Man, that was a rough, what, thirty-six hours? Less? During which Brooklyn Nine-Nine was canceled, I mean. Has any show ever bene saved by another network as quickly as this one was?
Anyway, I've always liked this show, but it's absolutely aged well and gotten better with time. A few of my friends struggled to get into its first season - or outright never even tried - and I get that! Andy Samberg maybe wasn't the most tolerable actor to lead a smart and warm and happy little workplace comedy back in 2012 or whenever. But, again - again, folks - network comedies take time to sort themselves out. Remember how bad The Office was in its pilot? Remember how lackluster the entire first season of Parks and Recreation was?
Speaking of Parks and Rec, this show comes probably as close as anything in the last four years has to matching the overall vibe and feel and rhythm of that masterpiece. In fact, I can easily map distinct pieces of components of so many Parks and Recreation characters onto Brooklyn Nine-Nine counterparts. April's unflappability and extreme confidence are held by both Gina and Rosa here; Leslie's borderline-insufferable earnestness can be found in both Charles and Amy. Jake Peralta is like a combination of Leslie and Andy, sort of, while Terry's like if you took Tom Haverford but gave him Chris Traeger's enthusiasm for fitness instead of Tom's social media-obsessed entrepreneurial spirit. There are two Jerry/Gary/Larry characters in Hitchcock and Scully. And lastly - but certainly mostly - Captain Raymond Holt is essentially a gay, black version of Ron Swanson.
I'm glad NBC saved this one form the chopping block. It's never been my absolute favorite show on television, but where most shows feel stale or tired by their fifth year on the air, Brooklyn Nine-Nine feels like it has a ton left in the tank. That NBC gave it a 13-episode order for 2018-2019 rather than a full 22 feels more like an evolving industry standard and sign of the times than an actual bummer, and I look forward to seeing how well this show pairs with Superstore and The Good Place on Thursday nights. (That's got to be where NBC puts it, right? Also, shut up, yes I still care about when and where these shows air because I am a dinosaur with a cable package who still generally prefers to watch things on the night they air when feasible.)
I'm glad NBC saved this one form the chopping block. It's never been my absolute favorite show on television, but where most shows feel stale or tired by their fifth year on the air, Brooklyn Nine-Nine feels like it has a ton left in the tank. That NBC gave it a 13-episode order for 2018-2019 rather than a full 22 feels more like an evolving industry standard and sign of the times than an actual bummer, and I look forward to seeing how well this show pairs with Superstore and The Good Place on Thursday nights. (That's got to be where NBC puts it, right? Also, shut up, yes I still care about when and where these shows air because I am a dinosaur with a cable package who still generally prefers to watch things on the night they air when feasible.)
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