'Brooklyn Nine-Nine' Deliberating COVID-19 Plot Into Season 8

[This story contains spoilers from the season seven finale of NBC's Brooklyn Nine-Nine.]

NBC's Brooklyn Nine-Nine wrapped its seventh season Thursday with a feel-good finale that offered a glimpse into a common struggle: that of working parents as Jake (Andy Samberg) and Amy (Melissa Fumero) battled a New York City blackout as the latter went into labour and ultimately gave birth to their son. Behind the scenes, the writers went back to work this week on season eight of the cop comedy and debate how to incorporate New York's first responders and the novel coronavirus into their scripts.

To hear showrunner Dan Goor tell it, brushing the global pandemic under the proverbial rug is not an option — namely because so many of the city's first responders have been impacted by the deadly COVID-19 virus.

Dan just opened the remote writers' room, via Zoom, for season eight this week. When asked how he sees the value of comedy amid our current world, He said "We also have the luxury of having completed this season before any of this happened so there is kind of a blissful and excusable naiveté and ignorance about the world. It's not like we're putting our head in the sand; it's like we didn't know about it when it happened. We are really conscious of the fact that there is a value in giving people a release and in just making a show that's funny and has characters who love each other and are good people."

Andy Samberg said "There's different shades of it. You still have Seth Meyers and John Oliver and all the late night people doing their shows and keeping people informed through comedy when you want to engage. Then there's stuff like Brooklyn and whether it's shows like Parks and Recreation that are wonderful examples of something that you can escape into because they are idyllic and there is tension release there. There are so many people spending time watching TV and movies because they're on their computer all day and hearing all of this really intense stuff that you need to give your mind a little bit of a break."

Taling about the show being set in Brooklyn that features first responders who have been hit hard by COVID-19 and how much they are considering incorporating it next season, Goor replied "As we move into next year — right now we literally have had one day of the writers' room — it's what we're talking about. We think there is a value to escapism, but at the same time, we don't want to be ignorant. There is a debate about what next year will look like. I don't think anybody wants us to, nor do we want to, have our characters toiling away in the depths of the pandemic. I don't think that's the direction we'll go in."

"But the question is how they have been affected by the virus and the pandemic as New York City residents and as first responders in New York City. How do we keep the show funny? How do we do that while still making them of this world and of their world? It's challenging. The only thing that makes it slightly easier is if we are shooting it, it means that a lot of things have happened: the curve has more than flattened and we are in a world where social distancing has been relaxed and people are back at their jobs." he added

"Some of the issues will be partially solved [for us]. I'm not saying that things are going to be all better. That said, I do think it's possible that there will be an episode or parts of episodes that do explore what their lives are like now — or were like now — because that informs who they are. But we are really trying to figure it out."

He also said that they did have ideas for incorporating the crisis "There was a pitch in the room that they live in a world where coronavirus was cured after two weeks. I had a negative reaction to that because it feels like then they are not anchored and tethered to the world anymore. And you lose the value of that; it's harder to laugh with them. They are not people who are going through the same thing you are. And part of the catharsis, I think, is that they are these people you know who go through the kinds of things you go through."

Discussing about the show having tackled a lot of social issues, he said "I also feel like there are stories to be told. There will be so many after-effects of this, even once there is a vaccine and once we're all back at work. Those are things that are worth exploring. People lose jobs — does the spouse or partner of one of our main cast members lose their job? Does that put economic pressure on them? Does that lead to funny stories about them having to do multiple jobs at one time or take a night job? There are ways in which we can try to bring the real world into Brooklyn without it being super tragic."

"We are sadly as a society at a point where everyone knows someone or has been directly affected by either the virus or the economic fallout from it. Have you considered if any of the man characters will have had COVID-19 or had a family member who did?" Goon was asked. 

He replied to the same saying "Yes, it's certainly something we're talking about. I don't know what we'll do. One in five New York City police officers is out sick or self-isolating due to contact with COVID-19. It is certainly something that we are talking about. Or do we pick up afterward and find out that some of them are sick? I don't know. However we do it, we will try make sure the show is still funny and the characters are who they are. Even in an "issues" episode, we try to do in the most Brooklyn Nine-Nine-y way we can do it."

Andy, as someone who plays a New York police detective, had a message for them.

"Thank you for your service and stay as safe as you possibly can. So many people in New York and all over the world who work in public service and in hospitals are doing so much to help protect us and help people and trying to save people's lives and putting themselves in danger. It's really heavy. It's stuff that you really don't expect will happen to you in your lifetime. So, all I can really do is send my thanks out to those peeps. And to anyone else reading, if you haven't already and you can, you should be donating and helping people. That's the most proactive thing a lot of people can do from their homes right now."

He also revealed "We knew that we were coming back and had known for a while. If we had known we were not coming back, I wouldn't have made the series finale Jake and Amy having a kid because I don't think that's the main arc that we're telling. But it did feel like a nice season-ender."

Discussing how playing Jake changed Andy, he revealed "There's a lot with Jake that has coincided with my life. It's one hand washes the other in a lot of ways. Who I am has changed him as a person, too. (Laughs.) The first episode they really lay it out clearly: Jake needs to grow up and his biggest challenge is focusing and being more serious in his life because he's got all this potential. The fun thing that has been surprising in how we have dealt with Jake is that it wasn't necessarily related to his work. What was deemed important and what he veered toward was a lot more about coming to terms with who he is and allowing himself to really feel his feelings and just standard male stuff: Figuring out how to communicate with people that he loves and cares about; learning how to be in a committed relationship; and committing to starting a family. It was less about career ambition and more about growth, which I thought was cool."

Talking about naming the baby and alternatives, Goor said "It had to be Die Hard-related. The other leading contender was to make that the season cliffhanger, but we felt like that was a total cop-out. Like, Jake says, "We're naming the baby …" and then it cuts out and you hear the "not a doctor" tagline."

Talking about what is next for Jake and Amy, he said "I don't know. Bar mitzvah?! (Laughs.) "

He added "It's about them being parents and about their jobs. Amy's career is more important to her than ever before. I think it's about continuing the maturation process of Jake. Maybe it's a career landmark for one of them and maybe it's a career landmark that has an impact on their family. But again, we just started the room, so it's hard to say."

Andy, on the other hand, said "Being a good father is heavy on his mind. He keeps voicing that concern. And parenthood has many phases, so that's a never-ending one. Just when you think you've got the hang of it, it changes drastically. So that will be there for us going forward. Jake talked about wanting to be on the task force and things come up that he's interested in that. Anything that makes his job feel more like he's in a movie he's hungry for. But on the other hand, once you have kids that affects people differently and maybe Jake and Amy wouldn't want to be putting themselves in the line of danger all the time."

When asked how much convincing did it take to get Andre and Terry to hip hop dance "For Terry, zero. Andre, in his self-effacing way, was like, 'Good luck making this work!' And then he was amazing. We did three takes and every one of them was incredibly funny and we were on the floor laughing. It was amazing. And Terry could be a professional dancer, he's such a talented hip-hop dancer and just dancer in general."

When asked if season 8 is the last one, the showrunner revealed "Right now, we are really just concentrating on the present and on making season eight great. It is hard to think about the future with the world the way it is right now. We feel lucky to have jobs and to have fans that love the show."

They also revealed that they have a few ideas for the end but its hard to know for certain.