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2 TV ENCORE By Shona Dustan TV Media F ox kicked off this season by putting a lot of faith in its comedies. Stacking Tuesday nights with laughs, execs hoped for a suc- cessful two-hour comedy block with the tried and tested quirky "New Girl" as its backbone and strong sophomore comedy "The Mindy Project" for support. Crossing their fingers, they added two brand new comedies to the lineup: the Seth MacFarlane-led "Dads" and the off-beat cop comedy "Brooklyn Nine-Nine." At the time, the smart money was on "Dads." MacFarlane is a television veteran who has prov- en that he can deliver, and his show stars well-known, big- screen faces. The other new show was an unconventional police procedural helmed by a former pro footballer, a nutty SNL alum and one Emmy-winning actor. But now that the season is half gone, it's more than clear that the latter is this season's big win- ner, and for good reason. While "Dads" has been put on hiatus due to low ratings (its last epi- sode airs Feb. 11 and no return date is scheduled), "Brooklyn Nine-Nine," which also airs Tuesday, Feb. 11, on Fox, has thrived, garnering critical acclaim and awards as well as good rat- Graybeals Carpet 2 x 3" Young's Culligan 3 x 3" Harrison- Merzger 2 x 2" On the Cover ings – not an easy feat. "Brooklyn Nine-Nine's" great- est strength is in its refusal to allow itself to be defined. The premise of the show seems sim- ple enough, possibly even boring: the eccentric police officers in a Brooklyn precinct must adjust to a new, super-serious captain. It's the details, the character break- downs, that make the show great. Det. Jake Peralta is the class clown, not above walking around the office in his underwear to prove a point. What you may not see coming, though, is that he's also an extremely talented detec- tive, not the bumbling idiot most would expect. Played by former "Saturday Night Live" cast mem- ber Andy Samberg – who's known for his wacky, unnuanced comedic style – Peralta is a love- able weirdo whose skills com- mand respect. He's likeable, a weirdo you can root for. Responding to questions regard- ing the type of comedy the show would exhibit, executive produc- er Michael Schur said "This is not 'Police Squad' ... as big a fan as I am of 'Police Squad,' we want it to seem like it's a real police pre- cinct. And that was the goal the whole time." In that, the show succeeds. Instead of the stereotypes and over-the-top investigations that could have easily been relied upon to move the stories along, "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" takes time to build characters who have somewhere to go and room to grow. In the role of the tough new boss, Capt. Ray Holt, Andre Braugher shines. He's the straight man to Samberg's ham, and he deadpans even his most ridicu- lous lines flawlessly. Capt. Holt is a very layered guy – as a gay black man, climbing the ranks of the NYPD was no easy feat, though it's unclear if his strug- gles contributed to his emotion- less demeanor or if he's always been that way. Peralta takes it upon himself to shatter the cap- tain's stoicism, and in the process the two develop an unlikely friendship that is both challeng- ing and rewarding for both men. Braugher is the most accom- plished, television-wise, of the cast. He can be seen in many films, such as "Glory" (1989), "City of Angels" (1998) and "Frequency" (2000), but TV is where he really shines. Braugher won an Emmy for his work on the award-winning police drama "Homicide: Life on the Street," a gig that almost certainly helped Fox puts a hilarious new spin on the popular police procedural prepare him for his current role. Former NFL defensive end Terry Crews ("The Expendables" (2010)) stars as Sgt. Terry Jeffords. Being huge and incredi- bly muscular, Crews is typically cast as a meathead, the strong, silent type. Not here, though. Sgt. Jeffords, as we meet him in the first episode, is on desk duty and he likes it that way. He's had a terrible experience with a man- nequin in the field, and can't abide the thought of putting himself in danger when his girls (his wife and children) need him at home. The Jeffords character turns Crews' usual stereotype upside down, making him a soft, family man, and the results are delightful. You don't want to miss this off-beat comedy, easily the best new comedy of the season. Tune in Tuesday, Feb. 11, on Fox for a fresh episode. Andre Braugher and Andy Samberg star in "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" D&J Liquors 3 x 2" MAROCCO-RANS FUNERAL CHAPEL 119 E. Market St. | Logansport, IN • 574.753.6282 www.ransfuneralhomes.com HARRISON-METZGER & RANS FUNERAL HOMES 304 S. Chicago St. | Royal Center, IN • 574.643.2265 123 E. 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