"Brooklyn Nine-Nine" and "Modern Family": A Contrast In Progressivism
In the fall of 2014, I took a class titled Communication and Gender, which was one of those classes that required a short written assignment every single day. One of the few prompts I was actually extremely excited to respond to (sorry, Dr. Weiland) asked us to provide examples of TV programs that challenged traditional depictions of women. I had an instant answer, and that answer might surprise you! [Cue audience gasps.] My thoughts instantly turned to the FOX comedy Brooklyn Nine-Nine, a seemingly innocuous cop comedy fronted by Andy Samberg of SNL and Lonely Island fame. For reasons I will expound upon, I thought the show subtly embodied one of the more progressive cast of characters on television, particularly mainstream television. Its mainstream antithesis, in my eyes, was and still is Modern Family. Now, the latter I also love (so don't come at me with your nostalgia-dipped pitchforks!), but have found to be counteractive to the more liberal causes it would seemingly promote, albeit excellent in the realm of comedy.
This week, I was reminded of the contrast between those two programs as I viewed what very well may be my favorite Nine-Nine episode ever on Tuesday night, followed by what very well may be my least favorite Modern Family episode ever. Before I delve into the reasons why I feel the way I do, know that I will be speaking from a biased socio-political point of view. So, if you the reader don't equate 'progressive' and/or 'forward-thinking' with 'good,' that is totally fine. But know that this article will be doing just that.
You may not instantly realize it, but the central characters of Brooklyn Nine-Nine are some of the most norm-defying in mainstream television. The show is a cop comedy, so most of the action takes place in a police station, and all the major characters work for the police force. This setting provides a natural challenge to traditional depictions of gender; traditional wisdom holds that the police force may be for men, especially ‘tough guys.’ Yet, many of the characters are female police officers and detectives, and this does not seem unnatural at all. In fact, I recognized early on in my fandom that there are different personalities at work in the precinct, and for nearly every category, there is both a male and female character. Charles Boyle and Gina Linetti are the off-the-wall, crazy and hilarious characters; Rosa Diaz and Terry Jeffords are the tough, no-nonsense detectives; Jake Peralta and Amy Santiago are the two goofballs who are also surprisingly effective detectives (accidental rhyme!), and who both aspire to be captain someday. As for the Captain, the head officer is indeed a man, but the character of Captain Holt also challenges stereotypes. The black, brazenly tough, straight-laced leaser of the precinct is a gay man. I think what sets Brooklyn Nine-Nine apart from other shows is that it does not flaunt these differences and the diversity of its cast. It just seems…well, natural. As a result, you don’t spend time dwelling on how progressive these ideas are.
From my experience, this is in clear contrast to Modern Family. Again, I am a big fan. But, in my eyes, one of its major flaws is how shamelessly it plays up their differences. “Look! One of our couples is a gay couple!” Another is interracial!” More troubling is the fact that, interspersed between the heartfelt family moments, the majority of the show’s jokes center around these differences. Both gay characters, Mitch and Cam (one of whom is played by a straight man) have, over time, been increasingly playing into time-old stereotypes of gay men: effeminate, catty, uber-expressive, etc. As for Jay and Gloria, though there are references to their first meeting and examples of genuine love for each other, there has never really been an attempt to cleanse the viewer’s palette of the idea that were Jay not incredibly well-to-do, the significantly younger, Colombian immigrant Gloria would not have even considered marrying him. These reasons— and more — are why I have found Brooklyn Nine-Nine to actually be the true ‘modern’ show of the two, inasmuch as modern indicates a hopeful and realistic vision for present and future.
That could not have been more strikingly epitomized than with the two shows’ episodes this week.
Episode 16 of the 4th season of Brooklyn Nine-Nine was named “Moo Moo,” and seemed to be living up to the name. The opening storyline was about Jake and Amy misplacing an all-important, cow-patterned baby blanket while babysitting the twins of Sgt. Jeffords (played by the legendary Terry Crews). It was all fun and giggles, but out of nowhere, the episode took an incredible turn when Jeffords was apprehended by a white police officer who assumed him to be a troublemaker (read: a black man in a predominantly white neighborhood). The issue of race in policing has been something that I personally have been wanting “Nine-Nine” to breach since its inception, and I wasn’t the only one. A simple Google search with the show’s name rendered these top news stories:
Despite the clear— though quiet— statements its cast makeup had sent, Brooklyn Nine-Nine has always shied away from the more serious issues surrounding cops in America. It’s understandable; at its heart, this is just a goofy, screwball comedy. The ‘Jimmy Fallon of Network Sitcoms,’ if you will. In fact, the only past example I can think of was a passing reference in Season 2 or 3 to “the police’s PR taking a serious hurting, considering the events across the country,” or something like that. Thus, this episode was thirst-quenching, in a way. As it turns out, according to the head writer, it was a theme they had wanted to explore from the every start of the series, but “just had so much trouble finding a way in and then figuring out exactly how to pull it off.”
I won’t give the full breakdown of the ensuing plotline, as I really do hope each and every one of you watches this episode. But know that this was one of the most serious and heartfelt episodes of Nine-Nine yet. Know that the conversations between Sgt. Jeffords and Captain Holt don’t play out in the way you might expect, and the acting jobs by Crews and Andre Braugher should launch them into Emmy contention. Know that the writers still do a brilliant job of sneaking in the lovable, absurd, genuinely laugh-out-loud comedy moments throughout the entire episode.
And now, contrast that with “All Things Being Equal,” the 20th episode of Modern Family’s Season 8. Wednesday’s episode’s main storyline followed all the female characters, and Luke and Manny, at the Women’s March. Right off the bat, I thought to myself ‘This could be really well-done, or go verrrry badly.’ Unfortunately, it was more the latter. First off, in a completely non-political sense, this was just a weak episode of writing, with very few comedic highlights to speak of. But more importantly, the episode did more to make a mockery of female empowerment than to boost its cause. Because this article’s already long, and I don’t want to drone on about the negatives, I’ll try to keep it tight:
Gloria’s car gets a flat, and none of the females know how to change it, but insist they do it without male aid, because “woman power!”
Gloria doesn’t have a Drivers Manual in the glovebox because “there was no room for anything other than her makeup.”
They enlist the help of a seemingly friendly woman, who oozes so much classic ‘Bad Boy’ that Haley feels attracted to her (because that’s how that works!). Said woman then steals their car.
Luke and Manny both attempt to court a young Feminist from their high school, the former by feigning interest in the causes she cares about. They promptly lose interest when she announces to the crowd that part of her feminism will include her choice to be celibate.
So, as you can see, for an episode centered around the Women’s March, the writers sure seemed to put a whole lot of effort into making the female characters look ridiculous and air-headed. The Luke and Manny storyline did nothing to further the idea of male investment in Feminism. By and large, the depictions of the women almost played into the way Anti-Feminists portray their others: passionate about the movement only for appearance’s sake, and silly and materialistic otherwise.
Don’t let the sudden “woke”-ness of Brooklyn Nine-Nine nor the mess that was Modern Family fool you: both are great comedy programs with some really fantastic episodes and some clunkers to boot. However, from a socio-political perspective, I do see a trend here, one that might propel Nine-Nine even more into cultural relevance, and for good reason. Through all the John Olivers and SNLs of the world, a 25-minute episode named “Moo Moo” may have just been one of the most artful comedy takedowns of police brutality out there.