After an immensely successful run on two separate networks, fan-favorite cop comedy Brooklyn Nine-Nine will end with its eighth season. The series focused on the daily antics of Brooklyn’s 99th precinct and featured a diverse cast led by SNL-alum Andy Samberg and Emmy Award winner Andre Braugher. After an initial five-season run on Fox, Nine-Nine found itself on the off-season chopping block. Luckily for the procedural, it had managed to garner a large fanbase.
As such, a sky-rocketing amount of views on streaming combined with a loud campaign on social media led to a revival at NBC. Two more seasons followed, with the upcoming 10-episodes getting delayed due to the current COVID-19 pandemic. It looks like that season will end the long-running comedy, which is still waiting to return to production. Samberg has gone on record to state that filming will be back on track “fairly soon”. Series creator, Dan Goor, had the following to say regarding the end of Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
I’m so thankful to NBC and Universal Television for allowing us to give these characters and our fans the ending they deserve. When Mike Schur and I first pitched the pilot episode to Andy, he said, ‘I’m in, but I think the only way to tell this story is over exactly 153 episodes,’ which was crazy because that was exactly the number Mike and I had envisioned. […] Ending the show was a difficult decision, but ultimately, we felt it was the best way to honor the characters, the story and our viewers. I know some people will be disappointed it’s ending so soon, but honestly, I’m grateful it lasted this long. Title of my sex tape.”
Nine-Nine often found itself at the center of popular culture, as it pushed boundaries when it came to both POC and LGBTQ+ representation on mainstream television. Despite this, there was intense debate online about whether or not the show should continue following last year’s cultural re-evaluation in the wake of BLM protests against police brutality. Star Terry Crews subsequently revealed that the series’ writers had trashed the scripts previously written for season 8, opting to create new stories that addressed the current social climate. It’s unknown if this played a role in ending Brooklyn Nine-Nine. It’s comforting to know that this time, the ending will be on its terms.
Source: Deadline
