For many, Amy Poehler is a guiding light. Her comedic influence is a big one for lots of young comedians, and she is known for often working with some of her closest friends. This was true for Andy Samberg, who starred on SNL with her and made one of the best guest appearances on Parks and Recreation. Apparently, something the Sisters actress said to him during this experience on her NBC comedy ended up being formative for the actor, who went on to star in his own beloved sitcom, Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
Samberg recently sat down with Kevin Hart on his Peacock talk show, Hart to Heart, where he opened up about his experience working on Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and what led him to starring in a sitcom. He explained that guest starring on Parks and Rec was very important for him, and it was Amy Poehler who recommended the sitcom life to the Lonely Island frontman. He said:
Amy really was helpful to me. I had done a guest spot on Parks and Rec, and I had seen that life and she was like 'It’s pretty comfortable Samberg. Like, I love everyone I work with, the hours are pretty chill, it’s funny, everyone’s nice. You know?' I was like 'Yeah I can see it.' And then that was a huge deal that I did that guest spot on the show because when Mike Schur and Dan Goor came to me with Brooklyn Nine-Nine, I was like 'Yeah that sounds really-that sounds good.'
Saturday Night Live is famously a grind, with crazy schedules that include all-night writing sessions and the pressure of getting your sketches on air. Even the best SNL alums have reflected on the exhausting experience of working on the show, and how it was sometimes anxiety-inducing. The experience and consistency of working on a sitcom is much less taxing, and many comedians have turned to the format after their tenure on the show. It makes sense why Parks and Rec would’ve been a nice reprieve for Poehler after SNL, and why she would recommend the same experience to Samberg.
Also, the Palm Springs star knew he was in great hands with creatives like Mike Schur and Dan Goor. Schur is a modern-day sitcom legend, being one of the minds behind shows like The Office, The Good Place, and Parks and Rec. Dan Goor also had a great reputation for being a comedy writer on shows like Late Night with Conan O'Brien, The Daily Show, and later Parks and Rec. With such a great experience on Poehler's comedy in the rearview and her words in his mind, Brooklyn Nine-Nine was probably a no-brainer.
The decision ended up being a fantastic one. Brooklyn Nine-Nine is still beloved, and when the show was initially canceled by Fox, a fan campaign quickly led to it being picked up on NBC.
Like the cast of Parks and Rec, the ensemble of Brooklyn Nine-Nine seemed to love working together too. It established Samberg as leading man material, and the actor has since branched out into other creative projects like Palm Springs, Celeste and Jesse Forever, and is about to take on a dramatic role in Lee, which stars Kate Winslet.
Overall, Poehler seems to have had Samberg’s best interest at heart, and we should all be eternally grateful to her that she, in a small way, helped Brooklyn Nine-Nine come to fruition.
Fans of Andy Samberg can revisit him in Brooklyn Nine-Nine now with a Netflix subscription. You can also see his guest appearance in the first episode of the second season of Parks and Recreation titled “Park Safety,” with a Peacock subscription, along with episodes from both their Saturday Night Live tenures.
