'Brooklyn Nine-Nine' to End in 2022 With Season 8 on NBC

The Nine-Nine now has a closing date. Brooklyn Nine-Nine, the police sitcom starring former Saturday Night Live star Andy Samberg, will end with its upcoming eighth season, NBC announced Thursday. In addition, the final season will not air until the 2021-2022 TV season kicks off and will only run 10 episodes. The move comes after nearly a year of renewed protests against police brutality, which Terry Crews previously said inspired the entire writers' room to scrap what they prepared for Season 8 and start from scratch.

"I'm so thankful to NBC and Universal Television for allowing us to give these characters and our fans the ending they deserve," showrunner Dan Goor, who co-created the series with The Good Place creator Mike Schur, said in a statement, reports The Wrap. "When Mike Schur and I first pitched the pilot episode to Andy, he said, 'I'm in, but I think the only way to tell this story is over exactly 153 episodes,' which was crazy because that was exactly the number Mike and I had envisioned."

"I feel incredibly lucky to have worked with this amazing cast and crew for eight seasons," Goor continued. "They are not only among the most talented people in the business; they are all good human beings who have become a family. But most of all, I feel lucky that we have had the best fans in the world. Fans who literally saved us from cancellation. Fans who fill us with joy. Ending the show was difficult, but ultimately, we felt it was the best way to honor the characters, the story, and our viewers. I know some people will be disappointed it's ending so soon, but honestly, I'm grateful it lasted this long. Title of my sex tape."

Two main factors caused the delay for Season 8. First, production was put on hold due to a coronavirus spike in Los Angeles during the holiday season. Crews, who plays Lieutenant Terry Jeffords on the series, also told Access last year the production was discussing how the show would work in light of the Black Lives Matter movement and the death of George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer. Crews said four episodes he wrote were completely scrapped.

"We've had a lot of somber talks about it and deep conversations and we hope through this we're going to make something that will be truly groundbreaking this year. We have an opportunity and we plan to use it in the best way possible," Crews explained. "Our show-runner Dan Goor, they had four episodes all ready to go and they just threw them in the trash. We have to start over. Right now, we don't know which direction it's going to go in."

Brooklyn Nine-Nine launched in September 2013 on Fox and surprisingly won Golden Globes for Best Actor in a TV Series Musical or Comedy for Samberg and Best TV Series Comedy or Musical in the middle of its first season. Although the show never quite clicked with awards (the only four Primetime Emmy nominations it ever received were all for Andre Braugher), it built a dedicated fan base and was considered a trailblazer with its diverse cast. Fox canceled the show in May 2018, but NBC picked it up a day later. The show is produced by NBC's sister company, Universal Television.