Brooklyn Nine-Nine: Season One

Saturday Night Live alumnus Andy Samberg and Homicide veteran Andre Braugher go head-to-head in Fox's workplace sitcom set in a New York police squad bullpen. Samberg is maverick resident prankster Detective Jake Peralta (who also happens to have the best arrest percentage in the precinct), and Braugher is the new, no-nonsense man in charge, Capt. Ray Holt, who is determined to transform the class clown. The pair form the backbone of the narrative—flamboyantly energetic Jake versus deadpan Ray—but this is ultimately an ensemble show filled with colorful and eccentric characters, including physically intimidating Terry Crews as Terry Jeffords, a meek family man trying to avoid dangerous assignments; Stephanie Beatriz as hot-tempered Rosa Diaz; Joe Lo Truglio as Charles Boyle, a well-meaning doofus with a crush on Rosa; Chelsea Peretti as smart-mouthed civilian administrator Gina Linetti; and Melissa Fumero as Amy Santiago, the squad's other star—leading to an often literal competition between her and Jake (and inevitable romantic sparks). Uneven at first, Brooklyn Nine-Nine quickly settles into its rhythm as the actors find their chemistry, and even though the setting is a police station, the show is really about office politics, relationships, and individuals learning to work as a team. Compiling all 22 episodes from the 2013–14 Golden Globe-winning debut season, extras include deleted scenes. Recommended. (S. Axmaker)