It’s not all fun and games for a police department, but it might be for the fictional 99^th precinct of the New York City Police Department.  Fox’s new comedy Brooklyn Nine-Nine follows Detective Jake Peralta (SNL alum Andy Sandberg) and the rest of the precinct as they attempt to solve petty crimes.  So far, the show appears to be a huge success.

Arguably the strongest aspect of Brooklyn Nine-Nine is its cast.  Andre Braugher (House) plays Ray Holt, the strict new captain of the precinct.  Holt shows little emotion, and often gives Peralta trouble.  Terry Crews plays Terry Jeffords, who is the detectives’ leader.  Jeffords is usually calm and reasonable, which is somewhat ironic, considering Crews’ most popular roles include the dad on Everybody Hates Chris and the crazy, loud guy in the Old Spice commercials. 

Rounding out the detectives are Frank Boyle (Joe Lo Truglio), Rosa Diaz (Stephanie Beatriz), and Amy Santiago (Melissa Fumero).  Santiago is Peralta’s work partner, and the two often compete on cases.  Meanwhile, Boyle clumsily goes about his job, while unsuccessfully trying to ask the tough Diaz on a date multiple times.  The cast has a lot of chemistry, which is one of the reasons why the show has been so successful.

In addition, the show has a strong recurring cast, which includes Patton Oswalt (Ratatouille), who plays a fire marshal who holds a vendetta against the precinct.  Fred Armisen (Portlandia) also has a recurring role as foreigner who is often confused by the detectives’ questionings.  Finally, Dean Winters, best known for his role as Mayhem in the Allstate commercials, plays Warren Pembroke, a detective for the Major Crimes Unit.  Pembroke’s nickname is “The Vulture” as he is well-known for taking credit for cases that are nearly solved. 

The show is not perfect.  Being a comedy, it isn’t exactly a trailblazer when it comes to storytelling.  And while it does avoid some popular clichés in the genre, it still has its share.  Detective Hitchcock is the show’s scapegoat who receives all the blame when something goes wrong (similar to Toby on The Office and Jerry on Parks and Recreation).  Still, the show is extremely funny, and should appeal to the age range of 13-65.

In a year where shows like True Detective and The Walking Dead tend to take things too seriously, it’s refreshing to see a lighthearted show like Brooklyn Nine-Nine on air.  Not only is it funny, but there are plenty of likeable characters.  Andy Samberg and the rest of the cast have great chemistry, which helps the show.  It seems as if the 99^th precinct will be solving crimes on television for a long time.