TV crossovers and interconnected universes are the best things when it comes to fandom. But they can be super tricky, for it involves combining separate ongoing storylines into one project. It’s a daunting task for the creative group, which if not done correctly can end up being like Zooey Deschanel’s New Girl and Brooklyn 99 crossover.
Although people appreciated watching Zooey Deschanel in Brooklyn 99, it wasn’t a great idea to combine the comedy styles of the two shows. Further, what created the biggest mess out of the crossover was featuring the same actors in different roles in the two shows.
Zooey Deschanel’s New Girl and Brooklyn 99 Crossover
Back when New Girl was still running and Brooklyn 99 was under Fox, the two most binge-worthy sitcoms of the era came together for a two-part crossover. Although fans might have preferred the crossover story entirely under New Girl, Fox decided to equally divide it between Brooklyn 99 and Zooey Deschanel’s show. Therefore, fans of DeschaneI had to watch nearly 20 minutes of Brooklyn 99 before their favorite fictional L.A. teacher appeared in New York.
The first part of the crossover episode happened in the 4th episode of the 4th season of Brooklyn 99, titled The Night Shift. In that episode, fans witness Andy Samberg’s Jake Peralta, meeting with the requirement to commandeer a vehicle while pursuing a subject, when he suddenly stops a car driven by Zooey Deschanel’s New Girl character Jessica Day. Further, the episode was tipped off with Jessica getting some important life advice from Andre Braugher’s character, Captain Holt.
Thereafter, the second part of the crossover took place in the New Girl universe in a follow-up episode, Homecoming. This time, unfortunately, the crossover wasn’t as great as it was in Brooklyn 99, for Homecoming was awkwardly packed with characters from Andy Samberg’s show and featuring the lamest reasons for the L.A. natives to travel across the country. In that particular New Girl, fans witnessed Nick (Jake Johnson) and Winston (Lamorne Morris) try their hands at a street performance while Charles (Joe Lo Truglio) watched.
Brooklyn 99 Created a Mess With Another Cameo
After learning about the two-part crossovers between Brooklyn 99 and New Girl, one might wonder why the amalgamation turned into a mess. Well, it all happened after the crossover episodes established that Brooklyn 99 and New Girl exist in the same universe while forgetting about Damon Wayans Jr. who has appeared in both shows in completely different roles. This particular plot hole not only complicated the reality but also made things confusing for the audience.
While the actor plays a major role as an occasional loft resident and main character Coach, Damon Wayans Jr. simultaneously plays Detective Stevie Schillens, Jake’s former partner in Brooklyn 99. This whole character confusion made it suspicious for both Coach and Stevie since the crossover established that the two shows are in the same universe and timeline. Wayans Jr’s character confusion made people wonder how these two different men exist in the same universe.
Meanwhile, to create a greater mess, Brooklyn 99 came up with a random cameo featuring Nasim Pedrad, who played the role of Jake Peralta’s annoying little sister, Kate. Wondering how this ruined the crossover? Well, Pedrad didn’t just make a cameo in Brooklyn 99, she also appeared in a major role in New Girl as Aly, Winston’s (Lamorne Morris) partner on the police force and later his wife. Now, according to IMDb, Pedrad joined New Girl in 2015, while she was hired by Brooklyn 99 in 2017.
Therefore, while people were already struggling with Damon Wayans Jr’s character confusion and plot holes, Brooklyn 99 deliberately hired Nasim Pedrad for a cameo to complicate things even further.
New Girl is available on Peacock.
Brooklyn 99 is streaming on Netflix.
