I'm not gonna lie: if I'm going to pick a favorite sitcom of all time, it's going to be "Parks and Recreation,"hands down. I didn't even start watching "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" until a few months ago when I finally got wise to that sweet, sweet Spotify-and-Hulu-both-for-$5-a-month student discount.
I started watching the show because I'd heard a lot of recommendations from people with the same type of taste as me. But when I started it, I was thinking, Surely no show can be as sweet, funny, and kind as "Parks and Recreation" while also showing off a whole range of supportive and healthy relationships!
I was wrong. "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" is the perfect companion to "Parks and Recreation"because it is just as positive and sweetly hilarious but even more diverse and thoughtful in its treatment of its different characters. Okay, sure, you're thinking, but "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" is half-way through its fifth season. Why are you just writing this article now?
Well, if you've been out of the entertainment news and don't log onto Tumblr ever, you probably don't know that "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" has been making headlines lately. This is because in a recent episode one of the main characters, Detective Rosa Diaz, just told a co-worker that she was bisexual. For the first four seasons, we have only seen Rosa with men. Now, she's with a woman.
And it's that simple! There is no drama surrounding the fact and no huge revelation on the part of the other characters which changes how they look at Rosa. Rosa says, "I didn't tell anyone I'm bi because I didn't think it was anyone's business.” And that is, essentially, that.
It's refreshing to see bisexuality included in a television show at all, let alone to let be so seamlessly integrated into a character's story. There is no doubt that her unit will support her if she chooses to tell the rest of them because that's what they do: stand by each other.
"Brooklyn Nine-Nine" is all about the strong relationships between the members of the precinct, who are a cohesive family even though they are different genders, races and sexualities. I cannot think of any other sitcom where I've seen such a diverse group. There are two black men who are main characters on "Brooklyn Nine-Nine,"and they are the highest ranked policemen there. One of them is also an openly gay man, and there are two Latina women on the force.
As far as I can tell, most shows fall far short of this. The actress who plays Rosa, Stephanie Beatriz, said that when she heard that Melissa Fumero had been cast before her, she cried because she "was so happy to see a Latina on the show, but also so devastated because I knew… I knew there was not going to be any network that was going to cast both of us as ensemble leads on a show."
But she got the part. Oh, and did I mention that Beatriz herself is bisexual? And she's playing a bisexual character? See, I told you: wholesome.
It is this diversity, this acceptance, and these characters who support each other no matter what that make "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" truly great. I could go on and on for more reasons: its treatment of women, how the male characters admit when they're wrong, the healthy, lovely relationship between Amy and Jake. I'll let you watch it and find out. I mean, honestly, if you haven't watched it yet, what are you even waiting for?