Melissa Fumero returned to NBC in the 2024 TV schedule to play a "really extra character" on Night Court opposite Melissa Rauch and John Larroquette. It was a guest-starring role, so Fumero won't be on the hit sitcom on a weekly basis, but that wasn't the case just a few years ago when Brooklyn Nine-Nine was going strong. Still, while the comedy came to an end on NBC back in 2021, new fans are still discovering it, and the actress spoke with CinemaBlend about its arrival on Netflix's Top 10.
I spoke with Melissa Fumero about her role on Night Court for the episode that aired on March 5, which coincided with Brooklyn Nine-Nine earning a spot in the Top 10 for Netflix subscribers after the first four seasons arrived on the streamer. She hadn't heard the news just yet, and then shared her feelings about people still discovering the show and her role as Amy Santiago:
I did not know that! That's crazy. That's amazing. That was I think the thing we were all excited about when we heard that the first four seasons were going to be on Netflix. We've always been on Netflix around the world, outside of the U.S., and have done very well there, so it felt exciting to be on a new platform and for people to discover the show. Hopefully it has another little life. It'll always be something so near and dear to me, and the timing of it is amazing. That's crazy that it's in the Top 10. That's really awesome to hear.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine has been streaming on Netflix for a while for international subscribers, and viewers in the U.S. can find all eight seasons with a Peaco*ck Premium subscription, but it's definitely a sign that the comedy endures that it made the Top 10 on Netflix. While only the first four seasons streaming on Netflix means that the iconic "I Want It That Way" cold open isn't available, there's plenty to enjoy.
Plus, as Melissa Fumero noted, the timing is "amazing." Andre Braugher, who portrayed the fan-favorite Captain Raymond Holt in all eight seasons, passed away at the age of 61 back in December, prompting the cast to pay tribute to Braugher. There's no better time for existing fans to revisit the comedy as well as for new people to discover it.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine was packed with actors who either came into the show as legends – such as Braugher, from his more serious dramatic roles, and Andy Samberg from his years on Saturday Night Live – or have since become pop culture icons. Fumero worked with some legends on Night Court as well, with The Big Bang Theory alum Melissa Rauch and of course original Night Court star John Larroquette.
Melissa Fumero praised Rauch as "the multi-cam queen," since Brooklyn Nine-Nine was a single-camera comedy. As for John Larroquette, Fumero discovered a personal connection that made working together a lot less nerve-wracking. She shared:
John is an icon, so to be totally honest, I was kind of nervous to talk to him. [laughs] He was very kind and very warm, and then once we realized he's very good friends with Dirk Blocker, then I was like, 'Cool. There's a connection there.' So I got to talk up about how much I love Dirk. Also, the things that he would ad lib are so funny. He just knows how to make anything funny, and that was really fun to watch. He just knows how to put a spin on a line that maybe didn't appear that funny to you at first, and then he says it and you're like, 'Oh, he made it funny. There it is. He did it.'
Dirk Blocker played the bumbling Detective Hitchco*ck on Brooklyn Nine-Nine with Melissa Fumero, and that gave her a connection to bond with John Larroquette. She also only had good things to say about working with Larroquette and his ability to "make anything funny." It does seem safe to say that the Night Court revival wouldn't have been such a massive hit early in its run without Larroquette reprising his Emmy-winning role from the original series.
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If you want to revisit Melissa Fumero's episode of Night Court as well as all eight seasons of Brooklyn Nine-Nine streaming, you can do so with a Peaco*ck subscription. If Netflix is your go-to for streaming content, the first four seasons of Nine-Nine are available there!
Laura Hurley
Senior Content Producer
Laura turned a lifelong love of television into a valid reason to write and think about TV on a daily basis. She's not a doctor, lawyer, or detective, but watches a lot of them in primetime. CinemaBlend's resident expert and interviewer for One Chicago, the galaxy far, far away, and a variety of other primetime television. Will not time travel and can cite multiple TV shows to explain why. She does, however, want to believe that she can sneak references to The X-Files into daily conversation (and author bios).
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