Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine: Andy Samberg says filming show in wake of police brutality protests is ‘a challenge’

‘The writers are all rethinking how we’re going to move forward’

Isobel Lewis
Tuesday 07 July 2020 04:26 EDT
Comments
Police Corgi Cheddar stars in Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Andy Samberg admitted that figuring out how to continue Brooklyn Nine-Nine in the wake of police brutality protests has been a “challenge”.

Samberg, who plays detective Jake Peralta on the cop comedy, told People that the cast and crew were looking to bring the show back in a way they “[felt] morally okay about” while demonstrators across the US reckoned with police brutality.

“We’re taking a step back, and the writers are all rethinking how we’re going to move forward, as well as the cast,” the actor said.

“We’re all in touch and kind of discussing how you make a comedy show about police right now, and if we can find a way of doing that that we all feel morally okay about. I know that we’ll figure it out, but it’s definitely a challenge, so we’ll see how it goes.”

Protests against police brutality have taken place across the US and around the world following the death of George Floyd in May, who died after a police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes.

In June, Brooklyn Nine-Nine actor Terry Crews revealed that the sitcom had abandoned four episodes in the wake of the protests, saying: “We’ve had a lot of sombre talks about it and deep conversations and we hope through this we’re going to make something that will be truly groundbreaking this year. We have an opportunity and we plan to use it in the best way possible.”

The show’s cast also donated $100,000 (£80,000) to the National Bail Fund Network, saying: “We support the many people who are protesting police brutality nationally.”

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in