Series · Comedy, Crime · 2013 · TV-14

Brooklyn Nine-Nine: parents' guide

Name: Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Released: 2013

13+our pick

Best for ages 13 and up. Rated TV-14.

A fast, goofy police comedy with a big heart, good for families with young teens who enjoy rapid-fire jokes. Expect constant innuendo and sex jokes, coworkers dating, bleeped swearing, drunk suspects and drug busts, plus a few brief comic scenes of drug use, including a character high on prescribed edibles. Action is mostly played for laughs, though guns, fistfights and the odd injury come with the job. A few episodes turn serious, tackling racial profiling, a reported sexual assault (discussed, not shown) and, in the final season, police brutality. Those are worth watching together, and the overall mix suits ages 13 and up.

What's in it

Violence

Moderate

Realistic police action, mostly played for laughs: suspects tackled, fistfights, guns drawn and fired, a bomb-carrying killer, and a prison storyline with fights and threats. Some episodes show brief injury detail or gore, and crime-scene bodies appear.

Language

Mild

Audible words include hell, damn, ass, bitch, bastard and crap, often swapped for silly stand-ins like frickin. Stronger profanity is bleeped, usually for comic effect, so the intended word is often obvious.

Sex and nudity

Moderate

Frequent sex jokes and innuendo, coworker romances, implied hookups, men in their underwear, and gags about sex toys and a hypothetical sex tape. Nudity is limited to an implied, unseen bare rear in season 8. A gay captain and a bisexual detective are treated warmly.

Drinking, drugs and smoking

Strong

Social drinking is common, and drunk suspects urinate or vomit for laughs. Drug use is shown briefly, for comedy: a suspect is caught snorting cocaine, and in season 8 a detective gets high on prescribed edibles. Another detective strolls around holding a seized cocaine brick.

Scary or intense scenes

Mild

Occasional peril such as standoffs, hostage situations, bomb threats and a stint behind bars, resolved quickly and with humor. Serious episodes tackle racial profiling, police misconduct and a reported sexual assault, which is discussed in interviews but never shown.

Sensitive topics

Racism
Sexual assault

Worth talking about

In one episode a detective admits she never reported a boss who crossed a line: why do people sometimes stay quiet, and who could you go to?

Where to stream →

On our lists

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Checked October 13th, 2026 against Common Sense Media, Plugged In, bbfc.co.uk, Wikipedia. The age is our judgment, not an official rating, and every family draws its lines differently: read the notes, not just the number. Spotted something we missed? Tell us. How we rate.