“Brooklyn Nine-Nine” (2013-2021) was an amazing show that had myself and many others breathing heavily through our noses. But how could we not, with a phenomenal cast including Andy Samberg, Stephanie Beatriz, Terry Crews, Melissa Fumero, Jo Lo Truglio, Chelsea Peretti, and Andre Braugher (with Dirk Blocker and Joel McKinnon Miller added to the opening credits in 2019)?

It ran for eight years with eight seasons, and over those eight years, we were spoiled.

“Brooklyn Nine-Nine” was and still is a phenomenal show, covering topics such as sexual assault, sexual orientation, gender identity, the BLM movement, and many others. It treated serious topics with genuine respect and in a tasteful way while simultaneously staying funny. The show itself has been praised for its incredibly diverse cast, spotlighting multiple people of color and many women in positions of power. Two leading characters are Latina women (Beatriz and Fumero) and two are Black men (Crews and Braugher) which is extremely rare for mainstream comedy.

The show also has not one but two people of different sexual orientations. With romantic partners being shown on the show continuously, the stories about them are fully fleshed out and extremely well-written. Unlike most shows who use their queer characters purely for comedic relief, “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” writes them beyond stereotypes and never subjects them to homophobic “jokes.”

The story is also a huge plus for the show, as every episode is a new adventure in the streets of Brooklyn, but it never gets tiring. Even though there are eight seasons, the characters never do something that doesn’t make sense or isn’t like them. And the characters themselves are some of the most fleshed-out and well-written characters I have ever had the pleasure of watching. With constant character development and with the breaking of stereotypes, every character is loved.

Take Boyle, a man who does traditionally feminine things and watches Disney movies for bro night. He also had a huge crush on Rosa in season one, but the writers didn’t try to push it anywhere, and didn’t try to make the romance go on for the whole show. The crush started and ended in season one. Rosa herself is a great character, with an intense moment in which she comes out to her parents as bisexual, who react in a hurtful way. Jake (who is somewhat our main character), too, is developed beyond being a traditionally bro dude who doesn’t play by the rules and seems to be a man child. He falls in love and learns from all his mistakes, but is never cruel to his peers.

The show: amazing. The characters: amazing. The jokes: AMAZING. This show is incredibly well produced and even though I cannot make you do anything, I can tell you, if you can, watch the show. It’s worth it.