Brooklyn Nine-Nine cancelled by Fox, then saved one day later by NBC

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Networks are in the process of announcing their fall lineups and with that comes the unfortunate news many fans dread, that their shows have been canceled. Just after I’d finished lamenting the cancelation of the CW’s Life Sentence (because a friend writes for that show), I received the news that many of us had feared for months:

Brooklyn Nine-Nine, the Andy Samberg led cop comedy with one of the strongest ensemble casts on television, was ending. B99 has been threatened for years and we all kind of waited with baited breath each season. Outlets like Buzzfeed, wrote please save articles before the announcement. Just quickly for the uninitiated: the show has good representation across the board: LGBTQ, POC, feminism, male friendships, female friendship and male-female friendships. They constantly address the balance between respecting authority and following your gut, as well as tackling subjects like corruption, profiling and discrimination . All of that sounds really deep – and it is – but the show does it all while remaining extremely funny. It doesn’t always get it right. A lot of people thought they stumbled in Season Two, which I understand. But it gets it right more than it doesn’t.

But none of that mattered, in the end, and FOX announced it was getting rid of B99 along with The Last Man on Earth, The Mick, The Exorcist and Lucifer. As soon as it was announced, Twitter responded. At first we simply reached out to each for cyber hugs and to express the depth of our sadness with GIFs:

But then we found out we weren’t alone, and were shocked as sh-t at who made up the extended squad:

When the big guns came out, we went from despair to hopeful. The cast themselves went from goodbye:

to rallying the troops:

And the roller coaster didn’t stop there. Just as we started to believe it was possible to reverse the cancellation, it was announced that both Netflix and Hulu had passed on the show. We prepared for the worst.

But then it happened, a hero in the unlikeliest of places:

I guess if I had been paying attention, this shouldn’t have surprised me. Apparently, NBC was in a competitive battle with FOX to bid on the show when it was first pitched. And Universal TV is NBC’s sister company so it’s like the prodigal son has returned, only this is a totally awesome and deserving son. NBC has, let’s say – not shown its best – for years. But I just realized that now two of the three shows I watch for my enjoyment will live there: B99 and The Good Place. It’s starting to feel like the Cheers years all over again.

One side note because this worried me when this all came up – I watch most of my TV on Hulu. By doing that, am I hurting my shows rating? This article says no. But just in case, I’ll set the DVR to record the show as well. And use only B99 gifs to express myself on Twitter from now on. And call NBC weekly to remind them they’ll have to cover my therapy bills if anything happens to my show.

The outpouring of excitement over the news was thunderous. I couldn’t possibly post a decent sampling so I’ll just let some of the cast let their feels to speak for all of us:

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Embed from Getty Images

Embed from Getty Images

Embed from Getty Images

Embed from Getty Images

Feel free to leave your favorite character in the comments (me – probably Doug Judy) or your favorite cold opening. Or just weep happy tears. In the words of Jake Peralta, Noice!

Photo credit: Twitter and WENN Photos

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34 Responses to “Brooklyn Nine-Nine cancelled by Fox, then saved one day later by NBC”

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  1. Lucy2 says:

    Nine nine!!!

    I so badly wish we could post GIFs here …

  2. Lozface says:

    What a roller coaster ride that was.
    One of my all time faves… it’s on Netflix here in Aus and I watch it over and over and over. Even in the shower.

    Best cast, so funny and the inclusion on the show is phenomenal. Powerful messages whilst being bloody hilarious!!

    So happy for more seasons!!! I even did an Amy celebratory dance. I hurt my back!

  3. SKF says:

    I wish someone would also save Last Man On Earth…

    • Myriam says:

      Yes PLEASE!!! That ending…….. I need to know who those people are! Don’t let it end like that!!! Let me say, Last Man on Earth portrays the end of the world apocalypse so much better than the Walking Dead. Facts

  4. JenE says:

    Doug Judy is a ray of sunshine, but I also appreciate the chaos that Adrian Pimento brings to a storyline.

    The line that never fails to make me laugh is Hitchcock yelling GET WOKE, SCULLY.

    This show is a gift.

  5. Beth says:

    I’ve never seen the show, but it looks like I must’ve been missing out on something good. I love Andys funny/dirty Lonely Island songs and music videos and it sounds like he’s on a good show I should be watching

    • Erinn says:

      He’s pretty much typical, goofy, wound up Andy in it, so I’ve enjoyed every episode that I’ve watched. But we stopped somewhere during season 2. I’ll have to pick it back up.

      • Alarmjaguar says:

        It definitely gets better. I’ve loved this past season. Lots of heart and still hilarious

    • lucy2 says:

      I would highly recommend it. It’s very silly, but once you get into it, it’s really wonderful.

    • hogtowngooner says:

      It’s such a good show! It’s definitely silly, but it’s equally very sharp and has an outstanding cast. Lots of parallels with Arrested Development, if you watched/liked it.

  6. Maum says:

    My 12 year old daughter and I just started watching it (Netflix in the UK).
    Nearly finished the 1st season and we love it so much. It’s our new Parks and Recs!

    I am beyond happy.

  7. justcrimmles says:

    Don’t think this absolves you for Freaks and Geeks, NBC 😒 #stillmad

    Love Nine-Nine, can’t pick a favorite. Because just when I think it’s Gina, here comes Terry. And his yogurt.

    I’ll miss Last Man on Earth, despite not watching it regularly. If Fox cancels Bob’s Burgers, I won’t be shocked, but I would be willing to glitter bomb their offices. And not just because I find Bob/H. Jon Benjamin weirdly attractive. But not NOT that reason, too.

  8. lolamd says:

    Woo hoo! I love this show. The ensemble has great chemistry. And Captain Ray Holt. “I did mean woke. But it’s grammatically incoherent.” I love his character the most. The Middle was the other show I loved that would make me laugh and now it is leaving.

  9. Sankay says:

    Just started watching Lucifer a few months back and enjoy it too. It’s light but I thought the ensemble is what makes the show.

  10. Marnie says:

    I love this show. This weekend was crazy and very emotional lol.

  11. Tiffany says:

    My favorite character is Raymond Holt, and his name is spelled R-A-Y-M….

    Guest character is of course, Doug Judy. He episode a season is the best and I look forward to it.

    This cancellation upset me more than Andre Braugher not receiving a Emmy for his work on this show.

  12. Annie says:

    Yay, 99! The back and forth between between Jake and Captain Holt gives me life.

    So many funny lines that I and my family have now incorporated into our everyday lives. Not sure what I laughed at more: Jake saying “the one and only! Blat! Blat! Blat!” in a Doug Judy episode or Captain Holt saying “Carla will be the FIRST to go,” in one of the Florida episodes.

  13. Maria F. says:

    I love the show. All the characters are special, the only one that is sometimes tiresome is Gina Linetti (played by Chelsea Peretti). They have toned her down this season though.

  14. KB says:

    Brooklyn Nine-Nine and The Good Place both come from Mike Schur, who was also behind Parks and Rec. His comedies are so high quality and just so delightful to watch. He’s also producing a show called Abby’s that NBC just picked up for midseason. It stars Natalie Morales who played Lucy on Parks and Rec.

    I’m guessing since it was picked up for 13 episodes this will be its final season, but I’m still so excited about this news. It is such a wonderful show and it deserves a proper send off. I think Dan Goor, the other co-creator and showrunner is also super talented, so I look forward to seeing what he does next.

    • Maum says:

      i didn’t know that.
      I would describe it as a mix of Park and Recs and Scrubs in vibe so that would make sense.

  15. Fergus says:

    I love how it turns tropes on its head. Like the episodes where Boyle liked Rosa, she turned him down, then he takes a bullet for her, and instead of going with nerd dude wins the beautiful woman or nerd dude becomes bitter and angry, they just talk and are great friends.

  16. Jess says:

    As for Last Man on Earth, I’m sorta relieved it’s canceled. I’ve watched from the beginning and sorta love it but I hate Will’s character so much (I know that’s the point but seriously, they should have left him on that island). And the cannibal storyline was so gross – plus I’m sick of Fred Armisen). So now I can finally let it go.

  17. savu says:

    Andy *Samberg, maybe.

    I LOVE this show. I’m so glad NBC saved it and said they always regretted letting it go! #Holt4Life

  18. Moomoo says:

    Amy b/c I’m an Amy.
    And I love Jake, Boyle, Terry, Holt, Rosa…I love them all!

  19. Jen says:

    [Holt voice recorded on Gina’s Holt app] Get. Some. Get. Some.

    SO thrilled that B99 got picked up! Truly can’t begin to express how much I love this show and the wonderful and diverse cast. I literally laugh out loud at the jokes, even if I’m watching alone. Can’t think of many other shows that are pro-feminism, pro-lgbt, anti-toxic male masculinity, anti-discrimination etc while remaining hilarious and heartwarming.

    Also, I was a huge fan of Parks and Rec so clearly Mike Schur knows what he’s doing.

    NINE NINE!!!

  20. tealily says:

    I’m not a huge Andy Samberg fan, so it took me a while to get in to this one, but now I really love it. The cast is just so strong. I love that there are multiple female characters, and they’re all completely different, fully fleshed-out characters. There are multiple black, male characters, and same. It’s not just “diversity” for diversity’s sake over here. It’s actual, honest to goodness character writing. Solid comedy.

  21. Alexis says:

    Yayyyy…I was so bummed out about B99 being canceled!

  22. Cintra.C says:

    Yay! I love this show.

  23. Jag says:

    I’m happy for y’all! Please help #SaveLucifer, too. /fingers crossed