The 2013 award-winning sitcom Brooklyn 99, successfully and uniquely incorporated comedy through the light-hearted nature of its characters. Simultaneously they also added suspense through the intriguing police cases that the squad would repeatedly encounter. But there were a few controversial episodes throughout the show that troubled the cast.
Andre Braugher who played Captain Raymond Holt, once spoke about his nervousness over the topic of police brutality in season 8. Although he believed it was an essential subject to address in the show, Braugher felt scared for his character’s reaction, especially after a controversial episode with Terry Crews.
Andre Braugher Was Anxious About Brooklyn 99 Season 8
Brooklyn 99 is globally known for its unique balance between comedy and addressing hard-hitting societal issues. Having a phenomenal way of addressing complex social issues like s*xism, corruption, racial profiling, and more, the show ventured into deeper things with Season 8, in the wake of police brutality following the death of George Floyd.
Confirming that the show writers had been crafting a storyline about police brutality, co-creator Dan Goor, informed fans about season 8. Actor Andre Braugher who played the role of Captain Raymond Holt in the show, stated that it’s imperative that the show addresses the subject. However, he also mentioned feeling quite anxious about how his onscreen character might react to it.
“Brooklyn Nine-Nine’ has to commit itself, as a comedy, to telling the story of how these things happen, and what’s possible to deal with them. I don’t have any easy answers, nor do I have a window into the mind bank of this writing staff.” Braugher told Variety.
Curious about how his character might react to the change that was being written at that time, Andre Braugher threw light upon his previous controversial episode with Terry Crews.
Also read: Brooklyn Nine-Nine: 18 Captain Holt Memes Proving He’s The Greatest Character In TV History
Andre Braugher’s Controversial Episode With Terry Crews
Previously in the show, Andre Braugher’s character Captain Raymond Holt was seen advising Terry Jeffords (Terry Crews) not to file a police report against a racist officer. The controversial episode “Moo Moo” in season 4 undoubtedly stunned fans, but it indeed showed the reality of events. Therefore, following that particular episode, Braugher’s anxiousness about his character’s reaction was completely justified.
“It might mean that Holt is a staunch defender of the NYPD, or that he tries to burn the whole thing down. I know that he is a pragmatic man; I do know that he’s a loving, [if] robotic person. I’m anxious to see what that’s all about, and I have no idea what Season 8 of ‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine’ is going to be, because everything’s changed.”
Further, questioning the capability of comedy to handle the weight of the subject of police brutality, Andre Braugher praised the show creator and the writers for even thinking of something so groundbreaking.
“Can a comedy sustain the things that we’re trying to talk about? I don’t know. It could be a really groundbreaking season that we’re all going to be very, very proud of, or we’re going to fall flat on our face.”
Following his interview with Variety, the actor was visibly anxious about his character as well as the execution of the show. However, eventually, in the wake of Black Lives Matter protests following George Floyd’s death, Terry Crews revealed that the writers had to undo their plans for season 8, and instead, they added a lot of somber talks about it and deep conversations.
