As someone only used to sitcoms with the live audience laughing in the background, Brooklyn 99 felt unreal and unfunny to me. But yes, I was wrong. It was only during the first lockdown that I watched this show, which will always remain one of my favorite sitcoms of all time.

Brooklyn 99 is a show based on a particular NYPD regiment in Brooklyn called Brooklyn 99. Unlike our assumption of a police station, Brooklyn 99 is a fun place with some cool detectives. They solve crimes, have fun, and repeat. But what is striking about Brooklyn 99 is how it doesn’t compromise on the perception of NYPD in the real world. It entertains us but also keeps up the seriousness of the duties handled by the force.
It’s not an easy job to be a cop, and Brooklyn 99 never lets go of this fact. We see how passionate every cop in Brooklyn 99 is about their job, except Scully and Hitchcock of course! The cases that the detectives solve take some thrilling twists and turns, an exciting combination of humor and thriller, offering us the perfect dose of entertainment.

Quiz: Play the Ultimate BROOKLYN 99 Quiz!

As a fictional representation of a highly important social structure, Brooklyn 99 also comes forward to shed light on issues of social importance. Amy’s workplace harassment segment, Terry’s encounter with racist cops, etc. speak volumes.

The series has done its fair share in destigmatizing conventional characters. We could never imagine a black gay cop as the captain of a regiment if it weren’t for Raymond Holt. Rosa coming out as bisexual and owning her sexuality is one of my favorite elements from Brooklyn 99. Being a cop show, identity issues are simply optional for the narrative but including them in the storyline is encouraging and inspiring.

I remember what Holt says to Rosa when she comes out as bisexual, “Every time someone steps up and says who they are, the world becomes a better place, an interesting place. So, thank you! “

Not many series speak about the struggles of conceiving a child. The process is exhausting and tiresome. The segment where Jake and Amy struggle to have a baby is a homage to those struggling couples. I remember where Melissa Fumero, who plays Amy, said in an interview how many people reached out to her and thanked her for actually showing the tiring efforts required sometimes to conceive.

Speaking of Jake and Amy, yes, they are the cutest TV couple ever but their relationship is much beyond that. Jake supporting Amy while she’s perplexed about how her promotion might affect their relationship is everything I wanted to see. Jake takes pride in her success rather than being affected by the male ego. Even when it comes to parenting, Jake gives some major partner goals. They say there’s a difference between being childish and childlike, Jake would be the perfect example to demonstrate that.

It was officially confirmed by the team that the final season of Brooklyn 99 was rewritten to adapt to the George Floyd incident that shook the entire world. This is a piece of evidence that the show, though fiction, wanted to be relatable to the real world.

Brooklyn 99 does all this without coming out as preachy or intense. It does all this with lighthearted humor which in turn makes us think. The show is undoubtedly brilliantly written.

Jake may be the main lead but every character has their own interesting story, thereby not reducing Brooklyn 99 into a one-man show.

The final season of Brooklyn 99 may not be as funny as its previous expeditions but it sure offered a heartfelt goodbye. It was probably one of the most entertaining goodbyes ever! Yes, you guessed it right, the heist! There hasn’t been a single season without the ‘Halloween heist’. Every season has some sort of twists making it impossible to figure out who the heist champion is. The finale had one of the best heists ever.
And with that heist ended a series that inspired me, enlightened me, and made me laugh till I could hardly breathe. As the series bid goodbye, all I wanted to say at the moment was, Nine-Nine!

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