10 Brooklyn Nine-Nine Lines That Were Totally Unscripted
Some of the most iconic moments in Brooklyn Nine-Nine were never intended to air. Nearly 13 years after its series premiere, Brooklyn Nine-Nine is remembered as one of the greatest workplace comedies of all time, thanks to the chemistry and comedy of the NYPD's fictional 99th precinct. Despite originally releasing on Fox, its legacy has since been cemented as NBC's best sitcom to date, a title it likely won't lose for the foreseeable future.
Just like any good situational comedy, the true appeal lies not in the script but in Brooklyn Nine-Nine's ensemble cast of characters. Of course, the writing is phenomenal on its own, but the punchlines would be nothing without the talented main characters— as evidenced by the hilarious improv on set. While adding off-the-cuff flair is exceedingly common in the genre, plenty of Brooklyn Nine-Nine's improvisation actually made it to screen, with the best of the best even becoming fan-favorite moments from the eight-season run.
Jake & Amy’s Post-Birth Moment
“I love you.” & “I love you too.”
From the moment Brooklyn Nine-Nine began, it was clear that Jake Peralta (Andy Samberg) and Amy Santiago (Melissa Fumero) were on the road to a legendary TV love story. After some miscommunication, jealousy, and a healthy dose of slow-burn feelings realizations, the two fell in love, got married, and later gave birth to a son named Mac.
Arguably the most entertaining part of Amy's pregnancy, though, was when her water broke on the job. Some hasty teamwork and a dash of hip-hop later, the lovebirds welcomed their first child in season 7, episode 13. While the new parents admired their son, the two stopped their banter for a moment to share a tender love confession, but that exchange wasn't scripted. Rather, Samberg and Fumero were simply so in tune with their characters, they couldn't help but add an "I love you" to the already momentous scene.
Amy’s Brother’s Soup
“We’re sharing a French Onion.”
Brooklyn Nine-Nine had plenty of unforgettable celebrity guests, but one of its best was acclaimed librettist Lin-Manuel Miranda. In season 6, episode 9— aptly titled "The Golden Child"— Miranda appeared as David Santiago, Amy's smug and spoiled brother. The character only appeared once in the series, but it was easily one of the TV show's best cameos.
Though Miranda is best known for his award-winning songwriting, his role in Brooklyn Nine-Nine shows off his incredible comedic timing, starting with his character's introduction. As Jake and Amy arrive for a family dinner, they find that David showed up early, flippantly boasting that he and his mother were "sharing a French Onion" soup. Admittedly, soup was in the scene's original script, but Miranda opted to specify his favorite variety, and the detail made the line even more entertaining.
The Vulture Heckling Boyle
“What’s up, little man? You feeling sexy?”
Keith "The Vulture" Pembroke (Dean Winters) is introduced in season 1, episode 5 as an insufferable detective who swoops in at the last second to steal the precinct's busts. That sort of character could easily grate on viewers, becoming less of a figure they love to hate and more of a nuisance they hate to see. Luckily, Winters' hysterical line reads and improvised jabs turned him into one of the sitcom's best side characters.
The Vulture's hilarity is obvious from his first appearance, wherein he catcalls Charles Boyle (Joe Lo Truglio) in the middle of the bullpen. As Charles attempts to sneak off to scheme with Jake, The Vulture calls out, "What's up, little man? You feeling sexy?" Joe Lo Truglio manages to stay in character, but the impromptu interaction throws him off enough that the actor bumps into a doorway, nearly causing co-star Chelsea Peretti (Gina Linetti) to break.
Caleb’s Clinginess
“But we’re friends?”
Brooklyn Nine-Nine may primarily be a workplace sitcom, but some of the show's best arcs happened outside the police station. Case in point: Jake's time in prison. During his wrongful incarceration arc, the protagonist strikes up an unlikely bond with his cellmate, a cannibalistic serial killer named Caleb John Gosche (Tim Meadows).
Whenever the pair acted together, Jake would momentarily forget his ally's history— until Caleb would mention one of his victims and their gruesome cause of death. During one such conversation in season 5, episode 2, Jake admits that their friendship feels difficult to maintain due to the frequent cannibalism references. In a small but mighty moment improvised by Meadows, Caleb excitedly points out, "But we're friends?", completely ignoring the point of Jake's line.
Jake’s Paternal Priorities
“Everyone wash your hands.”
During Amy's chaotic birth in the season 7 finale, the team used any means necessary to distract her until they could make it to a hospital. As a result, Captain Raymond Holt (Andre Braugher) and Terry Jeffords (Terry Crews) burst into a flawless choreographed dance set to "Push It" by Salt-N-Pepa.
Following the iconic sitcom couple's heartwarming first moment with their infant son, Jake learns he missed out on what would have been a life-changing experience for him. When Rosa Diaz (Stephanie Beatriz) reveals she secretly recorded the entire routine, however, Jake rushes to pass Mac to Amy, hastily demanding "Everyone wash your hands" as he reaches for the phone. The line was an off-the-cuff addition by Samberg, adding a sweet moment of new parent jitters amidst his true priority: seeing Holt dance.
Boyle’s Grandma Lover
“That’s how I met her… Went to college with her grandson.”
Brooklyn Nine-Nine's cold opens were often some of the most entertaining scenes in the entire series, and the beginning of season 1, episode 5 perfectly exemplifies why. Boyle walks in while the rest of the team are discussing the oldest perps they've ever arrested, but the quirky side character misunderstands the conversation.
Consequently, Boyle begins telling them about the oldest woman he slept with, causing his coworkers to react with disgust at how she could be someone's grandmother. In a priceless moment of improv, Boyle responds, “That’s how I met her… Went to college with her grandson.” In the final cut, you even hear Samberg genuinely laughing at his co-star.
The Show’s Biggest Running Gag
“Title of your sex tape.”
Not every iconic improvised line was a one-and-done deal, however. Throughout the series, the main characters all take turns responding to accidental innuendos by quipping “Title of your sex tape.” Shortly after the sitcom's start, Jake began using it solely in reference to Amy, but the running gag expanded, much like The Office's penchant for dropping "That's what she said" jokes.
Though it became a fan-favorite staple of the series, “Title of your sex tape” started as an on-set joke that the cast would say to lighten the mood between takes. During filming, the actors would compete to find an innuendo opportunity, with the best attempts making the final cut.
The Cast Chant
“Nine-Nine!”
Similarly— but far more wholesome— the sitcom's iconic ensemble cast would sporadically yell out "Nine-Nine!" as a way to raise morale and rally the eponymous troops. The recurring line also began as an off-camera energy booster, but as soon as it was added to the script, it became one of the most recognizable parts of the entire show.
To this day, fans proudly proclaim their support for the 99th precinct by commenting "Nine-Nine" on any related post. Further, Terry Crews reportedly started the chant, which makes the fact that Terry Jeffords is its most frequent user all the more fitting.
Captain Holt’s Outburst
“Hot damn!”
While most improvised lines feel like a natural extension of the character, the most amusing are sometimes the most unexpected. Captain Holt's arrival in the first episode set the bar for his deadpan delivery and subtle microexpressions, but he lost his cool in Brooklyn Nine-Nine's funniest quote.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine was only considered for four Primetime Emmy Awards throughout its eight-year run— all being Andre Braugher's nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.
In the cold open for season 2, episode 6, the team take turns tossing out theories to explain why Amy is uncharacteristically late. When she makes it to work exactly 70 seconds late, Amy explains that there was a problem at the bank, confirming that Holt's explanation was correct. In a stark departure from his typical poker face, Holt celebrates by shouting "Hot damn!" and clapping his hands together. The outburst was improvised by Braugher, but the line is by far one of the most infamous in Brooklyn Nine-Nine history.
Jake’s Catchphrase
“Cool cool cool…”
There are many running gags in Brooklyn Nine-Nine that eventually become fixtures of the show's fandom, chief among them being "Cool cool cool…" and its longer variants. The nervous stammer is usually uttered by Jake during tense or awkward situations, but the phrase becomes so ubiquitous, practically everyone in Brooklyn Nine-Nine says it once throughout the show's eight seasons.
It may now be regarded as one of the best catchphrases in sitcom history, but "cool cool cool" was initially an organic reaction Andy Samberg had while filming. The cast and crew found it so funny, it soon made its way into the actual show, and the rest is history. Granted, it was added to scripts belatedly, but the motto was never meant to be a defining fixture of Brooklyn Nine-Nine's legacy. Regardless, the cast synergy was the only reason the improv was so successful— further proof that the sitcom stands in a comedic league of its own.
- Release Date
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2013 – 2021-00-00
- Directors
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Michael McDonald, Claire Scanlon, Linda Mendoza, Dean Holland, Beth McCarthy-Miller, Victor Nelli Jr., Craig Zisk, Tristram Shapeero, Rebecca Asher, Eric Appel, Maggie Carey, Alex Reid, Giovani Lampassi, Nisha Ganatra, Ryan Case, Trent O'Donnell, Matt Nodella, Jamie Babbit, Ken Whittingham, Max Winkler, Akiva Schaffer, Fred Goss, Jaffar Mahmood, Julie Anne Robinson
- Writers
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Gabe Liedman, Phil Augusta Jackson, Tricia McAlpin, Justin Noble, Lakshmi Sundaram, Andrew Guest, Matt O'Brien, Jeff Topolski, Lang Fisher, Gil Ozeri, Brian Reich, Matt Murray, Andy Gosche, Brigitte Liebowitz, Alison Agosti, Nick Perdue, Beau Rawlins, Aeysha Carr, Andy Bobrow, David Quandt, Matt Lawton, Vanessa Ramos, Kylie Condon, Stephanie Amante-Ritter