7. Season 8
What should have been the swan-song for the series felt more like a gentle whisper in the end. The final season of the show had a lot of things stacked against it from the beginning with the COVID-19 pandemic delaying production and shortening the season to only ten episodes as well as the increase in protests of police brutality that occurred in 2020 after the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. The series handled these challenges the best it could, but after such a high seventh season, season 8 still seemed to fall a little short when it came to sending off these characters in the way that they deserved.
6. Season 2
The second season of Brooklyn Nine-Nine is perfectly fine. The Boyle-Linetti wedding, the introduction of ‘Six Drink Amy,’ and the Jimmy Jab Games are all highlights this season. But this is also the last season before Jake and Amy get together. Teddy (Kyle Bornheimer) and Sophia (Eva Longoria) are okay as partners for Amy and Jake, respectively, but when their chemistry is so good, it’s hard to watch them with anyone else. Which is why the season finale puts this season a little further behind the others. It’s such a sweet moment when Jake and Amy realize they have feelings for each other during the stakeout. And the kiss they share in the filing room? It makes the season-long wait for them to get together so worth it.
5. Season 3
Season 3 is really where the show starts to hit its stride. Jake and Amy are officially dating. The hilariously unhinged Adrian Pimento (Jason Mantzoukas) is introduced for the first time. There’s an entire episode dedicated to Cheddar. Jake gets to live out his Die Hard fantasies in a department store. Holt and Jake are forced to quarantine together after contracting the mumps. And the season finale transition from season 3 to the start of season 4 might just be the series’ best.
4. Season 4
The three part “Coral Palms” season premiere starts season 4 off incredibly strong with Holt and Peralta forced to live in Florida under Witness Protection until Jimmy “The Butcher” Figgis is brought down. This season also features an unexpected but hilarious crossover with New Girl as well as the episode where Gina (Chelsea Peretti) gets hit by a bus. The only reason that season 4 isn’t higher on the list is because of the ending arc. Starting the season with Jake and Holt in Witness Protection then ending the season with Jake and Rosa (Stephanie Beatriz) being framed for a crime after going undercover is a lot. The series pulls it off pretty well, but with three episodes for each of these big arcs, that doesn’t leave as much breathing room for other character moments.
3. Season 6
Jake and Amy’s honeymoon is already a pretty strong way to start off season 6, but add onto that a depressed tagalong Captain Holt? It’s a recipe for comedic gold. This season also features a young, hot Hitchcock (Wyatt Nash, Dirk Blocker) and Scully (Alan Ritchson, Joel McKinnon Miller), the epic departure of Gina, and a fun twist on the yearly Halloween episode. Season 6 also sees the Nine-Nine work with Holt’s nemesis Madeline Wuntch (Kyra Sedgwick) in a shocking turn of events that leads them to trying to kick out Commissioner Kelly and his overreaching (and illegal) policing methods.
2. Season 5
From the Halloween heist engagement to their chaotic bachelor/bachelorette parties to the bomb threat in the season finale that forces them to adjust their wedding plans, Jake and Amy’s relationship takes center-stage in season 5, and it’s all the better for it. This throughline adds a lot of heart to this season, as does Rosa’s coming out in the episode “Game Night.” This episode is one of the best “coming out” episodes of all time, and reminds us just how much of a family the Nine-Nine is. Season 5 also features a remarkably sensitive take on America’s active shooter crisis in the episode “Show Me Going.” It’s a mostly serious episode, which is rare for the series, but proves that the show can handle this kind of subject matter with just as much care as it does its jokes.