The Brooklyn Nine-Nine gang is one big happy family, but certain dynamics stand out. From Jake and Amy’s friendship turned romance to Sergeant Terry’s precinct dad status with his detectives, the Nine-Nine is full of love for one another. No matter what life throws at them, they figure it out together.
The series is filled with outrageous scenarios that make for the ultimate comedy. Each relationship dynamic through these surreal moments makes the show as funny as it is. Emotional moments add to the audience’s love of the Nine-Nine detectives and employees. Here are the 10 best friendships on the series, ranked.
Hitchcock & Scully
This duo may be a trainwreck among the likes of stellar talent like Jake Peralta and Amy Santiago, but they’ve proven to be loyal. The rest of the nine-nine often sees them with disgust but they’ve held a strong friendship with one another that started way back in their young detective days.
While they didn’t maintain their golden boys’ status after discovering delicious hot wings they continued to have each other’s backs. Hitchcock and Scully are part of the nine-nine family but this brotherhood is stronger than even that.
Gina & Boyle
The narcissistic Gina Linetti and often-timid Charles Boyle seem like polar opposites, but this is why their friendship works. For a time they hooked up and carried on a casual relationship, much to Gina’s disgust. While the romantic aspect of their relationship wasn’t meant to last, their friendship grew from it.
Gina is the alpha to Boyle’s beta. Especially after their parents married, it became a sibling-like relationship. Gina doesn’t mind messing with Boyle, but she hates the idea of anyone else bullying him the way she does.
Jake & Gina
Close friends since childhood, Jake gets Gina the job at the precinct to help her out. Throughout the series, these two share a strange and loud bond that makes everyone give them crazy looks but they never care. They get one another on a spiritual level. As Gina describes it, their friendship is “the little girl holding little boy’s hand emoji.”
These two have their spats, like when Jake insults Gina when she wants to help him get an apartment, but they always come back to do what’s best for one another.
Rosa & Holt
Captain Holt’s detached demeanor and Rosa’s aversion to feeling and sharing emotions make them two peas in a pod. They are perfectly happy to share comfortable silence and never talk about their feelings. Their pragmatic outlook on life makes it easy for them to share a room, though it may make others uncomfortable.
Still, as they both grow and learn to open up to others, they take that first step by first opening up to one another. When Rosa dates Holt’s nephew and then breaks up with him, the two share an awkward bond.
Jake & Boyle
Boyle reveres Jake and looks up to him most of the time, but there are moments where even he admits Jake is wrong. Jake often thinks Boyle is a crazy weirdo but that’s what he loves most about his best friend. Jake is a die-hard fan of Die Hard and Boyle has a taste for exotic foods.
These two don’t seem to have anything in common except for their job. The fact that these two have no overlapping interests and yet are best friends makes their friendship especially precious.
Amy & Rosa
Being the two main women of the show’s focus put Rosa and Amy in a wonderful position to support one another. Stephanie Beatriz and Melissa Fumero play complex Latinx women who are not stereotypes and whose characters are vastly different.
While Rosa plays the tough girl, Amy plays the cheesy nerd, but both are excellent detectives in their own ways. Moments like when Amy wants to try on wedding dresses during her break and Rosa supports her make their friendship a rich and amazing dynamic.
Jake & Doug Judy
Andy Samberg and Craig Robinson as Jake and Doug Judy are comedy gold. Judy, a.k.a. the Pontiac Bandit is introduced as Jake’s nemesis. But a series of whacky antics places them in a position to better understand one another and develop a friendship.
The life of a criminal is one that’s hard to escape, and try as he might, Judy can’t keep his promises to Jake. Even so, Jake never fails to come through for Judy. It’s a strange situation between a cop and a criminal. A spin-off wouldn’t go amiss for these two.
Holt & Gina
The energy between these two characters is absolute chaos. Somehow Gina and Captain Holt manage to bring out both the best and the worst in each other. It’s something like a yin and yang relationship. When Holt needs to muster his savage side, he calls on Gina. Likewise, when Gina needs tempering, Holt is there to guide her.
The best part of their relationship is the trust and belief they have in one another. When either one is having doubts or unsure of their capabilities, the other is always there to bolster their esteem.
Jake & Holt
It’s a running joke that Jake and Captain Holt’s relationship is that of father and son. Holt makes up for the hole Jake’s father left in the goofy detective’s heart as a child. But their relationship goes beyond that. Their friendship grew during their days in witness protection in Palm Springs.
Holt holds Jake to high standards because he knows the silly police officer is capable of great things. While Holt teaches Jake to be serious, Jake teaches Holt to loosen up and learn to have a sense of humor.
Jake & Rosa
Both detectives avoid talking about their feelings in different ways. Jake often deflects with humor while Rosa directly states she doesn’t want to talk and intimidates her friends into backing down. But when things get really deep, Jake and Rosa turn to one another for emotional support.
One of the best Jake and Rosa moments is when she decides to come out as bisexual to her parents. She turns to Jake for support. When her parents don’t take the news well, Jake organizes a family game night with the nine-nine for her.
