NBC has renewed Brooklyn Nine-Nine for season 8, ahead of season 7’s premiere in February. The acclaimed comedy series has traveled a surprising path so far, beginning with its development in the early 2010s. Creators Dan Goor and Michael Schur originally pitched the show to NBC, but the network passed and it landed at Fox instead. Five seasons later, Fox cancelled the beloved series due to its less-than-stellar ratings, only for NBC to step in and save it at the last minute.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine season 6 premiered on NBC back in January and immediately enjoyed a ratings boost from season 5. As a result, the Peacock Network ultimately renewed the series for a seventh season, setting it to return in early 2020. And while some fans have been wondering if season 7 could be the show’s swan-song (considering how few comedy shows even make it that far nowadays), NBC has gone ahead and made it official: the Nine-Nine squad will, in fact, be back for more in 2021.
A video was posted to the official Brooklyn Nine-Nine Twitter account today, announcing the show has been renewed for season 8 (ahead of season 7 airing next year) and revealing the cast’s reaction to the news. You can check it out, below.
NBC’s decision to renew Brooklyn Nine-Nine certainly makes sense, even if the announcement was made earlier than anyone was expecting. Critics agree the series didn’t suffer a dip in quality after changing networks for season 6, and remains as capable as ever at not only delivering wacky comedy, but also tackling important issues (like sexual harassment and the #MeToo movement) in thoughtful and sensitive ways. Brooklyn Nine-Nine‘s storytelling was a bit more serialized in season 6, so it will be interesting to see if that carries over into season 7 and beyond. The show is still generally episodic, however, so it shouldn’t struggle too much to keep things fresh for the immediate future. By comparison, Schur’s other beloved NBC series, The Good Place, always had a limited shelf life, which is why it’s wrapping up after its currently-airing fourth season.
Even with its early renewal, there are still a few question marks hanging over Brooklyn Nine-Nine‘s head right now. One of them (and easily the saddest) is the matter of Captain Raymond Holt’s clever pup Cheddar. Stewart, the corgi who’s played Cheddar the longest, passed away in July, and it remains to be seen if Brooklyn Nine-Nine addresses the situation in-show or simply brings in another dog to play him. And speaking of Holt: season 6 ended with the 99th precinct’s beloved leader having been demoted to directing street traffic by his old frenemy (and the NYPD’s newly-appointed acting commissioner) Madeline Wuntch. That’s to say, all is far from okay for the characters of Brooklyn Nine-Nine, even as the show itself continues to thrive.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine returns for season 7 on February 6, 2020 on ABC.
