Brooklyn Nine-Nine has been cancelled, and everything is most definitely not okay.
To quote Community’s always on-point Abed, we are living in the darkest timeline.
I know what you’re going to say. So many shows deserve to be renewed and are cancelled! Why is Brooklyn Nine-Nine any different? It met its fate. Let it go.
No. Do not let it go.
Because Brooklyn Nine-Nine is most certainly different. It is unlike many of its comedic partners, it differs astoundingly from those other comedies it shares a slot with. It’s not only incredibly funny, it’s also diverse, and controversial in the poignant way every contemporary show should be, lead with remarkable talent and created with such brilliant choices that it seems unfair to even start comparing it to other shows of its same caliber.
FOX, in the biggest mistake they could’ve ever made regarding their programing, has decided to let the show end in its fifth season. FOX, in the biggest mistake they could’ve ever made regarding their programming, has taken away a show that has broken boundaries and limits, a show that has become iconic, a show that has meant —and still means— so much to so many people. Seriously, they made Lin-Manuel Miranda and Mark Hamill mad.
And they don’t even have a valid reason for it.
THAT’S WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT LAUREN!@FOXTV, WHAT’S REALLY GOOD THO https://t.co/oJvPmdeR4e
— Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) May 10, 2018
Oh NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!! ???? I’m SO not ready to say #ByeBye99. Be forewarned @FOXTV-when networks dump shows I love, I’m known for holding grudges a long, L-O-N-G time. I’m still mad @CBS didn’t renew #SquarePegs! ?#EverythingILikeGetsCancelled https://t.co/NEry6Hrpng
— Mark Hamill (@HamillHimself) May 10, 2018
BEST DETECTIVE/GENIUS/SHOW/COMEDY
For five years, Brooklyn Nine-Nine has had a solid, consistent run. It has always been tonally accurate, the jokes have always been witty and delivered with admirable comedic timing. The rhythm, faster and faster with each episode, remains one of its most interesting characteristics along with its single-camera format and its unlikely troupe of police detectives. During five seasons, it has proven to be funny in each and every single one of its episodes, never once letting down the audience and always picking up the slack whenever something didn’t seem quite as right as it could be.
And if this last season has demonstrated anything, it is that the show has so much more in it. Not many shows accomplish a five-year run with the excellence that Brooklyn has, and even less shows have won Golden Globes in their first year. Yeah, that happened. Remember that, FOX?
The second half of season five has been one of the funniest string of episodes the show has ever delivered to its loyal audience. Many episodes, like “The Box”, have featured incredible guest stars that have elevated the episode’s quality —I’m looking at you, Sterling K. Brown— and others, like “Show Me Going”, have deliberately focused the attention on a controversial topic such as gun control policies to really dig deep into America’s most troubling resolves with a much needed positive spirit.
Nothing about season five’s second half indicated a possibility of cancellation. It wasn’t that the show’s writing had deteriorated. It wasn’t that the characters were no longer themselves or that the storylines were too far-fetched and unlikely. It was, as a matter of fact, completely the opposite. The characters had never been more grounded and developed. The writing was impeccable. The storylines were more topically relevant than ever.
Don’t even get me started on how well the cast was doing. Over the course of five years they had found the perfect balance, the perfect rapport, the ideal tone and rhythm to keep the show fresh and interesting, and yet familiar to its loyal fans. Every single one of those actors shone brighter than they ever had, having understood their characters perfectly, and surprising us with new takes on hilarious scenes and jokes that we’d never seen before.
Andy Samberg and Andre Braugher had definitely lead the ensemble well, because by this season, it was hard to pick a better actor. The squad had become one in a beautifully mutual feeling of support and camaraderie.
Thank you, squad, for always giving it your all.
DO NOT BLOW THIS FOR US
So yes, the last season proved time and time again that there hasn’t been an ensemble comedy as golden as this one in decades. But you know what? Forget about the stable writing and consistent comedy. Forget about how incredibly well the characters were built and developed. Forget about how, from a technical standpoint, this show was as good as a show can get.
Think about what this show means.
Think about what it meant that two Latinas could have their equal place in a male-lead environment. Think about the relevance of a gay, black man being in charge of his own precinct and fighting for change. Think about the millions of girls out there who can finally proudly identify as bisexual and have a fiercely strong woman like Rosa Diaz to thank. And think about every single great discussion Brooklyn Nine-Nine has brought to us concerning racism, homophobia, gun violence, and police brutality.
Take a minute to sit down and think about everything they’ve taken from us and realize that canceling this beauty of a show means canceling so many things it stood for. No matter where you came from or what you looked like or what you enjoyed doing, the Nine-Nine always had a place for you.
Because if this show is worthy of being saved it isn’t strictly because of how exceptional it is story-wise or writing-wise. It’s because it has opened the doors for women to become stronger, to identify themselves with intelligent characters that are celebrated because of their quirks and flaws. It’s because it has been courageous enough to normalize gay marriage and being part of the LGBT community in ways no other show has. Brooklyn Nine-Nine has offered us debates on homophobia and racism and fed them to us as mature, adult conversations that have to be had in respectful and positive ways. It has set the stage for loving, healthy relationships based on mutual support and admiration, whether they be romantic or platonic.
And let’s be honest, it has provided us with some of the best cold opens in comedy history, and it’s been a land mine of reaction images and memes.
But beyond that, this little comedy show that appeared with shy eyes and swept two Golden Globes in it’s first year —seriously, this really happened!— gave us hope, and a reason to believe things could and would be better in a world that seems to want to abolish all light. It’s hard to describe how heart-wrenching it is to see that such a wholesome show that’s so unique and gorgeous in so many ways has to go. It shouldn’t have to go. Brooklyn Nine-Nine stands for everything we need to start the much needed change we are only just getting started with. You cannot take this away from us.
But if this show has taught us anything it is to fight for what we love and what we believe, no matter what.
#SAVEB99
So this is an official shoutout to every platform thinking about picking up this racially diverse, hilarious ensemble comedy. Netflix, Hulu, TBS, NBC… Anyone who will listen. Please save this show. Please pick it up for another season, and another, and another. You will not regret it one single bit, I promise you.
To the fans: tweet #SaveB99 and #RenewB99 to show your support and discontent with FOX’s decision. Make sure your voice is heard by those who are thinking about picking Brooklyn Nine-Nine up. Make edits, videos, write about why you love the show so much. Fight for it!
There are so many more stories we have to accompany the squad in.
Please do not let them down.
Hopefully not for the last time,
Nine-Nine!
