Fans ofBrooklyn Nine-Nine, possibly the best police comedy series sincePolice Squad(look it up, then watch it), have been bracing for the end ever since NBC confirmedits upcoming 8th season would be its last. But no amount of preparation is enough to soften the blow of losing a long-running favorite like this. True, 8 seasons might not sound like a lot, but a lot happened before getting to this moment, and now the show is ready to tie things up.
NBC has finally released the first teaser for the upcoming final season, and it’s really playing up the good memories angle. It’s one of those videos where an outsider will think it’s speaking an entirely new language due to the overwhelming saturation of inside jokes and running gags. But for fans of the series, it will feel like a warm hug as the inevitable conclusion looms on the horizon. It’s a long-awaited indication, especially after the writersthrew out their season 8 scripts and started overin response to George Floyd’s murder and the impactful 2020 Black Lives Matter protests.
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Featuring small clips fromBrooklyn Nine-Nine’s stars reiterating how much the show has meant to them, the short teaser compiles a number of memorable moments from throughout the series in rapid succession. This was smart, as it provides an optimal ratio of bittersweet remembrance to the time given, a statistic that would make Captain Raymond Holt proud. From all the Halloween heists the precinct pulled off to the exact number of times Andy Samberg’s Jake Peralta said “cool” throughout the first 7 seasons, it’s a bittersweet reminder of what came before and what little there is left.
For those unfamiliar with it,Brooklyn Nine-Ninefollows the 99th precinct of thenormally far less funny NYPD, focusing on the characters themselves and their hilarious interactions more than the cases they work like other police shows. Every series regular became a standout in their own right, from Stephanie Beatriz’s stone cold detective with a heart of gold Rosa Diaz to Joe Lo Truglio’s relentlessly supportive Charles Boyle, and fans quickly grew to love them all as they grew closer as both colleagues and friends. The series also has some of the most clever and snappy comedy writing this side ofArrested Development, and when that combined withB99’s heartwarming characters and progressive themes, baby they got a stew going.
It’s not entirely clear how the show will end. But many people, including its own stars like Chelsea Peretti,have suggested thatBrooklyn Nine-Nineshould “defund the police"as a reflection of the oft-repeated call to action heard in the real world. When the writers decided to change things up entirely due to the BLM protests, the reasons cited involved a discomfort with taking the world of police so lightly when it’s the source of so much grief and pain for marginalized communities in reality. So perhaps the new season will involve theNine-Ninefamily at different jobs entirely.
However it turns out,Brooklyn Nine-Ninehas been a heck of a ride for its fans and everyone involved. The stars seem just as sad to see it go as the viewers, and that’s the mark of a quality show right there. Besides, on the bright side, this means that the series gets to end on its own terms (more or less) rather than suffering through an abrupt cancelation or, arguably even worse, running long enough to drop off in quality before quietly ending with little fanfare. So raise a glass and shout it out one more time for posterity. Nine-Nine!
The 8th and final season ofBrooklyn Nine-Ninewill premiere August 12th on NBC.
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