The Final Season Of 'Brooklyn Nine-Nine' Set For August Premiere, NBC To Air Two Episodes Each Week

Brooklyn Nine-Nine has set a premiere date for its eighth and final season. The cop comedy delayed its return in the wake of mass protests against police brutality, and this latest and last season was completely reworked as a result. Now, the final season will premiere on NBC in August. In addition to that, it looks like NBC will be airing two new episodes back to back every week, which will effectively bring the show to a close faster than if it were unfolding on a normal weekly schedule.

All good things must come to an end, and the last days of Brooklyn Nine-Nine are almost upon us. The eighth and final season of the hit comedy will premiere on August 12 at 8 and 8:30 P.M. on NBC. NBC adds that "The series will air each Thursday in those timeslots," which means that every week is going to bring us two episodes. There are 10 episodes set for the final season, which means the series will wrap up in five weeks as opposed to ten. A lot can be read into this – perhaps NBC is ready to send the show off quickly and they want to burn the episodes out as fast as they can. Fox did something similar with the final season of Arrested Development.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine has had a bit of a bumpy ride. While the show developed a strong fanbase, its original network – Fox – ultimately canceled it. But NBC swooped in to save the day. When the series was originally renewed by NBC for season 8, there was no talk of that being the final season. However, a lot has changed since then. Last year we saw countrywide protests against police brutality, which put a bit of an uncomfortable spotlight on Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Some wondered if it was appropriate to have a show about goofy, lovable cops in the wake of such protests.

To their credit, the folks behind Brooklyn Nine-Nine understood these questions were inevitable, and they decided to go back and retool season 8. As a result, season 8 will actually address police brutality in some manner, with star Andy Samberg saying the season will be "striking a balance between" dealing with police brutality "and putting on a show that people who love [it] have been watching for seven years." The final season will also address the COVID-19 pandemic. The official synopsis states that in the final season, "Jake and the squad must try to balance their personal lives and their professional lives over the course of a very difficult year."

While I understand the uneasiness about a funny cop show in the wake of current events, I've always looked at Brooklyn Nine-Nine as existing in an alternate reality than our own, primarily because it's pretty obvious the cops on the show do not behave like real police officers. That said, while I remain a fan of the series, I also think now is the right time to end it. Not just because of current events, but also because it feels like the series has had a good run and there's not much further it can go. Season 7 ended with Samberg's Det. Jake Peralta and wife  Sgt. Amy Santiago (Melissa Fumero) having a child, and anytime a show introduces a kid into the mix, it feels like the beginning of the end. So farewell, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and thanks for the laughs.