For ensemble comedies to truly work, you need a group of incredibly talented people, not just one major star. That’s true for shows like Parks and Recreation, Community, New Girl, and, most recently, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, even though each of these four series has one standout performer that has risen above the rest. Parks has Nick Offerman as Ron Swanson, Community had Donald Glover (and still has Danny Pudi), New Girl‘s got Jake Johnson, who, in my eyes, has made Nick Miller one of the best characters currently on TV, but what about Brooklyn Nine-Nine? Who is that show’s star, or, if you will, its MVP?
As you can probably guess by the title of this article, I would say the breakout star of Brooklyn Nine-Nine has been Melissa Fumero, who plays straight-laced, rule-following Amy Santiago on the FOX comedy. While this may sound like blasphemy to many people who worship at the altar of Andre Braugher (for the record, I’m right there with you) or those who believe that the show would be nowhere without its leading man, Andy Samberg, please let me explain my reasoning.
It’s certainly true that the performances of both Braugher and Samberg are major factors in what makes Brooklyn Nine-Nine so successful. Braugher’s deadpan delivery is only outdone by his rare chances to show Captain Holt’s excitement (such as this unforgettable moment from earlier in the season), and Samberg, who has dialed back his overly big, “man-child” routine from the show’s initial episodes, has transformed Jake into a fun and compelling protagonist to follow. However, while both men are excellent performers, they lack what makes Fumero (and, by extension, the character of Amy) so special: versatility.
Throughout Brooklyn Nine-Nine‘s 30-plus episodes so far, no actor has been asked to wear as many hats as Fumero. As Amy, she has been required to be several different things, sometimes all in the same episode. From the workplace suck-up to one-half of the show’s core couple to, most recently, the overly dramatic drunk friend, Fumero provides Amy with many different shades, and all of them feel real, natural, and believable, a credit to her work as an actress.
Take this past Sunday’s episode, “Beach House,” which had Amy going through all five (and a new a sixth one) of her signature stages of drunkenness. Fumero plays Amy as a dancing maniac, a boundary-pushing perv, an overly confident competitor, and, finally, a sad and lonely lost soul, and she nails every single one of these personas, making them all feel like versions of the same character and ensuring that all of them are hilarious as well (her delivery of the line”Gotta cover up them thangs, yeah?” to Stephanie Beatriz’s Rosa makes me laugh just thinking about it).
And, as I hinted at above, Fumero’s not just great at providing consistent, belly-aching laughs; she’s also a pretty fantastic romantic lead as well. Going as far back as the Season 1 highlight, “The Bet” (my personal favorite episode of the first season) and even looking at more recent episodes, like November’s “The Road Trip,” Fumero has shown that she has great chemistry with Samberg. Not to mention, she perfectly captures Amy’s vulnerability (her fear of breaking up with Teddy, her curiosity about Jake’s feelings for her, etc.) in a way the feels authentic and that never comprises the strength of Amy’s character.
When I first heard of Brooklyn Nine-Nine, I was interested in it for two reasons only: it was a comedy Parks and Rec‘s Mike Schur and Dan Goor and Andre Braugher had a series regular role in it. Now, though, halfway into Season 2, Fumero, who was a complete unknown to me back when the series first started, has become my favorite part of the show, and I can’t imagine it without her. And when that’s the case, when you truly can’t imagine what a show would be like without that actor’s presence, what else could you call that person other than an MVP?
[Photos via FOX]
Don’t forget that it helps that Melissa Fumero is clear cut America’s Sweetheart material, a perfect combination of traditional uber cute looks and a genuinely sweet, fun and positive demeanor.
Can I nominate Terry Crews for runner-up MVP status? :-D
Of course you can! Especially if he’s “Vacation Terry.”
I don’t know, I really love Rosa personally. In fact, if I was pressed to pick a favorite, I’d have a rough time of it; with the exception of Hitchcock & Scully, the whole group shines in very unique and wonderful ways. (Not a big fan of the slacker duo.)
Back during the Friends days, everyone would have gravitated toward the America’s Sweetheart type. Today, Amy would still qualify as the America’s Sweetheart, but we as the audience have branched out our tastes, and we have people who prefer female characters with nerves of steel (Rosa) or dry sarcasm (Gina). That’s not to say people don’t want the America’s Sweetheart anymore.
“Asked to WEAR as many hats”….