New York’s 99th police precinct used to do police work casually and without excessive pressure. But the new captain, first openly gay captain, must prove himself. Rigorous and meticulous, even fussy, he sees investigative work as something that must be carried out without shortcuts or approximations. This change triggers mixed reactions… Detective Santiago loves it, Detective Peralta rebels, and the others adapt. But for all their faults, the gang of cops is a team player when it comes to stopping the bad guys.
Why it is an excellent series ! Like any good parody, Brooklyn 99 takes the codes of a detective series very seriously. Office work, field investigations, tensions, doubts, mysteries, dead-ends and the excitement of solving a mystery… All the ingredients are there. Dialogs are brilliant, it’s funny, without pretension. But the real trump card of the series are the characters ! Each of them has a fragility that makes them immediately endearing. The impassive Holt hides his tenderness and generosity. Peralta and Santiago are looking for a father figure. Charles needs affection, Terry needs to be reassured, Rosa needs to hide her sensitivity. Even Hitchkock and Scully are not as useless as it seems. This team of oddballs quickly becomes a second family.
Supported by an impeccable cast, right down to the secondary characters, the series manages to combine funny entertainment with an ode to tolerance. The darker final season reflects on police violence, without losing its corrosive humor.
8 seasons, 153 episodes (20 mn), 2013-2021, on Netflix
Created by Dan Goor and Michale Schur, with Andy Samberg / Peralta, Andre Braugher / Holt, Joe Lo Truglio / Charles, Melissa Fumero / Amy, Stephanie Beatriz / Diaz, Terry Crews / Terry, Chelsea Peretti / Gina, Dirk Blocker / Hitchcok, Joel Mc Kinnon Miller / Scully…