Courtesy of NBC.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine Is Starting from Scratch After George Floyd's Death
Star Terry Crews says that the cast has met to discuss what comes next for the previously beloved cop comedy.
By Christopher Rosen
Once film and television production can resume safely amid the coronavirus pandemic, the writers, producers, and stars of Hollywood's many series devoted to law enforcement will have to decide how to move forward following the nation's cultural reckoning with police brutality and systemic racism. One such show that's been a major part of the conversation in recent weeks is Brooklyn Nine-Nine—which, before the death of George Floyd sparked outrage nationwide, was often considered one of television's most beloved and diverse comedies.
Speaking to Access Hollywood this week, star Terry Crews revealed that the cast of Brooklyn Nine-Nine recently met via videoconference to talk about "what was happening in this country and how the shift of consciousness is going on." Moreover, Crews said, previously planned episodes for season eight of the show had been scrapped.
"Our showrunner, Dan Goor—they had like four episodes all ready to go. They just threw them in the trash. They are like, we have to start over," Crews said. "Right now, we don't know which direction it's going to go in. But we do know that we had a lot of somber talks, we've had a lot of very, very deep conversations, and through this, we hope to bring something that could really, really truly be groundbreaking this year. We have an opportunity here, and we plan to use it in the best, best way possible."
Last month, following Floyd's death, a small movement started online asking those who earned wages while working on police procedurals and comedies—particularly those that promote positive viewpoints of law enforcement—to donate to charitable causes.
"If you—as I have—worked on a TV show or movie in which police are portrayed as lovable goofballs you have contributed to the larger acceptance that cops are the implicitly the good guys," wrote Monk executive producer Tom Scharpling. "Most shows don't portray the brutal shit—much less the racism—that goes on daily. I worked on MONK, that's what we did. Goofy good guy cops for eight seasons. Not saying you should be necessarily be ashamed of your work, it's comedy/entertainment, I get it. But we need to be mindful of the implications of this attitude going forward. We also need to PAY UP."
Scharpling's tweet was later echoed by Griffin Newman, who had appeared as a police officer on two episodes of the CBS show Blue Bloods. Newman's tweet then drew the attention of Brooklyn Nine-Nine star Stephanie Beatriz, who donated a large sum to a national bail fund.
Shortly after, the cast and crew of Brooklyn Nine-Nine announced they had donated $100,000 to a bail fund and condemned the murder of Floyd.
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Christopher Rosen
Christopher Rosen is a contributing writer at *Vanity Fair.*
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