If you’re living under a rock and don’t know what Brooklyn Nine-Nine is, you are missing out on a world of humor and chaos all wrapped up into one. Here’s a quick synopsis:
The show was created by the minds behind Parks and Recreation and The Office so it’s no shock that they’ve blessed us with another fun, binge-worthy comedy. Brooklyn features a cast including Andy Samberg, Andre Braugher, Melissa Fumero, Terry Crews, and Chelsea Peretti. The show revolves around Detective Jake Peralta (Samberg), a carefree cop with a record to prove he’s the best at what he does. In episode one, they welcome a new commanding officer of Brooklyn’s 99 precinct, Ray Holt (Braugher), who is a firm reminder that all police officers should respect the badge. He’s full of structure, rules, and sharp wit, leaving the other cast members not knowing how he’s feeling, most of the time.
Fast forward to today, Brooklyn is approaching the end of its fifth season and Fox announced it would not be renewing the show for a sixth- cue fans from around the world freaking out. They took to Twitter, Facebook, Instagram – any social media platform that would listen- to write about their heartbreak. Sharing memes and perfectly fit screenshots from past episodes.
Surprisingly, according to Nielsen, its audience is not so big, averaging just under 3 million viewers for the season including those who watched within a week via DVR. The issue with Nielsen’s numbers is that it doesn’t account for everyone watching Brooklyn. Fox estimated the season five premiere drew 5.2 million viewers once audiences who streamed the show or watched on video on demand were counted.
So why did NBC pick the show up? Apparently, Robert Greenblatt, Chair of NBC, said they’ve been watching the show closely. The show is even technically already a part of the family, as it’s owned by NBC’s sister studio, Universal Television. While pitching the show, Fox beat out NBC in buying it thus NBC being heartbroken for five whole years.
We think social media also had a role in the decision, too. Brooklyn co-creator, Ken Tremendous, tweeted:
This happened because the fans of the show went berzerk. We can’t thank you — or @NBC — enough. #Brooklyn99
— Ken Tremendous (@KenTremendous) May 12, 2018
Fans of Brooklyn showed up to share why they loved the show and ultimately contributed to saving one of Fox’s longest-running comedies. With its return, NBC probably hopes they’ve garnered more excitement about the sixth season. Maybe they’ve enticed even more people to watch the show with all the hype that swept across social media.
how do you cancel a show with a scene like this, america explain pic.twitter.com/prBdea7g4x
— chloe (@bellmysclarkes) May 10, 2018
NBC is once again on track to end the season as the No. 1 broadcaster in both total viewers and the key 18-49 demographic, averaging 9.1 million viewers and a 2.2 rating.
We know we’ll be watching to see what happens next.