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Have you been watching?

Have you been watching ... Brooklyn Nine몭Nine?
This award몭winning US sitcom starring Andy Samberg is set in a
New York police precinct 몭 and brings some light relief to the
dawn we're witnessing in copper TV

Graeme Virtue
Fri 28 Mar 2014 06.34 EDT

19 132

B
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in True Detective.

Each of these shows has its own distinct merits, but apart from the occasional
rubbery faced reaction shot from Bradley Walsh in L&O: UK, none could be
described as a laugh riot. Even Channel 4's much-trumpeted, Danny Boyle-directed
pilot for Babylon – a prickly, satirical helicopter-view of the Met encompassing
everything from doofus bobbies on the beat to spineless spin doctors – wasn't really
that funny. Ambitiously conceived and stylishly shot, yes, but hardly a LOLcano.
(OK, there was a good gag about gluten-free Pom-Bear crisps, but that's about it.)

That's perhaps why it's so easy to fall for the siren song of Brooklyn Nine-Nine, E4's
low-stakes, pop-savvy workplace sitcom that just happens to be set in a Brooklyn
police precinct. The first season recently concluded in the US with a mild ratings
uptick to 2.6m viewers, apparently enough for Fox to order a second season. In
truth, it would have been a crime if Brooklyn Nine-Nine hadn't been
recommissioned, especially after it triumphed over more-established rivals to win
two Golden Globes in January (Best TV Comedy Actor for Andy Samberg's
performance as Jake Peralta – an immature braggart who also happens to be a gifted
and intuitive detective – and Best TV Comedy). It must have seemed like kismet for
E4, which had already scheduled Brooklyn Nine-Nine to launch the week after the
ceremony. Three months in, it has performed well, but I'm hoping that positive word
of mouth – and E4's habit of repeating the show all over the place – will push it
toward even greater prominence.

While it's unlikely that people will ever pore over Samberg's response to a teen
vandal who claims to be an immortal Highlander the same way that True Detective
fans obsess over references to the Yellow King, I like the way Brooklyn Nine-Nine
consistently comes up with robust, ripely comedic plots and then buffs up every
crackerjack line to an arresting chrome shine. It also comes in easily digestible half-
hour chunks, which can feel like a blessed relief when you're staring down the barrel
of another feature-length episode of Endeavour.

The UK is currently midway through the first season, a discombobulating flurry of

themed episodes dealing with Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. But after the
holiday shenanigans are over, things settle down into an even more confident
groove. There's a sense that show creators Dan Goor and Michael Schur, both
veterans of the slightly more wholesome Parks and Recreation, feel they've
satisfactorily established the dynamics of the ensemble cast and are now focusing
on deepening the characters and relationships.

Peralta is the smartass precinct golden boy – the Mahoney, essentially – who has his
larky fiefdom disrupted by the arrival of a new authority figure. Captain Holt, played
by Homicide: Life on the Street veteran Andre Braugher, is buttoned-up, exacting
and exceptionally intimidating, the legacy of being a gay black man trying to make it
as a cop in the 1970s. Braugher's immovable deadpan expression in the face of even
the most ridiculous squad-room hijinks is Brooklyn Nine-Nine's most reliable source
of laughs. A forthcoming episode where the usually imperturbable Holt becomes
addicted to a silly match-three mobile game called Cwazy Cupcakes – a regrettable
situation that requires him to repeatedly utter the phrase "Cwazy Cupcakes" –
immobilised me more effectively than a Taser-and-tear-gas special.

Despite the Brooklyn setting, there aren't that many jokes about hipsters, although
the klutzy Boyle (manic-stare-and-pratfall-expert Joe Lo Truglio) is a committed
gourmand who spins out almost hypnotic roll calls of artisan ingredients and
sophisticated dishes when he's not stubbing his toe or tumbling down fire escapes.
In fact, Brooklyn Nine-Nine doesn't seem particularly interested in mocking its
setting, or even the cops in general – it's more concerned with how our unavoidable
interactions with colleagues and co-workers can pirouette from wishing them a slow
and painful death to cathartic affection in a microsecond, depending on the
demands of each working day. It's a show with real heart. And Highlander jokes.

Still not convinced? Think of it as Parks and Recreation with more handcuffs. That
sounds sexy, right?

Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Thursdays, 9pm, E4.

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Television 몭 Have you been watching?
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