Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Although it is not a show that I just found out recently, I just started Brooklyn Nine-Nine, a Golden Globe winning comedy after browsing several hours on Netflix. A few of my friends told me that this show was pretty good and I know it is a very well-received show, but I never go ahead and find it to watch. After seeing on Netflix trending page, I decided for a go, and boy am I hooked to this!

Brooklyn Nine-Nine is a cop sitcom set at a police station, Precinct 99 in New York City. It features a group of brilliant, yet childish and dysfunctional detectives in their daily work lives. The team comprises of Jake Peralta (Andy Samberg), a intelligent and wisecracking detective, who also loves Die Hard, Amy Santiago (Melissa Fumero), a smart, hardworking but nerdy in nature, Charles Boyle (Joe Lo Trulio), a bubbly and a food critic, Rosa Diaz (Stephanie Beatriz), a resilient, mysterious and emotionless tough girl, Sgt. Terry Jeffords (Terry  Crews) the toughest detective in the precinct, yet incredibly soft and caring, Cpt. Raymond Holt (Andre Braugher), a strict and by the book captain of Precinct 99, round up the cast is Gina Linetti (Chelsea Peretti), kleptomaniac, extreme narcissistic assistant of Captain Raymond Holt.

The show format are usually fixed. Each episode features a prologue (no relation with the rest of the episode whatsoever) of the casts doing ridiculous stuff and then pays off with big joke before going into the title card. The show then proceeds to split the cast into pairings, investigating cases or solving personal issues. Lastly, the casts usually wrap up the episodes together, celebrating or sit in the precinct talking about their story. The whole episode takes about 20 to 25 minutes.

I enjoyed watching Brooklyn Nine-Nine is definitely the cast. Cast is very important in an ensemble sitcom where the jokes need to feel natural and improvised without any stuttering between the casts. Even in weaker episodes, the show never felt stale. For Brooklyn Nine-Nine, the casts pairing usually resulting in a refreshing take of their relationships with each other, there are always new angle of story to explore with the cast dynamics. The characters are so different, yet the matchup is so good and it feels natural.

Another thing I like about the show is the jokes. The jokes in Brooklyn Nine-Nine takes its time to build up, making as much laughs as possible, yet it doesn't overstay its welcome. When the jokes deliver, they usually pay off with a big laugh out loud from me. The lack of laugh tracks is helping too, as some of the jokes need time to absorb in entirety to fully have the impact, having laugh tracks might derail the jokes as laugh tracks tend to laugh earlier than they should.

So far, Brooklyn Nine-Nine is halfway through season 4. I am currently halfway through season 3, the short length of episodes makes it very easy to binge watch and it feels like watching YouTube videos. If you're into sitcom or wanting to start a new sitcom to watch, Brooklyn Nine-Nine is a great choice. It is one of the funniest comedy in recent years.