“Brooklyn Nine Nine” sounds terrible on paper: a new Fox sitcom starring Andy Samberg as a freewheeling, rule-breaking big-city cop who butts heads with his new by-the-book superior.
But "Brrooklyn" was created by former SNL writer Mike Schur, who wrote on the best seasons of NBC’s “The Office” before he co-created “Parks and Recreation.”
So the new sitcom is hilarious.
Andre Braugher, who used to wear Frank Pembleton’s badge on “Homicide” and last season commanded a submarine for ABC, seems a little overqualified to play straight man to Samberg, but he’s a welcome presence, as is beguiling “One Life To Live” refugee Melissa Fumero, who plays Samberg’s long-suffering partner.
The bad news is Fox has paired what is likely the best new sitcom of the new fall season with “Dads,” which may be the worst new sitcom of the new fall season. I wish Fox would offer “Brooklyn” the “Mindy Project” slot after “New Girl.” “Brooklyn” and "Girl" seem far more compatible.
All the critics love Fred Armisen’s admittedly hilarious blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo and love to compare “Brooklyn Nine Nine” to “Barney Miller”:
... easily the fall’s strongest comedy pilot, clever, appealing, feeling thought-through and lived in after only a half-hour. …
... one of my favorite new shows of the fall … There's obvious chemistry between Samberg and Braugher, Braugher and Crews, and Samberg and Fumero, and a clear sense of the world and the tone of the show — basically a mix of "Barney Miller" and "M*A*S*H" DNA updated for 2013 — along with a bunch of jokes that land. That said, the pilot is more of a smile-and-nod experience than a consistent source of laughter; one of the few laugh-out-loud moments comes from a weird cameo by another "SNL"er.
... Mild, affable and familiar, “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” is a show the whole family can snicker at. …
... The pilot really is laugh-outloud funny, and the supporting cast, which includes Joe Lo Truglio (“Superbad”), Chelsea Peretti (“Parks and Recreation”) and Terry Crews (“Arrested Development”) seems strong enough to keep Jake from crossing the line between hilariously annoying and just annoying. …
... the season’s best new sitcom. …
The San Francisco Chronicle says:
... Both individually and when they play off each other, Braugher and Samberg are reason enough to tune in to "Brooklyn Nine Nine."…
... No one will accuse “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” of too much authenticity, but it does have a confident breeziness in its banter that almost immediately locates a “Miller”-esque balance in the more absurd aspects of law enforcement. …
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says:
... The laugh lines come, but they're fairly inconsistent. Still, when they do hit -- particularly during a canvassing door-knock scene that includes a Fred Armisen ("SNL," "Portlandia") cameo -- it's easy to see "Brooklyn Nine-Nine's" potential to develop into a good, maybe even great, prime-time comedy. …
… If the show can cut down on crime and focus more on the squad room silliness, “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” has a chance of getting past probation. …
The creators of the cop-shop sitcom “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” – Daniel Goor and Michael Schur of “Parks and Recreation” – handle Andy Samberg perfectly. His adult kid, Detective Jake Peralta, is an important part of the workplace ensemble, but he doesn’t overwhelm the show. While’s he’s prominent in the premiere, he’s balanced out by the promise of a strong cast, most notably Andre Braugher as the tough new house captain. Just as Goor and Schur have built an extraordinarily faceted ensemble on “Parks and Recreation,” they’ve stocked the precinct house in “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” with potential. From the klutzy Joe Lo Truglio (“Reno 911”) to the witheringly sardonic Chelsea Peretti, there’s an embarrassment of riches here. …
... the season's most promising new comedy …
... Not as wacky as “Police Squad” or as droll as “Barney Miller,” “Brooklyn” occupies a comedic no-man’s land — affecting an irreverent tone seemingly designed to keep as many people out as it invites in. …
8:30 p.m. Tuesday. Fox.
