The Harsh Reality of Re-Watching Brooklyn Nine-Nine Season 1 in 2023
After you've watched the whole show, Season 1 no longer feels like a hysterical laugh fest.
Almost every comedy show has a weird first season that is different from the actual series. The writers are still finding their footing and figuring out what works and what doesn't. The actors are discovering their characters.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine is probably one of the most vivid examples of this. Don't get us wrong, Season 1 of the Fox police procedural comedy is still a hilarious watch that will have you laughing from the first few minutes. However, it pales in comparison to the following chapters, probably excluding the final one. And this is largely due to the characters.
The characters of Brooklyn Nine-Nine found themselves so well over the course of the show that when you rewatch Season 1 in 2023, they feel like whole different people. But let's talk one at a time.
Jake Peralta
Aside from looking younger in 2013 (as we all did, sigh), Jake is probably the only main character who was well established from the beginning. He's as immature and relentlessly self-conscious as ever, and provides most of the comic relief in Season 1. Oh, but he never wears the blue shirts that are so common in his closet later in the show!
Charles Boyle
Unlike Jake, Charles feels like a totally different person in Season 1. He's a foodie, but that's about it. The first season's Charles is victimous, speaks normally, and wears strange clothes. Also, remember how he had a huge crush on Rosa? Fortunately, that obsession shifted to Jake in later seasons.
Rosa Diaz
Speaking of the devil, Rosa in Season 1 is an almost cartoonishly tough cop that we, let's face it, totally loved. But over time, the character became much deeper and softer, serving as the voice of justice on the show. And yeah, Stephanie Beatriz's vocal delivery in the first season is very different for some reason.
Amy Santiago
The Season 1 Amy is a likable normie, which makes her extremely boring. Of course, Brooklyn Nine-Nine is no place for normal people, so Amy later opened up as an insufferable know-it-all who follows rules to a fault. That's more like it!
Gina Linetti
Well, let's just say that when rewatching Season 1, you won't see the slightly unstable but always cool undeniable queen that Gina has become over time. We still miss you, girl!
Raymond Holt
When Holt sets foot in the 99th Precinct for the first time, there is nothing to indicate that this stern captain will develop into the sassiest TV character of all time. Yasss Queen! Snap.