Summary
- The Brooklyn 99 and New Girl crossover was a successful merge of the two popular sitcoms, allowing for a truly exciting crossover experience.
- The crossover was a creative way to boost viewership numbers for both shows and introduce audiences to characters from the other show.
- While the Brooklyn 99 episode felt more like a cameo, the New Girl episode of the crossover featured more characters and showcased the differences and complementing humor of both ensembles.
Brooklyn 99 and New Girl crossover excitingly combined the two hit sitcoms, though the cameos and shared screen-time between the ensemble casts isn’t balanced evenly between both shows. At the time of the crossover, both Brooklyn 99 and New Girl were airing on Fox with New Girl in its later seasons as it had started two years before Brooklyn 99, in 2011. Brooklyn 99 and New Girl are set on opposite sides of the country, so the crossovers had to bring the New Girl ensemble to the East Coast to be able to merge them properly.
The logistics of the Brooklyn 99 and New Girl crossover were easily solved with the New Girl gang going across to New York for Schmidt’s (Max Greenfield) high school reunion. The crossover is split into two parts, with the first half airing as a Brooklyn 99 episode and the second part aired immediately after this as a New Girl episode, so audiences could watch the crossover in succession. Both Brooklyn 99 and New Girl have big ensemble casts, so using a two-part crossover allowed them to follow stories with all the major characters to make a truly exciting crossover for the Fox shows.
Brooklyn 99 Cast & Character Guide
From Andy Samberg to Andre Braugher, the Brooklyn 99 cast is full of renowned actors playing delightfully wacky characters in the titular precinct.
Why Brooklyn 99 & New Girl Had A Crossover
The New Girl/Brooklyn 99 Crossover Was An Attempt To Boost Viewership Numbers
The New Girl and Brooklyn 99 crossover most likely happened so Fox could boost their numbers and introduce audiences of one show to the other. Brooklyn 99 and New Girl are very different shows, so their audiences were less likely to watch both, and a crossover is a great way to introduce new characters in a familiar format. Despite being Fox’s flagship shows at the time, New Girl and Brooklyn 99 were not performing well and pulled in less than 2.5 million weekly viewers (via Slate). Therefore, a crossover between the key sitcoms would be an event for the shows and could boost numbers.
Brooklyn 99 and New Girl were able to cross over because of the collaboration between the two teams. Having a few months to prep and the writers from both shows working together allowed them to successfully pull off the crossover and stay true to both shows (via TV Insider). Aside from the marketing, the now-ended Brooklyn 99 and New Girl having a crossover was a fun way to merge the chaotic ensembles and allowed Fox to add a creative twist to both shows. The merging of the two comedic styles was a spontaneous, fun way to mix up the shows and gift the fans a memorable special episode.
10 Harsh Realities Of Rewatching New Girl 5 Years After It Ended
New Girl might be one of the best sitcoms of the last few decades, but a re-watch proves that the hang out show was not devoid of its own problems.
Which B99 And New Girl Episodes Do Jake & Jess Share?
The New Girl Episode Features The Most Crossover Characters
Zooey Deschanel’s Jessica Day is the only New Girl character to appear in both crossover episodes. The first crossover is part of the Brooklyn 99 series, is season 4, episode 4, “The Night Shift”. Brooklyn 99’s Jake Peralta (Andy Samberg) meets Jess when he wants to commandeer her vehicle and Jess immediately exclaims “It’s a Crossover!” in a clever nod to the shows merging, but really meaning the Crossover SUV Jess was driving. “The Night Shift” blends Jess and Jake’s personalities as Jess is more worried about spilling soup on New Girl‘s Schmidt’s mom’s car than catching the criminal and Jake is shocked but drawn into the whole conversation.
The New Girl episode of the crossover features more of both shows’ characters, and is in season 6, episode 4, “Homecoming”. This episode follows straight on from the Brooklyn 99 one after Jake has got back to the police station with Jess’ SUV. Jess interacts with Gina (Chelsea Peretti) and Holt (Andre Braugher) here which really shows the differences in personalities. Also, Nick (Jake Johnson) and Winston (Lamorne Morris) meet Charles Boyle (Joe Lo Truglio) while performing on the subway to get some money. “Homecoming” sees much more of the two ensemble interactions and how their personalities and humor differ, but also complement each other quite well.
Do New Girl & Brooklyn 99’s Crossovers Work?
The New Girl Episode Is A More Successful Crossover
New Girl and Brooklyn 99’s crossover episodes do work in how the writers merged the two show’s styles, comedy, and characters. The crossover was cleverly done so neither episode felt out of sync with the rest of their respective shows. However, the Brooklyn 99 episode hardly felt like a crossover with only Jess Day appearing it felt more like a cameo. Also, for those who were not familiar with New Girl, it would be hard to tell that there was anything special aside from the fact Zooey Deschanel was making an appearance in Brooklyn 99.
There are some plot holes, but none that directly affect the crossover episodes due to many actors from New Girl appearing in Brooklyn 99. The reception from fans was somewhat and many hoped there would be more interactions with the whole ensemble, such as Schmidt meeting Rosa Diaz (Stephanie Beatriz). However, the crossovers do work together, especially with the limited time of two episodes and having to take the New Girl gang across the country. Brooklyn 99 and New Girl are both very popular, and their crossover is still memorable to audiences which shows their success.
1 Bizarre Cameo Ruins The Brooklyn 99 & New Girl Shared Universe
New Girl had a bizarre cameo in season 2 and, although it was brief, it has caused a big plot hole in the New Girl and Brooklyn 99 shared universe.
How Does This Sitcom Rank Against Previous Ones
The New Girl/Brooklyn 99 crossover is a fun way of blending these two shows together in a new way, but sitcom crossovers are hardly a new idea. Crossover episodes have long been a part of the sitcom landscape and while it is easy to dismiss them as an easy gimmick to boost the ratings in two shows, New Girl and Brooklyn 99 was a modern example of the concept that proves it can be done well. Seeing two favorite shows collide can be a real thrill for fans and the idea has resulted in some of the best sitcom crossovers of all time.
There are a variety of different approaches to pulling off a sitcom crossover. King of Queens is technically a spinoff of Everybody Loves Raymond as Kevin James’ character of Doug first appeared in that show. This opened up the opportunity to have Ray and his family show up on King of Queens in various episodes. Sometimes seemingly rival shows clash together with The Flintstones and The Jetsons crossing over as well as The Simpsons and Family Guy. These crossovers can even be a brief cameo, like Abed from Community popping up in Cougar Town or Steve Urkle from Family Matters showing up on Full House. Even among these examples, the New Girl and Brooklyn 99 crossover stands out as one of the best.
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New Girl
- Summary:
- After a bad break-up, Jess Day (Zooey Deschanel) needs a new place to live. An online search leads her to a great loft… and three single guys she’s never met before. But Jess moves in, and through her unique sense of self and the support of her new roommates, she learns to move on.Of her three new male roommates, Nick (Jake Johnson) is the most grounded… and also the most jaded. A law school dropout, he spends most of his time hiding under his hoodie and tending bar. Schmidt (Max Greenfield) is a hustling young professional who’s pretty proud of his own abs. Winston (Lamorne Morris), is an intensely competitive former athlete who doesn’t know what to do next-but whatever he does, he wants to win it.In the pilot episode, Jess also meets Coach (guest star Damon Wayans Jr.), a personal trainer with a bit of an anger problem, who’s subletting a room. Rounding out the group is Jess’ childhood best friend, Cece (Hannah Simone), a model with a killer deadpan. As their relationships progress, these five realize they need each other more than they thought they would and end up forming a charmingly dysfunctional – or strangely functional – family.
- Release Date:
- 2011-09-20
- Cast:
- Zooey Deschanel, Max Greenfield, Hannah Simone, Damon Wayans Jr., Lamorne Morris, Jake Johnson
- Cinematographer:
- Russ T. Alsobrook
- Creator:
- Elizabeth Meriwether
- Distributor:
- 20th Television
- Genres:
- Comedy
- Main Characters:
- Jessica Day, Winston Bishop, Schmidt, Coach, Nick Miller, Cece
- Number of Episodes:
- 146
- Seasons:
- 7
- Website:
- https://www.fox.com/new-girl/
- Production Company:
- Meriwether Productions, Chernin Entertainment, American Nitwits, Elizabeth Meriwether Pictures, 20th Century Fox Television
- Rating:
- TV-14
- Writers:
- Elizabeth Meriwether
- Network:
- FOX
- Showrunner:
- Elizabeth Meriwether
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Brooklyn Nine-Nine
- Release Date:
- 2013-09-17
- Cast:
- Stephanie Beatriz, Melissa Fumero, Andy Samberg, Andre Braugher, Joel McKinnon Miller, Dirk Blocker, Terry Crews, Chelsea Peretti, Joe Lo Truglio
- Genres:
- Comedy, Crime
- Seasons:
- 8
- Rating:
- TV-14
- Story By:
- Michael Schur
- Writers:
- Michael Schur, Dan Goor
- Network:
- FOX, NBC
- Streaming Service(s):
- Netflix, Peacock
- Showrunner:
- Michael Schur, Dan Goor
This story originally appeared on Screenrant
