DON'T MISS AN EPISODE - Episodes 1 & 2 will be leaving 3rd September
How to watch the final season of 'Brooklyn Nine-Nine' on SBS and SBS On Demand
1. The food
Food is the engine that drives the Nine-Nine. Forget cheap jokes about cops loving donuts; these cops are gourmands (well, apart from Jake, who likes nachos). There’s Terry (Terry Crewes), whose love of yogurt is legendary. Terry loves yogurt so much it’s the password on his computer. When he’s put in charge of the precinct, one of the things he asks for is a yogurt fridge.
In contrast, you’d be forgiven for thinking Captain Holt (Andre Braugher) hates food. It’s only the blandest, most flavourless sources of sustenance for him – unless he’s doing something special for his anniversary, then he might put in a little effort to see what all the fuss is about. But it’s Detective Boyle (Joe Lo Truglio) who’s the true foodie of the crew, even if at times what he’s chowing down on barely seems to qualify as “food”. A stew that possibly has a stone in it (it’s actually “marrow-nougat wrapped in a thick toenail”)? Spicy wedding cake frosting? Octopus balls? You’re not finding these tasty treats winning any prizes on MasterChef.
Detective Boyle (Joe Lo Truglio) and Captain Holt (Andre Braugher) Source: Distributor
2. The guests
Finding quality guest stars is an art, and Brooklyn Nine-Nine mastered it years ago. The roster of guest stars is a collection of some of the funniest people in American comedy. The short-lived replacements for Holt might have made the crew suffer, but when you’ve got performers like Bill Hader and Ken Marino stopping by, nobody at home is going to complain. And while there’s been plenty of other memorable one-offs over the years (Nathan Fillion, Ed Helms, Tim Meadows, Nick Offerman, Nick Kroll, Maya Rudolph), it’s the recurring guests that really make the show.
Enemy turned frenemy Doug Judy (Craig Robinson) usually turns up once a season to steal the show; serious cop show veteran (and memorable 30 Rock actor) Doug Winter’s Keith “The Vulture” Pembrooke is always fun to see (for us, not the Nine-Nine cops). But it’s probably Holt’s rival (and now boss) Madeline Wuntch (Kyra Sedgwick) who’s been the show’s star guest player – if only for the increasingly harsh insult battles between her and Holt. Fingers crossed they all get a chance to take a final bow.
Doug Judy (Craig Robinson) and Jake (Andy Samberg) Source: Distributor
3. The relationship between Jake and Amy
Comedies have become more earnest over the last decade or so, and co-creator Michael Schur has played a big part in that push with series like Parks & Recreation and The Good Place. Brooklyn Nine-Nine is more overtly silly than either of those, which should make big emotions harder to pull off. But no: it’s a series more than happy to suddenly go dead serious emotionally. It gets away with it because the characters are so likable we’re willing to follow them anywhere.
Nowhere has that been clearer than the relationship between Jake (Andy Samberg) and Amy (Melissa Fumero). They started out as (highly competitive) friends, and began their relationship in season 3. At the end of season 5 they got married; at the end of season 7 they had their first child (named after John McClane from Die Hard, naturally). There’s been a lot of jokes over the years, but never at the expense of the bond between them. It might not be a love for the ages, what with all the sex tape jokes, but in a show with a lot of heart they’ve provided more than their fair share.
Jake and Amy (Melissa Fumero) Source: Distributor
4. The call-backs
Speaking of sex tapes – or the potential names for them – no show has been better at building an entire world out of running jokes and call-backs. Whether it’s following up a phrase with “the title of your sex tape” (a joke that so strongly identified the show it became the tagline for the entire final season in the US), Jake’s love of the word “cool”, Terry’s fondness for referring to Terry in the third person, Jake’s love of his made-up word “Bingpot”, Rosa’s love of Nancy Myers movies, Amy’s ex’s random attempts to propose to her, or Holt’s occasional not quite right attempts to act heterosexual, we’ve still barely scratched the surface.
The best known and most likely best loved running joke in the series would have to be the Halloween Heist, where once each season the challenge is to steal something from someone and become “The Ultimate Human” (previously “the Ultimate Detective”). The scams, fake-outs, double- and triple-crosses and general conniving have to be seen to be believed; it’s hard to imagine we won’t get one more instalment this season.
Source: Distributor
5. The cast
Over the years, a good sitcom becomes like a family. The better you know the characters, the less they have to do to make you laugh; often the set-up to a joke can get a big laugh, simply from knowing what kind of reaction is coming. Brooklyn Nine-Nine has always been a show where the main characters get along – they may compete, but they (almost) always get along. It’s going to be hard to say goodbye… title of your sex tape.
The 8th and final season of Brooklyn Nine-Nine premieres with a double episode on Friday 13 August on SBS from 9:30pm. SBS On Demand is fast-tracking episodes streaming from 10:31am for episode 1 and 11:01am for episode 2 (don’t delay, they will only be streaming for a limited time). New double episodes will be airing and streaming weekly.
Watch episode 1 now before it leaves on 3 September:
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