The end of an era in network TV comedy is coming to an end with the conclusion of Brooklyn Nine-Nine on September 16. The show started out on one network, was cancelled and then rescued by another, and has since been allowed to tell a lovely farewell story spread out over the eighth and final season. Brooklyn Nine-Nine is notable for many reasons, including that it managed to hold on to nearly the whole original cast from the very beginning, including actor and America's Got Talent host Terry Crews. With the end of Brooklyn Nine-Nine nigh, Crews took some time to share how he's feeling about it, and why he was in denial for so long.
Terry Crews spoke with press following the two finale episodes of America's Got Talent Season 16, and he opened up about the end of Brooklyn Nine-Nine shortly after celebrating the reveal about the latest AGT winner. Crews talked about the emotions he's feeling as the wild ride of Brooklyn Nine-Nine comes to an end, saying:
Oh, my goodness, you're talking about, you know, eight years of my life. And truly every cast member and every crew member on that show is family. And this is it. It's so wild. Because, you know, you never know when it's gonna end. You just know it will. And it's funny because I've been in denial for so long. Because we stopped filming a while back, but now they've been showing episodes, but the realization is just starting to hit me coming tomorrow night. That's pretty much it. And I'm just like... Believe you me, I'm feeling all kind of ways right now. I feel a lot of emotions.
As Terry Crews noted, Brooklyn Nine-Nine has been going for the better part of a decade now, and it is finishing a final season that is tying off loose ends in a way that few shows are able to. Plus, the family of that show has hit some rough patches thanks to the cancellation by Fox after five seasons and hitting the 100-episode milestone. NBC wasted no time in rescuing the show, however, and the whole cast simply made the move to another network.
Then, the show changed things up in a huge way to take the Black Lives Matter movement and protests against police brutality into account when production was shut down due to the pandemic, resulting in all the scripts finished for Season 8 to that point being thrown out. Fans may never know all of what the Brooklyn Nine-Nine team originally had scripted for Season 8, but I at least think that the finished product has been worth the wait.
It's still sad that the show has to end, and I'm sure Terry Crews is joined by plenty of fans who are also in denial. Crews also spoke about what Brooklyn Nine-Nine has meant to him in an interview following the final performances of America's Got Talent's sixteenth season. Noting that the finales of AGT and Brooklyn Nine-Nine air would within 24 hours of each other, Crews said:
First of all, it's a big week for me. Both of these shows just mean so much to me. It's really wild because this is more than I could ever ask or think. I'm a little kid from Flint, Michigan. I'm hosting the number one talent show in the world. And I also look at Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and to be on a show that was on TV for eight years and to be a part of the comedy world like that and be a classic so far. It's just an incredible ride. I mean, I'm an old football player, okay? I'm just happy I'm not in jail. [laughs]
While Terry Crews is feeling all kinds of ways about Brooklyn Nine-Nine ending (as was Andy Samberg during filming), he did also say following the AGT finale that he'll "see you next season" on the talent show, so he'll certainly still have a presence on the small screen on NBC even if not more Brooklyn Nine-Nine. For now, though, there is one more hour of action with the Nine-Nine. The series finale airs on Thursday, September 16 starting at 8 p.m. ET on NBC. With the network actually airing two episodes per Thursday night for the full eighth season, the ten-episode season is ending after just five weeks.
If you're going to need some new shows to check out to help get over the loss of Brooklyn Nine-Nine (and America's Got Talent Season 16 if you were getting a double dose of Terry Crews), don't forget to check out our 2021 fall TV premiere schedule for your options.
