strict Captain Holt, is an excellent lampoon of his type of character. Braugher perfectly portrays the stereotyped no-nonsense persona, but he has just as much fun with the character reveals that go against that. Beatriz instantly becomes the rough Diaz, playing off her dark tendencies with glee while infusing her with more heart than one otherwise would. Melissa Fumero's Amy Santiago is also notable as a great representation of a "normal" character who is still able to provide comedy. Joe Lo Truglio and Chelsea Peretti bring the show's silliest moments with their broader characters, and while they are far less complex than those around them, they still consistently earn laughs. Terry Crews might just be the MVP, though. He's always been the best part about whatever he's in, and one can instantly tell that this role was written specifically for him, as it fits him like a glove and makes the greatest use out of all of his talents.
Andy Samberg, however, started the show as the weak link. His character's immaturity didn't quite fit in with the smarter humor that was surrounding him, and his character was too simple to be the lead, especially compared to the complex characters surrounding him. As the season wore on, however, something changed. Jake Peralta is still recognizably the same character, but he has been allowed to grow and learn. This is weird for television and unheard of in sitcoms, where characters do not change as to keep their humor consistent, but the character is able to gradually grow and, as he does, fit in better with the rest of the ensemble.
This is not a perfect show. While the episodes do maintain a high laugh-per-minute ratio and are very consistent, there isn't really any episode that stands out. While I can't say I would give any individual episode less than a B, I also couldn't give out any As. They mostly wind up in the A-/B+ range, great and funny but not quite a classic. While its true this is a minor quibble, it also means that its a show that is never truly amazing, but is rather constantly very good. Perhaps next year it will manage to achieve that next level, but until then I can say that if you enjoy sitcoms, Brooklyn 99 is one of the better recent ones, but if you do not have time to devote to catching up on a tv show, it's not necessarily at the level where you need to make time.
Season Grade: B+
Strongest Episode: Unsolvable (Episode 21)
This was really hard to pick as the show kept a very consistent level of quality, and it is difficult to say any one episode is better than another. However, I feel that the second half of the season featured stronger interactions with the cast and it seemed as though the writers truly figured out each character, and got better at integrating the police work into the comedy. This episode, featuring Terry and Jake taking on a cold case, made the most of the character interactions, as well as featuring Terry Crews very strongly, instantly elevating the episode.
Weakest Episode: The Slump (Episode 3)
Again, very hard to pick. However strong the idea of hotshot Jake Peralta having a slump might be, perhaps episode three was a little too early to use this particular idea, and it could have been used more effectively later in the season.
From two of the head writers of Parks and Recreation, this show depicts an incredibly dysfunctional police station which is thrown for a loop when a new no-nonsense captain is brought in to whip them into shape and get them acting like a team. Most thrown by this change is Jake Peralta (Andy Samberg), an immature and conceited officer with an authority problem who also happens to be a very gifted officer.
From the getgo Brooklyn 99 felt much more confident than most shows in their first season could even hope for. Featuring a talented, ethnically diverse cast, which includes an excellent and unique depiction of a homosexual character, and not shying away from the darker aspects of police work the show managed to elevate itself merely by giving it their best shot rather than following the cookie-cutter. It helps that a lot of the comedy comes more from social commentary than from easy, sophomoric humor. While it does occasionally have those moments, they are aided by the fact that most of the comedy is more thought out and comes about more genuinely.
What also helps is that most of the shows characters are played somewhat straight. While they do all have their own quirks, they show the capacity to change as the season goes on, and reveal new layers which fit with the character despite being not instantly noticeable. Andre Braugher, playing the strict Captain Holt, is an excellent lampoon of his type of character. Braugher perfectly portrays the stereotyped no-nonsense persona, but he has just as much fun with the character reveals that go against that. Beatriz instantly becomes the rough Diaz, playing off her dark tendencies with glee while infusing her with more heart than one otherwise would. Melissa Fumero's Amy Santiago is also notable as a great representation of a "normal" character who is still able to provide comedy. Joe Lo Truglio and Chelsea Peretti bring the show's silliest moments with their broader characters, and while they are far less complex than those around them, they still consistently earn laughs. Terry Crews might just be the MVP, though. He's always been the best part about whatever he's in, and one can instantly tell that this role was written specifically for him, as it fits him like a glove and makes the greatest use out of all of his talents.
Andy Samberg, however, started the show as the weak link. His character's immaturity didn't quite fit in with the smarter humor that was surrounding him, and his character was too simple to be the lead, especially compared to the complex characters surrounding him. As the season wore on, however, something changed. Jake Peralta is still recognizably the same character, but he has been allowed to grow and learn. This is weird for television and unheard of in sitcoms, where characters do not change as to keep their humor consistent, but the character is able to gradually grow and, as he does, fit in better with the rest of the ensemble.
This is not a perfect show. While the episodes do maintain a high laugh-per-minute ratio and are very consistent, there isn't really any episode that stands out. While I can't say I would give any individual episode less than a B, I also couldn't give out any As. They mostly wind up in the A-/B+ range, great and funny but not quite a classic. While its true this is a minor quibble, it also means that its a show that is never truly amazing, but is rather constantly very good. Perhaps next year it will manage to achieve that next level, but until then I can say that if you enjoy sitcoms, Brooklyn 99 is one of the better recent ones, but if you do not have time to devote to catching up on a tv show, it's not necessarily at the level where you need to make time.
Season Grade: B+
Strongest Episode: Unsolvable (Episode 21)
This was really hard to pick as the show kept a very consistent level of quality, and it is difficult to say any one episode is better than another. However, I feel that the second half of the season featured stronger interactions with the cast and it seemed as though the writers truly figured out each character, and got better at integrating the police work into the comedy. This episode, featuring Terry and Jake taking on a cold case, made the most of the character interactions, as well as featuring Terry Crews very strongly, instantly elevating the episode.
Weakest Episode: The Slump (Episode 3)
Again, very hard to pick. However strong the idea of hotshot Jake Peralta having a slump might be, perhaps episode three was a little too early to use this particular idea, and it could have been used more effectively later in the season.
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