Brooklyn Nine-Nine (Seasons 1-7; 2013-present)
Netflix
These days, the men in blue are painted as inhumane, dishonest and incompetent. With the ease of remotely recording them at work and with the benefit of hindsight, the public is quick to shoot, kill and bury the force. Things have become worst now, because of lockdown, as more vent their frustrations at the officers who are just trying to earn an earnest income (most of them anyway), carrying out duties assigned to them. Nobody likes to do the dirty job, but somebody got to do it anyway. What the powers-that-be can do is to improve public opinion. Like everything else in life, it is all perception. Police morale will further improve if they think that their job is given due credit by the public. They should not be looked upon as glorified gangsters working hand-in-glove with crooked politicians or even in cahoots with the very people they are supposed to protect the public from.
One imagines the overhanging mood in the office of the police is that of anxiety, frustration, denial, suspicion and anger. Against this backdrop, it is a relief to see this sitcom which seems to show that the police actually have a good time while still maintaining high successful arrest rates. Sometimes viewers start thinking that they have too much time in their hands, especially from watching their highly intricate Annual Halloween Heist.
What makes this series different from other sitcoms? For one, it is their choice of cast. This fictitious precinct is led by a gay black officer, Captain Holt, who has a sob story about his challenging climb up the ladder of promotion in the police force which is overtly discriminative against blacks, what more if he is homosexual. The lead character is this whacky, sometimes immature, mischievous detective, Jake Peralta, who is the prime mover in the office. He carries the baggage of 'daddy issues' because of his philandering and absent father. His love interest is Amy, a meticulous Hispanic officer, whom Jake eventually marries. Jake's best friend is Charles, a timid colleague who plays along with Jake's pranks. Then there is Sergeant Terry, a buff but family guy who dotes on his twin daughters. Rosa is another Hispanic detective who is an emotional and insecure one who is bisexual.
Gina is Capt Holt's private secretary who does more job online than in the office. She lives in her own make-believe world and comes out with witty one-liners. Two interesting characters who had seen better times in the younger days, Hitchcock and Scully, now spend most of the time dodging work, eating and just sitting around. In their heydays, they were menacing enough to still hold the record of solving the most number of cases in the precinct. Guess, they burnt out along the way.
The fascinating thing about the sitcom is that the writers always come out with some new story every time. From busting drug lords to meeting family members or outwitting each other to meet the Halloween challenge, there is always something to smile. They are plenty of pop culture references that an 80s kid can pick up and feel happy about it.
Avid followers (like my son!) would have to wait a little longer for the eighth season to premiere, due to COVID and the lockdown.
NetflixThese days, the men in blue are painted as inhumane, dishonest and incompetent. With the ease of remotely recording them at work and with the benefit of hindsight, the public is quick to shoot, kill and bury the force. Things have become worst now, because of lockdown, as more vent their frustrations at the officers who are just trying to earn an earnest income (most of them anyway), carrying out duties assigned to them. Nobody likes to do the dirty job, but somebody got to do it anyway. What the powers-that-be can do is to improve public opinion. Like everything else in life, it is all perception. Police morale will further improve if they think that their job is given due credit by the public. They should not be looked upon as glorified gangsters working hand-in-glove with crooked politicians or even in cahoots with the very people they are supposed to protect the public from.
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| Rosa and Amy |
What makes this series different from other sitcoms? For one, it is their choice of cast. This fictitious precinct is led by a gay black officer, Captain Holt, who has a sob story about his challenging climb up the ladder of promotion in the police force which is overtly discriminative against blacks, what more if he is homosexual. The lead character is this whacky, sometimes immature, mischievous detective, Jake Peralta, who is the prime mover in the office. He carries the baggage of 'daddy issues' because of his philandering and absent father. His love interest is Amy, a meticulous Hispanic officer, whom Jake eventually marries. Jake's best friend is Charles, a timid colleague who plays along with Jake's pranks. Then there is Sergeant Terry, a buff but family guy who dotes on his twin daughters. Rosa is another Hispanic detective who is an emotional and insecure one who is bisexual.
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| Hitchcock and Scully S6E2 |
The fascinating thing about the sitcom is that the writers always come out with some new story every time. From busting drug lords to meeting family members or outwitting each other to meet the Halloween challenge, there is always something to smile. They are plenty of pop culture references that an 80s kid can pick up and feel happy about it.
Avid followers (like my son!) would have to wait a little longer for the eighth season to premiere, due to COVID and the lockdown.
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| Jake and Holt Plenty of laugher at Brooklyn-99  
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