Brooklyn Nine-Nine - Season One
Andy Sandberg finds the perfect vehicle for goofy humour in hilarious series
Saturday Night Live alumnus Andy Sandberg has found the perfect vehicle for his goofy humour in Brooklyn Nine-Nine. He takes the lead as Detective Jake Peralta, the precinct's top cop who butts heads with the uptight new Captain Ray Holt (Andre Braugher). He's like a younger, funnier, less irritating Adam Sandler exhibiting some effortless comic timing and, despite the braggadocio, manages to make Peralta likeable and human.
Sitcoms live and die on the relationship between characters and Brooklyn Nine-Nine features a menagerie of weird and wonderful officers: the inscrutable Captain Holt; over-eager people-pleaser Amy Santiago (Melissa Fumero); man mountain Sergeant Jeffords (Terry Crewes); the permanently scowling Rosa Diaz (Stephanie Beatriz) and the bumbling Charles Boyle (Joe Lo Trugilo). Only the receptionist Gina (Chelsea Peretti) takes things a step too far and lapses into irritating.
That there's a crime to solve nearly every episode, from murder to graffiti, gives the show a solid structure. Great gags, a fantastic ensemble cast and a dynamic energy mean Brooklyn Nine-Nine strikes the perfect balance between slapstick humour and tightly scripted character comedy.