From creators Dan Goor and Mike Schur (two of the brilliant minds behind PARKS AND RECREATION) comes FOX’s latest Tuesday-night-comedy, BROOKLYN NINE-NINE (8:30/7:30c).  Starring Andy Samberg (doing what Andy Samberg does) and Andre Braugher (who is funnier than I would have given him credit for), in addition to a really great supporting cast, the show offers something I didn’t ever expect that I was looking for: a police procedural that is actually an office-comedy.

Samberg is plays extremely cocky Detective Jake Peralta; Peralta is actually really good at his job but maybe even better at goofing off and being an idiot, basically because he has the ability to put his money where his mouth is, and get the job done.  That all changes, though, when along comes new Captain Ray Holt (Andre Braugher – so funny), whose discipline and neck-tie requirements immediately clash with Jake’s lack of focus. Jake’s partner, Detective Santiago (Melissa Fumero), takes so much pleasure in his pain (they have a great back and forth that means somewhere down the line, we may be likely to find them paired off and fighting over domestic issues), while also sucking up to the Captain, looking for her “Rabbi!”  The rest of the cast feels like they’ve been working together forever – Joe Lo Truglio is always a favorite, love Chelsea Peretti and Terry Crews, and Stephanie Beatriz (as the super mean but also well-meaning Rosa) is a great find.

There is a severe lack of quality in a lot of the comedies we’re getting from the networks this fall, but BROOKLYN NINE-NINE is a total standout for how solid a show it is. Like I said, the cast feels like they’ve been shooting forever; it was a pilot for a show in the most basic way: it introduced us to the characters, but in a way that felt organic and not full of exposition.  Above all things, because this is what’s important in comedy: it made me laugh, a lot, and more than I was expecting.  I was worried that Samberg would be too Samberg-y (you know what I mean), or that he would pull focus from the other fine actors in the ensemble, and that honestly couldn’t be further from the truth.  He seems to feed off of their energy and everyone was funnier just by being around each other. I find myself actually excited to see what they do next – consider BROOKLYN NINE-NINE in my top 5 for fall!

Start your FOX Tuesday at 8:30/7:30c (as if the 8/7c doesn’t exist), and let us know what you think!
Check out a great bunch of gallery shots and first-episode images in the gallery below (click on any image to open a slideshow / hover over any image for details)!