Serve and protect: Why Fox needs to renew ‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine’

As we fast approach the savage TV wasteland of the middle of May, in which broadcast networks decide which shows to cancel and which ones to save, there’s one particular show we’re very worried about – Brooklyn Nine-Nine. It’s around this time of year fans start to routinely sweat over whether the cop sitcom will return or not. The fifth season has easily been the best and funniest so far, but will it be the last? We hope not. Here are all of the reasons why Fox should renew Brooklyn Nine-Nine.

It can be dumb and absurd & that’s exactly what the world needs right now

Full of sharp, sparkling wit and moments of throwaway, ludicrous genius, Brooklyn Nine-Nine is a vast oasis of a series, offering an uplifting respite from the hell of our everyday lives. Like many of Michael Schur’s other comedy shows like The Office & The Good Place, Brooklyn Nine-Nine operates within a universe resembling our own while cunningly ommiting many of the horrifying markers that make life so entrenched with anxiety.

Without getting too hyperbolic about it – because it’s just a TV show and we don’t need it to survive (okay, maybe we do a little) – Brooklyn Nine-Nine is exactly the sort of feel good, comedic fantasy that can help cushion an otherwise terrible day. As you may have noticed, the world also happens to be full of terrible days. Do the math, Fox. We need this.

It’s full of sincere celebrations of humanity

One of the most endearing parts of Brooklyn Nine-Nine is seeing a diverse cast of characters with seemingly little in common (besides their job) coming together and supporting each other. Sure, Gina (Chelsea Peretti) is catty, Hitchcock (Dirk Blocker) & Scully (Joel McKinnon Miller) can be grotesque, and Rosa (Stephanie Beatriz) wounds with her deadpan sarcasm, but everyone at the Nine-Nine finds a way to tolerate each other’s foibles to become the best team possible.

If you find yourself repulsed by that idea, then congratulations – you’re a monster. For the rest of us, seeing the Nine-Niners creating a home-from-home in their stressful workplace and doing so with the occasional bout of lunacy is a comfort to be savored.

It has so much damn heart

If you haven’t cried at Brooklyn Nine-Nine yet, you’re either wholeheartedly lying or you have stale raisins for eyeballs. Sure, the show is hilarious, but when it wants to go deep it absolutely burrows. Hearing Rosa’s dad (played by an on-point Danny Trejo) offering his daughter a heartfelt acceptance of her bisexuality (“I want you to know that I accept you for who you are, and I love you very, very much”) was one of the greatest and most emotional coming out scenes on TV in recent memory. Plus, Jake (Andy Samberg) using a championship wrestling belt to propose to Amy (Melissa Fumero)? Sob central. It takes a lot to balance comedy with emotional storytelling, but time & again Brooklyn Nine-Nine brings out a moving surprise seemingly from nowhere and gives our hearts a little wake-up tickle in the process.

Andre Braugher is a national treasure

As the deadpan Captain Holt, Braugher delivers one of the greatest comedic performances to have ever graced our TV. His impeccably somber deliver of some of the show’s funniest lines is something we’re not ready to stop enjoying. In the past season, with the resurgence of Holt’s gambling habit, Braugher has showcased just how much more can be done with the character. As such, it feels as though we’ve only just scratched the surface of his immense comedy potential.

Terry Crews is also a national treasure

May we never tire of Terry Crews (Idiocracy) talking in third-person, flexing his pectoral muscles with delight, or welling up with tears while talking about his daughters. Both the character and Crews as an actor both have so much more comedic mileage left in them.

Oh hell, everyone in the cast is an absolute gem

Seriously. Every last one of them – right down to the guest stars – are absolutely perfect in the series.

Which reminds us: It has the best cameo appearances of any currently airing sitcom

Alt-comedy veterans like Jenny Slate (Obvious Child), Patton Oswalt (Young Adult), Fred Armisen (Portlandia), Maya Rudolph (Bridesmaids), and Jason Mantzoukas (The Dictator) have been an absolute riot on the show in various-sized guest roles. But it’s perhaps the more unexpected cameos like astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, veteran actor Eric Roberts (Inherent Vice), beloved geek-icon Nathan Fillion (Firefly), and legendary character actor Jimmy Smits (The West Wing) who keep the show feeling fresh and unexpected. Such cameos can sometimes come off as feeling a little gimmicky, but (with the exception of the New Girl crossover, which we won’t talk about) on Brooklyn Nine-Nine they feel part of the wondrous absurdity of the series.

There’s a lot to be explored in a potential sixth season

Gina & Charles (Joe Lo Truglio) are both relatively new parents, Rosa can live her best life as an open bisexual, Amy & Jake are about to get married, and Captain Holt looks set to become the next commissioner, which in turn would make Terry the new Captain and Amy the new Sergeant. Hey Fox? We want to see all of that happen.