Isn’t it weird to think that, in some alternate universe, Jimmy McNulty had the potential to be Jake Peralta? On the iconic TV show The Wire, Detective Jimmy McNulty is a cop who will bend every rule just to prove he’s right. And belive it or not, Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s very own Jake Peralta is essentially a comedic take on McNulty!
While McNulty is reckless, self-destructive, and constantly at odds with authority, Peralta is seen throughout the seasons channeling that same rebellious energy into something good and eventually evolving as a character. Here is a detailed look at how the character was created!
Jake Peralta’s origin story (his roots lie in The Wire!)
During Entertainment Weekly’s Fall TV Preview, the team behind Brooklyn Nine-Nine opened up on how they ended up on the show. And while discussing Andy Samberg‘s casting, the conversation drifted toward the origins of Jake Peralta, and what shaped his character.
At his core, Peralta was envisioned as a detective who was undeniably talented but deeply flawed, frustrated by red tape and bureaucracy, even if he himself is a part of the system, and thus prone to bending the rules, and always finding his own way around “the system.” Yet, unlike the brooding anti-heroes of TV dramas, he brought a playful, prankster energy to the role, which made him not an anti-hero at all.
And thus, if one looks closely and squints their eyes and strips away the comedy, Peralta shared striking similarities with one of television’s most iconic characters after Walter White and Don Draper, Jimmy McNulty from The Wire. Samberg shared the first impressions he formed upon hearing the pitch for his character with EW, saying,
Even if they hadn’t described it the way that they did, I probably would have tried to say that, because I love The Wire so much. They were describing the character, saying, “He’s flawed but in ways that are understandable. He has room to grow, he is really good at the job, but he has trouble working with others, he’s frustrated by the slowness of the system, he’s always going outside of the system and doing things his way, but he’s also incredibly silly and a prankster.” So I was like, “Oh, yeah, it’s comedy McNulty.”
And truth be told, it is the perfect comparison, although Jake Peralta and Jimmy McNulty exist in completely different TV worlds, their core characteristics make them surprisingly similar.
Both are highly skilled detectives who are deeply passionate about their work but have little patience for authority and rules. McNulty constantly clashes with his superiors, while Peralta does the same, just with more jokes. The key difference is that while McNulty’s antics led to self-destruction, Peralta eventually matured, becoming more disciplined, which ultimately helped him become a better cop.
Why Andy Samberg was perfect for the Brooklyn Nine-Nine character!
It’s hard to imagine anyone other than Andy Samberg bringing Jake Peralta to life, he was simply perfect for the role. Luckily, Brooklyn Nine-Nine creators Michael Schur and Dan Goor thought so, too, having him in mind from the very beginning. And thank goodness they did!
Schur, in the same EW chat, reflected on the moment he knew without a doubt that Samberg was the right choice. He explained,
We found out Andy had left SNL, and suddenly it was like, “Oh, that could work.” We went to Fox and said, “What would you think about Andy Samb-?,” and before we finished his name they were like, “Yes, go get him!” We pitched the show to him, and as we were explaining the character in this verbose, florid way, he said, “Oh, it’s comedy McNulty.” We were like, “Yes … that’s the two-word version of our rambling description.” We said later, “He’s totally the right guy for the job, because he was able to distill it in that way.”
Michael Schur’s wife also played a role in helping him finalize his choice. As Samberg later revealed, she made a remark that he took as a compliment, one that confirmed Samberg was the perfect fit for Jake Peralta. He said,
[Schur] asked his wife, “What do you think of Andy Samberg for this?” and she said, “Yeah, that would be good because he’s not threatening at all so it will make me feel like, ‘Oh, I can watch this show about cops. It won’t feel like it’s just for dudes.’ I was like, ‘I’m going to take that as a compliment….’”
Which is true from a woman’s point of view, those who have seen and know both Andy Samberg and Jake Peralta would probably choose Samberg/Peralta over a bear, any day! This, thus, makes it the only exception in the internet debate, where women often tend to choose otherwise.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine is available to stream on Peacock.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
