Brooklyn Nine-Nine (B99) is an American sitcom which revolves around the lives of police officers from the New York Police Department from the ninety-ninth precinct. What makes B99 different from other television series is the diversity that it portrays within its characters and how it helps break stereotypes which are very often portrayed by the media. The main characters include Captain Holt who is a gay-black captain of the NYPD, Terry Jeffords an African-American sergeant, Rosa Diaz a Mexican-American detective who’s a badass in every manner and is later revealed as bisexual, Amy Santiago a Cuban-origin nerdy character who plays by the book, Gina Linetti is an Italian-American assistant to Captain Holt. Charles Boyle, Hitchcock and Scully are white Americans and finally, Jake Peralta is a Jewish-American detective that leads the line for the cast.
Most importantly, it doesn’t feel like the show is forcing diversity into the show but rather feels very natural. Starting with Captain Raymond Holt, who was a gay-black Police Captain. The show diverts from the usual representation that is feminine and extremely emotional. It focuses on the struggles he has to face coming to a position of power as a gay person of colour. Next is Terry Jeffords, a black Sergeant in the police who is a big, muscled man. However, rather than showing him as an angry, scary or tough guy, they have rather shown him as a soft and kind-hearted person who cares deeply about his family and friends. The show also has the representation of Latin American women in Amy and Rosa. Rosa is the tough person in the group. She’s the person everyone is scared of, she always carries knives and weapons with her and is also known for having sadistic tendencies. Lastly, Amy is a detective who later gets promoted to Sergeant. However, how they actually break stereotypes is how they show the relationship between Amy and Jake. They were two detectives who end up falling in love with each other and get married. They both are extremely supportive of each other, and do not let the competition in their careers impact their relationship, especially when Amy gets promoted to Sergeant. Also, as the show is ending, they show that Jake leaves his job to take care of their child while Amy continues her job.
Moreover, this show takes initiative to display how other shows should portray the diversity and break stereotypes within the media.