Arguably the best comedy on television these days, Brooklyn Nine-Nine is every bit as good as long-running current sitcoms like Modern Family. It has one of the best casts in comedy, and the quality of each episode continued to rise in its second season, which began airing in September. Following the day to day misadventures of a group of detectives and their Captain in the fictional 99th Precinct of the New York City Police Department, Brooklyn Nine-Nine expertly weaves together slapstick humour with clever wordplay, only occasionally veering too far into 'silly' territory. Somewhat miraculously, the creative team generally leave the viewer with the feeling that these characters are actually good police officers more often than not, which is pretty incredible when you consider some of the truly dumb and ludicrous shenanigans that occur on the show. Andy Samberg has grown considerably as the lead, Jake Peralta, and his chemistry with female co-stars Melissa Fumero and Stephanie Beatriz (who both also bring plenty of funny) is excellent. Andre Braugher as Captain Raymond Holt is undoubtedly the crown jewel of Brooklyn Nine-Nine, however. What could have been a one-note joke (the stern, humourless captain) has instead been transformed in the hands of Braugher. Yes, Holt is stern and humourless, but that is precisely why he is gut-bustingly hilarious. His monotone, deadpan delivery makes pretty much every sentence a hoot, and the highlights of most episodes can often be boiled down to Holt quotes.
