NBC explains why it saved Brooklyn Nine-Nine

It’s pretty rare that a canceled show successfully finds a home someplace else. And NBC swooping in to rescue Brooklyn Nine-Nine happened so fast — just one day after Fox axed the show. The comedy wasn’t exactly blowing up the Nielsens, averaging only 2.7 million viewers in its fifth season.

So what made B99 so attractive to NBC?

“Brooklyn is a show our company produces for Fox, so it’s a show that’s very close to us,” said NBC entertainment chairman Robert Greenblatt. “I’ve been saying to certain people in the press that if we knew Andy Samberg was going to be cast in that show, we never would have sold it to Fox. We’ve been watching it closely ever since. … We jumped on it really quickly and are thrilled to have it and think it fits into our brand of comedy in many ways better than it fit into Fox’s brand of comedy. It feels like it goes along shows like A.P. Bio, Will & Grace, Superstore, and The Good Place. … It’s also one of the few comedies in recent years that does a robust international number, and it has a syndication upside, which a lot of shows don’t have anymore.”

Asked if fan outrage about the cancellation was a factor, Greenblatt said, “We love the fans and we love when they’re vocal. I was getting messages from all kinds of people Friday and Saturday saying the show was trending on Twitter. … It was great to know the fans were outraged, but we were too. We were right there with them. We love when fans yell and scream on Twitter, but we hope that transfers and they watch the show.”

NBC also announced its 2018-19 schedule Sunday, which included holding Brooklyn Nine-Nine to midseason, and unveiled its new fall trailers.