why brooklyn nine-nine is so important

Brooklyn Nine-Nine is an American sitcom following the lives of detectives in the NYPD. It stars Lonely Island dreamboat Andy Samberg as Jake Peralta, a talented but immature detective, who comes into conflict with Captain Raymond Holt, the serious and often expressionless new commanding officer. Filling the gaps between these polar opposites is the rest of the squad, consisting of detectives Santiago, Diaz, Boyle, Hithcock and Scully, as well as Sergeant Jeffords and the iconic Gina Linetti, who is Holt's assistant.

Considering the current social and political climate, a show about police officers doesn't sound like sunshines and rainbows - but through the show's fresh perspective and positive outlook, sunshines and rainbows are thus achieved. But let this not deceive you into thinking that police officers are victimised and not being held accountable, because they absolutely are. As an audience, we are positioned directly in the narrative of detectives, sergeants and captains, all of whom love the shit out of their jobs and want to do good in the world. The sole aim of the characters is to put bad guys away - not black guys, not Muslims, not immigrants - because race, religion and background are not used to villainize perpetrators in the world of Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Some have argued that Peralta is slightly problematic, in the sense that he may be funny and woke, but he can be careless and flippant, with some believing that this normalises careless mistakes among the police force. But if you ask me, its quite the opposite, as Jake's superior officers keep him in check, and encourage him to be a focused and careful detective.

And aside from Jake's narrative, it's so important to mention the fact that the two highest ranking members of the precinct are two black men, played by Andre Braugher and Terry Crews. I was having a discussion with my best friend (shoutout to @_earthwindandtyler) the other day, and we discussed the importance of a diverse group of representatives, in all environments, whether its within media forms, political contexts or social situations. It is essential that the people who are raising awareness of issues within racial groups, genders, sexualities etc. be of that group, in order to accurately speak for members of the community. To put it simply, Hitchcock and Scully should not be allowed to be the leading voice of change for black trans women, being cis-gendered white men (though I doubt that this is idea has ever crossed the writer's room). It's a slightly amplified example, but you get what I'm saying. So in the fourth season of the show, in an episode entitled 'Moo Moo' - issues of racial discrimination against the black community were addressed. Though all members of the main cast were given the opportunity to comment and show their disgust of bigoted behaviour, it was Terry Crews who led the conversation and the narrative of this episode. As well as that, the cast features not one, but TWO incredible Latina women played by Melissa Fumero and Stephanie Beatriz, who are often given the opportunity to raise awareness of racial and gender-based prejudice. What's more is that two of the main characters are part of the LGBTQ+ community (!!!) with Captain Holt identifying as an openly gay man, and Rosa Diaz, identifying a bisexual.

I don't think the show is perfect, but nothing on TV ever will be. Perfection is subjective, but I think it's safe to say that there are a magnitude of things that Brooklyn Nine-Nine does well, which is why I think it should be the benchmark for sitcoms as well as TV shows in general. Aside from their 'wokeness', if you will, the show is no stranger to clever dialogue, hilarious performances and a brilliant comedic style - showing us that you don't have to be offensive, misogynistic, racist, homophobic or otherwise, to get a good laugh, and make a cracking show.

This is why I think Brooklyn Nine-Nine is so important.