Andre Braugher has famously played a police officer on television for three decades, starting with his starring role on the 1980s revival of
Kojak up to his current gig as Captain Raymond Holt on
Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Recently earning his fourth Emmy nomination for his role as the no-nonsense commanding officer, Braugher appeared on EW’s
The Awardist podcast to talk about the future of the police-centred comedy in light of the recent global protests in response to police brutality."We're going into an eighth season with a new challenge which is that everyone's knowledge and feelings about police... have been profoundly affected," Braugher told EW’s Kristen Baldwin. Braugher said that
Brooklyn Nine-Nine creator Dan Goor’s continued involvement in the show gives him confidence that the fan favourite series will not sweep the topic under the rug in a buried storyline somewhere in the middle of the season. "What we have from Dan is a commitment to write a smart show that will not attempt to hide itself in a fantasy. The Nine-Nine is going to have to deal with what we know about the New York Police Department."[video_embed id='2021830']RELATED: Quebec Brooklyn Nine-Nine remake faces criticism[/video_embed]In addition to
Kojack and
Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Braugher’s career has focused heavily on roles centred around the judicial system, including portraying police officers, lawyers, judges and criminals throughout his work on
Homicide: Life on the Street, The Jury, Thief, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and
Last Resort. Braugher says that TV shows must move away from glamorizing rule breaking among police as a means to an end."It's a very complicated subject, but I think they have to be portrayed much more realistically, in terms of this: The convention in shows that police breaking the law is okay because somehow it's in the service of some greater good, is a myth that needs to be destroyed," says Braugher. “That and the worth of the victim, who is typically the victim, why and how they’re protected is an important discussion to have.”The Emmy winner also noted that unchecked police power in the United States is creating a country that is moving dangerously far from what a democratic nation should look and operate like. “The superclass of citizenship that police have in the form of unlimited immunity, the prosecution. A lot of these things have to be challenged. The fact that you can’t fire cops, the power of the police shooting, the lack of civilian authority and control over the police department, all of these things have to be dealt with and I don’t really think it’s a matter of enforcing the law,” said Braugher, adding that there is an immense amount of danger that comes with police operating with their own set of laws separate from the general public. “There’s been created a superclass of citizenship and it’s dangerous. It’s one more step towards a police state.”
Like most scripted series, Braugher said that he does not know when
Brooklyn Nine-Nine will resume filming, but says that when new episodes hit the air, viewers will see a show that has been ‘profoundly changed.’The long-running comedy has an excellent track record of mixing comedy with powerful personal and social justice storylines. Starring Andy Samberg, Stephanie Beatriz, Melissa Fumero, Terry Crews, Joe Lo Truglio and Braugher,
Brooklyn Nine-Nine began its successful run in 2013 by breaking new ground with its decision to have two Latina actors in leading roles.Beatriz’s Rosa Diaz is one of the few bisexual characters on TV and came out during the show’s historic
100th episode. In Season 4, Crews’ character is racially profiled outside his own home while looking for his twin daughter’s lost stuffed blanket in the trash. In the episode, an officer reaches for his gun before aggressively frisking Crews’ character in front of his own home. Braugher’s Holt, who is gay, spent much of his police career before joining the 99th precinct being passed over for promotions because of his race and sexuality.Following the death of George Floyd, the cast and showrunners of
Brooklyn Nine-Nine made a
$100,000 donation to The National Bail Fund Network to help secure the release of those who had been arrested while protesting Floyd’s death.[video_embed id='2022969']Before you go: Jacob Blake shooting spurs historic NBA boycott[/video_embed]
