We all breathed a sigh of relief last spring when NBC rescued Brooklyn Nine-Nine after FOX unceremoniously cancelled the beloved sitcom. The series returns next week for an 18-episode sixth season, which will pick up after the events of the fifth season finale, which saw long-time couple Jake Peralta (Andy Samberg) and Amy Santiago (Melissa Fumero) getting married and Captain Holt (Andre Braugher) appointed Commissioner.
We visited the set of Brooklyn Nine-Nine and talked to the cast about their resurrection on NBC and what season six holds for the gang. First, we checked in with the best couple on the show: Hitchcock (Dirk Blocker) and Scully (Joel McKinnon Miller). Of their onscreen chemistry Blocker said, “In my humble opinion, I think it’s worked beautifully. We enjoy each other’s company to begin with, in real life, although we didn’t know each other prior to this, we knew of each other.” He followed up saying, “we used to show up at same auditions, and then we found out our paths had crossed through several people we know … you can’t beat this partner, he’s the best.”
Comedian Chelsea Peretti, who plays Gina Linetti on the show, discussed leaving the series, which she announced last year on Twitter:
confident, idiotic-but-smart, pithy, and infused with rhythm and cell-phone radiation. ❤️💯It is hard for me to know exactly what to say. Perhaps Emmy Rossum said it best when she wrote about Shameless (I bolded the extra relevant parts in her quote below):
— Chelsea Peretti (@chelseaperetti) October 3, 2018
Peretti said of Gina’s departure, “she’s spreading her wings, she’s given so much to do in comedy and in, kind of, the more deeper emotional stories, so I think it will kind of, give everyone a little mix of what they need to let her go.”
Melissa Fumero had some thoughts on the series cancellation, saying “the Nielsen system [of ratings] is very dated, and isn’t an accurate measurement of who watches what, and what shows people are talking about and what’s popular, you know, our ratings have always been good, okay, and then we got cancelled and like, the internet exploded, and there was all these people that came out that watched it, and WE didn’t even know that many people watched the show … and a lot of young people watch the show, they probably watch it on Hulu or on their phones.”
Peretti agreed, saying “I think our fans are introverted, they weren’t gonna be vocal until they absolutely had to, but it is sort of a good reminder that if you love something, you should be vocal about it because it does help, but also, having written for Parks and Recreation, I saw that show keep having a new life, so for me I think this does happen. Shows get saved now … If you do have good writing, which is rare, and a good ensemble, which is rare, there is someone who is gonna want to capture that, you know.”
Fumero discussed the Jake and Amy dynamic and whether or not it has changed since they got married. She said, “I think they’re still gonna be the same, and we’ll see them, in general, just becoming really like, adults. Amy’s a sargeant now, and there will be things coming up that maybe they haven’t discussed before, but they’re still going to be Jake and Amy. Just with paperwork!”
Andy Samberg also discussed the show’s return saying, “It was really fortuitous for us, it was awesome that NBC heard the voice of the fans and it was obviously really moving for us that the people who loved the show spoke out so enthusiastically.”
Showrunner Dan Goor, who created Brooklyn Nine-Nine with Mike Schur (The Good Place), also referenced their time on Parks and Rec saying, “Parks and Rec was always on the bubble, and Mike Schur’s philosophy was always, ‘put down your head and make the best show you can make and just put everything else out of your mind’ and I think that’s really what we have always tried to do.”
Stephanie Beatriz, who plays Rosa Diaz, said her character would continue to adjust to being out. Rosa came out as bisexual last season, and Beatriz is openly bisexual in real life. She said, “she’s known she’s been fine with it forever, and when people choose to come out is up to them, for Rosa it happened that she was ready, and she let her friends and family know, and unfortunately not everyone embraced it, and I think that is the real journey you’ll get to see explored this season, a continuation of whether or not her family decides to embrace who she really is, or whether or not they continue to separate themselves from her. I’m really excited to see where her love life goes.”
Terry Crews, who plays Terry Jeffords on the series, had spent much of 2018 as one of the #MeToo Movement’s most vocal men. On coming out with his own experience of sexual misconduct he said, “I’m proud to be this voice, one of many, there’s a lot of other guys out there that have been saying the same things, but to be given this platform has really been like, my purpose … when you find it and you see what happens when you tell your story, other people feel safe to come outside, so it’s been amazing.”
Brooklyn Nine-Nine returns on January 10th on NBC.
(image: NBC Universal)
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