Andy Samberg says 'Brooklyn Nine-Nine' will address issues like police brutality in future storylines

• In an interview with GQ, Andy Samberg said his cop sitcom "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" will try to balance explorations of police brutality and violence with its signature brand of comedy.
• "We've always seen the show as a fantasy of what we would like the world to look like," Samberg said of "Brooklyn Nine-Nine."
• The comedian also acknowledged that the NBC show could have done more throughout its seven seasons to address issues like police brutality.
• Samberg says that's something he wants to change going forward.
• "There's nothing funny about what we've been seeing from the police," he said.

Andy Samberg said in a new interview with GQ that upcoming seasons of "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" will balance issues like police brutality with the show's signature brand of comedy.

"We've always seen the show as a fantasy of what we would like the world to look like," Samberg said. "Wouldn't it be amazing if there was a precinct like the Nine-Nine, this core group of detectives that has the moral compass you would wish for, and is truly diverse and represents a lot of different people?"

But the comedian recognized that things have gotten much more complicated for cop-centered shows like "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" in the wake of mass protests against police brutality and the death of George Floyd.

"We don't have the answer yet. I'll tell you that," Samberg said. According to the actor, the show's writers have scrapped original plans for the eighth season in order to "to give it a beat, and feel what's going on a little more, and read more."

Samberg made it clear that he's committed to "listening and learning," and that "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" — which moved to NBC after being canceled by Fox in 2018 — plans to take on current issues surrounding the police force in their new season.

"We're going to be striking a balance between doing that, and putting on a show that people who love [it] have been watching for seven years," he said. "And they're expecting something specific, especially with comedy."

And even though the show is technically a comedy, Samberg said he doesn't take instances of police brutality or racial violence lightly.

"I didn't grow up being like, 'Trust and love the cops.' I also didn't grow up Black or Latino and have to actually be f---ed with," he told GQ.

"There's nothing funny about what we've been seeing from the police," Samberg added. "It's not a laughing matter."

Samberg's interview comes at a time when many people are calling for the defunding of police departments, citing continued violence against poor, Black, and brown people by officers as a reason to liquidate police budgets. And popular police-centered shows like "Cops" have been canceled in the wake of the protests.

But the cast and showrunners of "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" have been vocal about their support for jailed protesters and those affected by police violence, donating to organizations like the National Bail Fund Network.