If you’re wondering what Brooklyn Nine-Nine might look like after the sitcom’s reported “rethinking†following last summer’s anti-police-brutality marches, it looks like you’ll have one season to find out. According to NBC, the Michael Schur and Dan Goor police comedy will come to an end after its upcoming eighth season, which will air during the 2021–2022 television season.
Following last summer’s Black Lives Matter marches, sparked by the police killing of George Floyd, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, among many other police shows, was criticized for sidestepping issues of police corruption and the treatment of vulnerable and minority communities by law enforcement. In June, co-star Terry Crews said the show tossed the first four episodes of its upcoming season “in the trash.†Said the actor, “We have to start over.â€
Andy Samberg echoed that sentiment in July. “We’re taking a step back, and the writers are all rethinking how we’re going to move forward, as well as the cast,†he told People. “We’re all in touch and kind of discussing how you make a comedy show about police right now, and if we can find a way of doing that that we all feel morally okay about.†Said the Saturday Night Live alum, “I know that we’ll figure it out, but it’s definitely a challenge, so we’ll see how it goes.â€
Premiering in 2013, Brooklyn Nine-Nine aired on Fox for five seasons before its cancellation, after which NBC snapped up the Samberg–fronted comedy for three more, including this year’s upcoming season eight. Brooklyn Nine-Nine has won two Creative Arts Emmys and a Golden Globe for Best Television Series — Musical or Comedy, nabbing Samberg a Golden Globe and Andre Braugher, who plays the show’s stone-faced but kind Captain Holt, four Emmy nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy.