Captain Holt turned Brooklyn Nine-Nine into a masterpiece

Like many people, I got into Brooklyn Nine-Nine because of Andy Samberg and his goofball character Jake Peralta. I stayed for Andre Braugher. Captain Holt is his only role that I know well and one of my favorites of all time. Never has a sitcom character without facial expressions made me laugh and cry so often.

Andre Braugher has died at the age of 61 and all I can say is: Thank you for the great time you gave me and millions of other fans with Brooklyn Nine-Nine.

Without Andre Braugher as Captain Holt, Jake and Amy would just be idiots and nerds

Sitcom characters tend to start out as stereotypes only to be broken open. Police officer Jake is the confused good-for-nothing with the one-liners and his colleague Amy (Melissa Fumero) is the overcompensating order fanatic. Chandler and Monika from Friends send their regards. Only with that clear instruction, scolding and appreciation their boss Captain Holt, Jake and Amy become three-dimensional characters and adults.

Andre Braugher tickles not only from himself, but especially from Andy Samberg’s Jake Peralta unimagined depths and very rare tears. He accompanies the main character from beginning to end. Under his care, Jake goes from being a Die Hard nerd to being a thoughtful family man.

In your last Brooklyn Nine-Nine scene together There won’t be a dry eye in the room – regardless of whether you’ve watched the series or never seen an episode:

The US actor has a lot more on his shoulders in Brooklyn Nine-Nine: Captain Holt not just the father figure, which the two main characters rub against each other and work through. He is a black, gay police captain who looks back on years of discrimination and all kinds of disadvantages and gives the series a lot more depth than it originally suggests. He is a serious figure and a crazy comic relief in the same breath. Andre Braugher achieved great things.

Andre Braugher is the heart of Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Captain Holt is a father figure to all of us

Captain Holt is there initially little more than a socially incompetent robot. It starts off as a guarantee for laughs, which ricochet off any charm. But Andre Braugher makes a lot out of a little space. When Holt gets angry and loud, when he wants to be sophisticated and funny, Andre Braugher pushes the emotion out of every pore while the face remains a wall of stone. There are hundreds of examples of his talent, so I’ll give you a best-of:

Little by little, season by season, Captain Holt lets us look behind the facade of the tough face. And what we get to see is his truly touching and highly topical life story.

In rare moments Braugher drops the facade and those are the moments I will never forget. In a scene in which Holt says goodbye to his squad as captain, the person behind the comedy talent shines through. If Captain Holt leaves, everyone will be lost. Not only is he the heart of the series, he is also the heart of the 99:

Honestly, I understand Jake. Captain Holt, despite his comical stubbornness, is exactly that what we all really want as a father figure: Someone who accompanies us with clear statements, is unwavering in his morals and knows what he is talking about. Someone who takes us into their hearts as we are and brings out the best in us. This is Holt for Jake and Amy. Braugher achieves this with his fantastic performance and it really leaves an impression. It was thanks to him that Brooklyn Nine-Nine became this great and long-lasting series.

Without Captain Holt the whole series wouldn’t make sense. The depth and cohesion of the chaotic police station would be missing. Without Andre Braugher, Brooklyn Nine-Nine would be a completely different series and certainly a less good one.

Thank you, Andre Braugherthat you have made the lives of many series fans a lot better.