Brooklyn Nine-Nine: Andy Samberg and Melissa Fumero Talk About Achieving Balance and Latina Empowerment [Video]

Brooklyn Nine-Nine Season 6 used its first season on NBC to dig into some serious topics like sexual assault and being an adoptive parent. It also fully embraced the silly with a Hitchock and Scully episode and the return of Gina the Queen.  

Series stars Andy Samberg and Melissa Fumero, who play the hilarious halves of our favorite 99 ship, Peraltiago, sat down with reporters during San Diego Comic-Con to talk about their work on an incredible sixth season of Brooklyn Nine-Nine.

On Brooklyn Nine-Nine Season 6 Episode 18, “Suicide Squad,” Holt ends up directing traffic on the streets of Brooklyn. This makes Amy Santiago, Melissa Fumero’s character, Captain Holt’s boss!

Fumero asked the writers about this change in authority, and she is very pleased to be portraying this new dynamic.

Samberg weighed in on traffic cop Holt, saying, “I think even Holt would agree it is better to have Munch and him working together as a traffic cop than to have Christopher Kelly in charge.”

Fumero feels fortunate to be part of a group, started by the advocacy of Gina Rodriguez and America Ferrara, that advances the work of Latinas. She humbly stated, “We’ve all been empowering and pushing each other.”

As part of her effort to advance Latina voices, Fumero was happy to be able to fight for “the great, hilarious, classic sitcom,” One Day At A Time. For the Latina actress and director, One Day At A Time is more than just an amazing show. “It’s also important for representation,” she said.

Fumero summarized her work with the group by exclaiming, “All good things Latina power!”

Samberg admitted about covering serious social topics on a comedy show, “it’s tricky.” The actor reflected on the importance of being thoughtful about not only the jokes themselves but also the order of the episodes.

“You never want to disrespect a topic you’re covering, but you also don’t want it to not feel like our show,” Samberg explained.

“It’s such a tribute to our writers. It’s really incredible. It’s such a hard line to tow, on those episodes. Every time I read them, especially the jokes, are so brilliant when they happen and how they happen and how they sort of release the air or the tension,” Fumero added.

As viewers, we appreciated that a heavier episode like Brooklyn Nine-Nine Season 6 Episode 8 “He Said, She Said” would be followed by a more sweet and silly one like Brooklyn Nine-Nine Season 6 Episode 9, “The Golden Child,” to achieve that balance.

Samberg doesn’t have an immediate or pressing desire to explore Jake Peralta’s Judaism on Brooklyn Nine-Nine, but he does appreciate that “every now and again there’s a funny little Jewy joke in there.”

The thoughtful and joyful way the stars discuss the show is further evidence of why Brooklyn Nine-Nine is such a beloved series that, in our view, has been drastically overlooked this awards season.

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

Brooklyn Nine-Nine Season 7 will premiere in 2020 on NBC.

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