“Brooklyn Nine-Nine” returned in “O-some” fashion this week, and as expected, the sophomore comedy still rules. Like their other comedic masterwork, “Parks and Recreation,” Dan Goor and Michael Schur bring every character to a level where any one of them can be your favorite. Andy Samberg (“Saturday Night Live”) continues to shine as Jake Peralta, showcasing enough goofiness while remaining as competent as you’d expect a New York City Detective to be. And like “Parks” ’s Leslie Knope, Peralta might be a fool, but when there’s a job to do, he can always be counted on.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine
A
Season Two Premiere
FOX
Sundays at 8:30 p.m.
The season two premiere, “Undercover,” featured so many strong lines and moments from the whole cast, including Terry Jeffords (Terry Crews, “The Expendables”) and Captain Holt (Andre Braugher, “Men of A Certain Age”) performing constant drills involving the 6’2’’ Jeffords masquerading as a confused old person, a seven-year-old boy named Timmy and a piece of “ticking” unattended luggage. Braugher, Emmy-nominated for his role, continues to kill it as Captain Holt and his back-and-forth banter with Santiago (Melissa Fumero, “Gossip Girl”), Diaz (Stephanie Beatriz, “Modern Family”) and Jeffords in the premiere is priceless.
Two of the biggest scene-stealers of the show are Gina Linetti (Chelsea Peretti, “Kroll Show”) and Charles Boyle (Joe Lo Truglio, “Superbad”). Each had their moments of hilarity following the harrowing (for Gina), life-affirming (for Charles) event of their sleeping together. For Charles, it meant a newfound confidence in helping Jake track down an escaped Mafioso. His insistence on the sunhat — because that’s what he thinks a Mafioso would wear — and his “tough guy” line, “There’s more where that came from. I got a real wet mouth,” all assure Lo Truglio’s Boyle to be one of the most frequently cited fan-favorites.
But the breakout star of the series is Peretti’s Gina. Following her fling with Boyle, Linetti’s usual swagger is diminished, donning a black sweatshirt with her new “spirit animal,” the naked mole rat, “God’s disgusting mistake.” When Santiago disses the shirt, Linetti snaps back, “Hey! Only I get to talk about my spirit animal that way, you don’t get to say that.” But it’s the delivery and Peretti’s performance — confident, self-deprecating, deadpan and always hysterical — that really sells the humor.
This episode also featured “Parks and Rec” alum Jenny Slate, guest starring as a mafia girlfriend whom Peralta must outwit. Given Schur and Goor’s strength in making memorable recurring characters, one really has to hope that Slate and many other former residents of Pawnee, Indiana might also soon find themselves at home at the 99th precinct in the form of guest roles. (Also, please give us a crossover episode of “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” and “Parks and Rec.” The world will be a better place.)
It’s only the beginning of the second season, and it’s tough to say with any certainty, but if the jokes keep landing like they have and the characters continue to be as lovable as they are, it looks like “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” might indeed be the next great television comedy.