Brooklyn 99: Every Christmas Episode

Brooklyn Nine-Nine‘s Christmas episodes featured some of the most heartwarming moments in the entire series, though there are only a handful of them. Known for its running gags, hilarious cold opens, and excellent ensemble cast, the police procedural sitcom has been considered as one of the funniest shows of the last decade. While there were only a few of them, the Christmas installments were some of Brooklyn Nine-Nine‘s most memorable.

From holiday heists to taking pictures for Christmas cards, Brooklyn Nine-Nine featured many sequences that perfectly set the mood for the time of year. The holiday always played a part in each of these episodes no matter how small and reminded audiences why it was so important to celebrate, whether it was with family, friends, or even co-workers. While Brooklyn 99‘s Halloween heists episodes were arguably more entertaining and recognizable, the Christmas episodes tended to have more compelling moments that could tug at viewers’ heartstrings.

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1 Christmas

Season 1, Episode 11

Brooklyn Nine-Nine‘s Terry Jeffords is debatably the heart of the series, and he is put to the test in season 1, episode 11 “Christmas” when he undergoes a psych evaluation in order to get back out on the field. Meanwhile, Captain Holt investigates a flurry of death threats he has been receiving, and Peralta is put in charge of protecting him and bossing him around. In turn, Jake is up to his usual antics by annoying his boss and creating all sorts of chaos. Unsurprisingly, the show’s first Christmas episode is filled with a lot of humor and features one of its funniest cold opens.

The holiday isn’t focused on that much in the first Brooklyn Nine-Nine Christmas episode, but “Christmas” manages has a balance of humor and compelling moments. When Terry overcame his fears and went back to work on the field just in time to save Holt’s life, it displayed a strong amount of growth for the character. B99 was also still finding its footing at this stage in the season, especially since the first Christmas episode had to follow up Nine-Nine‘s pilot episode along with the first Halloween heist and Thanksgiving entries.

2 The Pontiac Bandit Returns

Season 2, Episode 10

The second Christmas episode in Brooklyn Nine-Nine surprisingly doesn’t have the December holiday as a major plot point, instead serving more as a subtle backdrop. Most of the story centers on the return of Craig Robinson’s Doug Judy, also known as “The Pontiac Bandit.” Jake finally gets the chance to put his nemesis behind bars, but Judy gives the 99th Precinct information on busting the ringleader of the Giggle Pig drug ring in exchange for a reduced sentence. Concurrently, Chelsea Peretti’s Gina Linnetti and Boyle try to sabotage their parents’ relationship, while Amy makes Captain Holt a Christmas gift, even though he has a strict “no-gift policy.“

Brooklyn 99 season 2, episode 10 “The Pontiac Bandit Returns” features many of the same plot beats that audiences would go on to become accustomed to, such as Doug Judy escaping from Peralta’s pursuit and Amy kissing up to Holt, along with Gina constantly getting disgusted by Boyle. However, because the Holiday season takes more of a back seat, it’s the one BrooklynNine-Nine Christmas episode that doesn’t feel festive — despite having relevant themes like Holt’s reasoning for not wanting presents and appreciating Santiago for correcting him on his mistake.

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3 Yippie Kayak

Season 3, Episode 10

Serving great quotes is key to the success of any television series. Season 3, episode 10 “Yippie Kayak” includes an excellent example of this during a life-or-death hostage situation. When Gina and Boyle help Jake with his Christmas shopping, they become involved in a crisis. Charles is left to save the day, and Brooklyn Nine-Nine pays homage to Die Hard by having Boyle butcher one of its most memorable quotes and saying, “Yippie kayak other buckets.“

What makes this Brooklyn Nine-Nine‘s best Christmas episode is how it juggles a real-life situation with its typical overabundance of hilarity among the squad’s police work. It’s an exciting storyline for Jake as well, because of how much he worships Die Hard, and for him this case feels like the action film has actually come to life. He uses his skills as a detective and his love for Die Hard to literally act like he is in the movie while he is attempting to save the hostages and capture the bad guys. The episode itself featured numerous Die Hard references in Brooklyn Nine-Nine, which was one of Jake Peralta’s most notable running gags.

4 Captain Latvia

Season 4, Episode 10

While the Nine-Nine precinct prepares for competition against the MTA Police during the annual Christmas singing competition, Jake helps Charles search for a Captain Latvia action figure to give his son Nikolaj as a gift for the holidays. During their pursuit for the toy, they encounter a Latvian criminal ring. Once again featuring an iconic cold open, season 4, episode 10 “Captain Latvia” displays an abundance of comedic moments, while also featuring emotional sequences that remind viewers that they are watching a Christmas episode.

Brooklyn 99‘s Jake Peralta has some of his most wholesome moments in this entry because of how much he is willing to do for his friendship with Boyle. What stands out is that it’s not just about making his best friend happy; it’s about seeing the look on Nikolaj’s face when he receives his present, serving as a reminder to Peralta of the childhood he wished he had and foreshadowing his eventual journey into fatherhood in the final two seasons of Brooklyn Nine-Nine.