Should I Watch This? Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Should I Watch This? Sam S******* wades through the glut of television content to offer his view on whether a TV show is worth your time. The only connective tissue for this column is that Sam watched it.

Show: Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Season: 5 (released 2017)

Episodes: 22; each between 21 minutes and 22 minutes (look at that network TV consistency)

How to Watch: Hulu

Genre: Cop comedy

You'd Enjoy This Show If You Like: Seasons 1 through 4 of Brooklyn Nine-Nine; being a fan of Die Hard; Terry Crews' muscles.

You'd Hate This Show If You Dislike: network comedies; frequent commercial interruptions; jokes about cops; police procedurals.

People Involved: Michael Schur (The Good Place, Parks & Recreation) and Dan Goor (The Daily Show, also Parks & Recreation) offer up another installment of this forever feel good ensemble cop show starring Andy Samberg.

The Pitch: Art in any medium has a spectrum of results. No matter how much snobs may scoff, there are good Lifetime movies and bad ones; stellar pun-filled porn parodies and limp ones. The same is true with by-the-numbers sitcoms. And this is a good one.

In these scary days, do you want to be challenged or consoled? While at times Brooklyn Nine-Nine can be moralizing, in most instances, it's silly and fun. This show has mastered the A-plot, B-plot, C-plot formula; weaves in season-long narrative arcs; and incorporates returning guests for wacky adventures. On that last point, fans of the show will again enjoy guest spots from Craig Robinson, Jason Mantzoukas, and Dean Gerard Winters (aka Mayhem from the Allstate commercials or Liz Lemon's shitty ex-boyfriend).

Plot-wise, Season 5 follows Captain Raymond Holt's (Andre Braugher) pursuit to become police commissioner. This arc pits him against Allison Tollman, playing a slightly different type of cop than her role in Fargo Season 1. Also, Detective Jake Peralta and Amy (Melissa Fumero) prepare for marriage, so there's a slew of normal wedding stuff they have to deal with (look for fun parent cameos from Bradley Whitford, Jimmy Smits, and Katey Sagal).

Also happening this season: Rosa (Stephanie Beatriz) comes out as bisexual, and Charles (Joe Lo Truglio) opens a food truck. The only buzz kill is that Chelsea Peretti begins to downshift her role on the show. Season 5 is her last season as a main cast member. This means an uptick in Hitchcock and Scully episodes, which is akin to more plots on The Simpsons following Disco Stu or Gil.

You also may recall the "Save Brooklyn Nine-Nine" online crusade where FOX chose not to renew after this season. Unlike in Arrested Development, that off-stage drama never made into the show. NBC picked it up for Season 6, so that drama was short-lived anyway.

Should I Watch This? Yes. Allow Hulu to let those episodes flow from one to the next. This show is the model of consistency, and Season 5 still rides high. I don't know how long they'll be able to pull it off, but the ha-has have not yet waned.