BROOKLYN 99: Every Episode, Every Rating [Over 10 Timeslots and 2 Networks]

Does the title play like a parody?  It should, as the scrappy (and critically acclaimed) Brooklyn Nine-Nine has proven a scrappy prisoner always being transferred to new scheduling cells.  In its 7 seasons on the air, Brooklyn Nine-Nine has been relocated over 10 timeslots (8 of which were over its 5 years on FOX).  And still, the nuclear cast and lack of canned laughter have proven durable in an era rife with ratings decline.  Thankfully, Brooklyn Nine-Nine was blessed to be a part of an era which an outsourced show not produced by the network's parent company was valued.  Brooklyn Nine-Nine debuted with the awkward class of 2013 featuring ABC's The Goldbergs and CBS' Mom, all of which were mismatched on an evening which their talents and audience did not reach the masses.  All were relocated to appropriate evenings the following season.  And all remain(ed) on the schedule by 2020, despite a shameful 8 hours Brooklyn Nine-Nine was DOA and sentenced to death by FOX, only to be gloriously rebuilt by parent company NBC.

Please note Brooklyn Nine-Nine is a returning show, so this table only holds data up through the 2019-20 television season.  To see how Brooklyn Nine-Nine rated year to year against its competition, cruise through TVRG's Ratings History database as it has television data from 1950 through the present!


Seasons 1-4 (2013-17)


Seasons 5-7 (2017-20)


Brooklyn Nine-Nine blazed into FOX's Tuesday schedule on September 17, 2013 with Andy Samberg sporing his festive pink speedo.  He needed it to prop the laugh-track-ridden mess that was Dads followed by heavy-hitter New Girl and The Mindy Project.  Debuting at a modest 2.6 rating (for 2013 standards), B99 slid down to a 1.4 inside two showings as ABC's opposing Marvel: Agent of Shield monopolized the 8:00 timeslot.  B99's performance (save for a phenomenal post Superbowl showing) was underwhelming, leaving many to wonder if the series would make it.  Leave it to a Golden Globe win on January 12, 2014 to solidify B99's status as marketable.  Despite registering a (then) abysmal 1.1 rating on March 18, 2014, Brooklyn Nine-Nine finished the season scraping with a 1.75 Live 18-49 demo.  


By the time Season 2 came into play, FOX treated its outsourced stepchild with more respect, planting it between The Simpsons and Family Guy.  The season retained steady with less than 3% losses from the prior season as strong lead in's and leadouts aided, as well as Football Inflation.  Impressive, considering the prior season had that landmark 6.9 post Superbowl episode the prior season.  Brooklyn Nine-Nine remained sexy and sex-appeal driven until the 2016 calendar year flipped.  FOX relocated it back to dreadful Tuesdays at 9:00 and ratings drops ensued, leading to a horrific prison beating in Nielsens (follow the orange hemorrhaging numbers).  Season 4 resulted in another cell reassign to 8:00 on Tuesdays, with January through April the show sat in solitary confinement before being let out in mid-April to back-to-back showings of disastrous lows.  


Many questioned if Brooklyn faced FOX's death penalty, but it was shifted cell blocks to the back end of FOX's Tuesday block in Season 5, again to appalling numbers.  Repeating last season's pattern, Brooklyn Nine-Nine was placed in solitary confinement after disastrous numbers, only to be released and housed on Sunday nights to slight improvements.  All looked promising until Friday May 11, 2018 when FOX cancelled the series.  Less than 8 hours later, NBC announced it would resurrect the series for its Must-See-TV block.  B99 returned steady in numbers and blended into NBC's abysmal night.  A slight drop occurred in Season 7 as the comedy block's numbers lowered in unison.  


Brooklyn Nine-Nine is slated to return for Season 8 having survived timeslot/network/cellblock changes.  Its 7th season maintained ratings and stands to prop up NBC's dismantled comedy block.  And it is poised to continue to deliver seasons of quality performance despite being treated as an inmate or ex-convict on the schedule.  






Sources:

1. https://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/brooklyn-nine-nine-season-one-ratings-29868/
2. https://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/brooklyn-nine-nine-season-two-ratings-34129/
3. https://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/brooklyn-nine-nine-season-three-ratings-38211/
4. https://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/brooklyn-nine-nine-season-four-ratings/
5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brooklyn_Nine-Nine_(season_5)
6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brooklyn_Nine-Nine_(season_6)
7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brooklyn_Nine-Nine_(season_7)

Share this

Related Posts

Previous
Next Post »