Brooklyn Nine-Nine season 8: Chelsea Peretti says show should ‘defund the police’

Brooklyn Nine-Nine actor Chelsea Peretti has shared her views on how the cop sitcom should address police brutality in America.

The show was placed under the spotlight in the wake of George Floyd‘s death while being apprehended by Minneapolis police officers in May.

One officer was filmed kneeling on his neck for more than eight minutes, and has since been charged with second-degree murder.

The incident sparked a wave of global protests over systemic racism and police brutality prompting Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s producers to scrap four episodes they had already written.

Peretti, who plays Gina Linetti, stepped down as a series regular in 2018, but has returned for numerous guest spots.

The comedian admitted that she found being critical of the show “hard” as “a lot of [her] friends and family at this point, that’s their livelihood and they’re on [it],” but said she is “very curious and interested to see what they do” with the forthcoming season.

“It’s hard for me to want to undercut them,” she told IndieWire over Instagram Live. “I know they’re working to reshape this coming season. I get what people are saying. I get their concerns.”

Peretti revealed that her initial thought on how the show could react to Floyd’s death was: “They should just defund the police. And have everyone going to do community-oriented work.”

“That’s probably not what they’re going to do,” she added. ”But I’m looking forward to seeing what they do because I know they have to respond to this, the unfortunate reality that policing has been and is.”

In June, it was revealed that the cast – including Andy Samberg, Melissa Fumero and Stephanie Beatriz – had donated $100,000 (£80,000) to the National Bail Fund to help aid protesters.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine is available to watch in the UK on E4 and Netflix.

Read more

Copaganda: Why film and TV portrayals of the police are under fire

Every movie and TV show coming to Netflix this month

RIP box sets: How streaming lets classic TV slip through the cracks