Brooklyn Nine-Nine S1-5

Cop shows are great for all-out action, sure – but they can also be great for a laugh. Start watching Brooklyn Nine-Nine and you’ll soon get sucked in by the hilarity, the wit and the good-natured humour of this popular series led by Andy Samberg.

Since its 2013 debut, Brooklyn Nine-Nine has racked up two Emmy Awards, two Golden Globes, two Critics’ Choice Awards and a GLAAD Award for its depictions of LGBT characters and relationships.

Michael Schur created Brooklyn Nine-Nine in the same comedic spirit and style as his other immensely popular series The Office and Parks and Recreation. He’s explored banal office life, small-town government departments, and in Brooklyn Nine-Nine, a standard New York police precinct. But the wacky behaviour of the staff in this precinct is anything but standard. Leading the line is Detective Jake Peralta (Samberg) whose comic timing and energy could not be more fitting for the rapid-fire one-liners of the Nine-Nine.

The series would not be as beloved as it is if it weren’t for the ensemble cast. Andre Braugher’s dead-pan performance as Captain Holt has been praised for its depth and comedic delivery, while Gina, Boyle, Terry and co deliver just as many laughs with their idiosyncratic gags and foibles.

When we turn to TV for comfort and laughter, there is nothing more satisfying than relentlessly clever comedy writing topped with a big dollop of sincere friendship. As Carli Velocci at Mashable observed: “The characters care about each other and support one another. The worlds they inhabit might not be perfect, but it always ends up fine because the characters have each other. That’s a heartening idea and one worth cherishing.”