Is it the best show on TV? Maybe.
Brooklyn 99 is doing some seriously important work. In terms of race and sexuality, it's got pretty much every other show beat, and it's not doing too bad a job on gender, either. They pass the Bechdel test with flying colors in basically every single episode.
However - and it pains me to say this, because it is my absolute favorite show - it's got a problem with mental illness.
Aside from saying "crazy" and "psycho" altogether too much, which isn't particularly unique among media in general, I noticed in this latest rewatch that there are a disturbing number of suicide jokes, from Hitchcock's Mr. 99 tattoo to the jail suicide on visiting day in S5E1 to the hostage negotiator in the season 5 Doug Judy episode.
Brooklyn 99 gets so many things so right that it's particularly infuriating that they've done such a crap job on mental illness. They've delved into Sarge's eating disorder with a lot of levity and not much consideration to the reality of an eating disorder. I'm not expecting them to have someone come out as being mentally ill or anything, but I'd appreciate it if they could just cut down on the number of suicide jokes that they make, if nothing else.
Come on, B99. Become the unproblematic fave I want you to be.
