5 Things We Learned About ‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine’ at San Diego Comic-Con

Brooklyn Nine-Nine took the cake as they closed out the first day of San Diego Comic-Con 2018 and won the hearts of everyone in attendance. The cast talked representation, Season 6, and family on their panel.

Andy Samberg, Melissa Fumero, Terry Crews, Stephanie Beatriz, Joe Lo Truglio, Chelsea Peretti, Dirk Blocker, and Joel McKinnon Miller, along with co-creator Dan Good, and executive producer Luke Del Tredici were in attendance for the panel. Michael Schneider of Indiewire joined as the moderator.

Here are 5 things we learned:

1. How Rosa’s Coming Out Story Came About

Stephanie Beatriz shed some light on how the storyline for Rosa happened.

“Dan is not only a brilliant writer but he is also a person who believes in equality and inclusivity and that shows in his writing. He was interested in possibly exploring the idea that Rosa might be queer but immediately when that started coming to the writers’ room, he asked me what I thought about it, because he wanted – we do have some writers that are gay, a couple now – but he wanted a bisexual person’s voice to be heard in that storyline, and it just so happens that the person that’s playing the character that they wanted to turn bi was also bi.”

“It was a gift, and I think we did it in a really amazing way. What I think Brooklyn Nine-Nine is very good at, and that I think you guys really love is that we are sort of tackling these “issue” things that aren’t really issues, that are just things that we are all dealing with and navigating in our own lives, and we do it in this fun, joyful way, in this idealized world in which everybody’s a feminist, everyone’s into equality, everyone loves their LGBTQIA family members – cops are good, in this world. So I was very thrilled to have a voice in that storyline and felt that it really reflected, at least for me, a lot of what is reality in my home life,” Beatriz said.

Dan Goor chimed in with his discoveries when they created Rosa’s bisexual storyline.

“There were so many things that kind of surprised, shocked and saddened me, that we found out in doing the episode. Apparently, Rosa saying on camera that she was bi, and using those words was like the first time that had ever happened on a network show, with a protagonist, where the character hadn’t been killed off instantly. That wasn’t our intention, and yet it was something we did, and I’m just going to say that’s crazy, again,” Goor explained.

Fans may have been excited thinking about Gina Rodriguez returning for Season 6, but it might not happen.

“What you guys don’t know is that when Gina [Rodriguez] was on our episode, our episodes take five days to shoot and she was there for one day. That was the only day she was able to do it, her schedule is so packed, and she’s a friend of mine and so she wants to come back so badly but it just is a matter of scheduling. So, I dunno, maybe there are some other hot babes in Rosa’s future,” Beatriz said.

2. Terry Crews and His Character Terry Jeffords are One in the Same

When it comes to Brooklyn Nine-Nine being a family, it’s not just on TV.

“Terry Jeffords is me. I’ve never had a character that I have played that is more about me – about his family, about his friends. Let me tell you, I get choked up thinking about these guys a lot because I want to see them win as if they were my own family. It’s real. What you see with Terry Jeffords, his care, his relationship with him and Jake, and Melissa when [Amy] made it to sergeant, he wanted to see her win. It’s the proudest moment, with every character.”

“When Chelsea [Gina] came back, the joy that he had in his heart – there were so many moments that I was like ‘That’s me!’ because that’s exactly how I felt in the moment and I’ve never had a character that just synced up in my life like that. It’s super-special,” Crews continued.

3. Hitchcock and Scully Will Have a Fun Episode at the Beginning of Season 6.

“I think you’re going to be very excited about the first few episodes, there’s a kind of fun Hitchcock/Scully episode – you might see them in their past at some point. That’s a little nugget, don’t tell anyone who wasn’t here,” Goor teased for Season 6.

Dirk Blocker and Joel McKinnon Miller also shared their perspectives as the older white male cast members.

“When we started in the industry about four or five thousand years ago, the only people basically being hired in television were white guys, so now to be on a show kind of towards the end of our career –,” Blocker said.

“Well, maybe for you!” Miller chimed in.

“Well, only because this show is gonna go on for about another ten years! But it’s really kind of a cool thing to have seen the business evolve even though it’s got a long ways to go, but you can have gay and lesbian characters, and an integrated cast, and it’s pretty amazing,” Blocker continued.

“They’re playing these very – to use a nice phrase – “old-school” kind of cops, and they’re super closed-minded and they’re gross and those are laugh lines and they’re great, but they’re played by the most warm, amazing, feminist, dope actors you will ever meet,” Beatriz added in.

4. The Cast is a Family

Joe Lo Truglio spoke about what he’s learned from the show after a fan question asking what the show has taught the cast about family.

“Our characters work at a place where there’s so much stress and turmoil that they need that kind of love and support, and that’s not just true for these characters, but it’s true for people and where they work. So I think it’s important that you have a show that can show that.”

“Speaking for my character, Boyle just loves people so much and isn’t afraid to show unadulterated affection, physical affection, which I think is amazing for a male character in a show. And the great thing about Boyle is that he doesn’t care, love is love and he just loves the whole squad. That’s what I’ve learned about playing Boyle. The world is Boyle’s family, if he had a choice,” Truglio said.

5. Representation is Important and Gets Respect on Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Andy Samberg answered a fan question about if there’s a chance the show could develop any of the implied mental health issues the characters go through.

“Any time that we tackle something that is tricky like that, that maybe doesn’t have a lot of representation, especially because we’re a comedy, it has to be the right story, so we are walking the line correctly and it doesn’t come across as us making a joke out of it and giving it proper respect.”

“That’s why episodes like Rosa deciding to come out and the episode “Moo Moo” where Terry is racially profiled in his own neighborhood, those episodes take a lot longer because if you fuck it up, it’s bad. So, not to speak on behalf of the writers, but I think our track record has proven that we are open to all of those things, it’s just gotta be the right story and us feeling like we’re going to do it justice,” Samberg said.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine Season 6 premieres this winter on NBC.

Other Things We Learned:

• Boyle will be on Jake and Amy’s honeymoon, but Jeffords will probably have to pull him away.
• Andy Samberg and Melissa Fumero are excited to see how things will work with their marriage on the show and the future dynamic.
• When the show got canceled and picked up again the cast were talking about it the whole time in a group chat with each other.

Check out all of our coverage of San Diego Comic-Con here. There is a lot more to come!

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