Andy Samberg Remembers Andre Braugher & His ‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine’ Legacy: ‘Absolutely Loved Him’

Be still, our heart! Andy Samberg, who is used to making everyone around him, and let’s be honest, us too, laugh out loud, has now made us cry! Yes, Samberg decided to open up about his beloved “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” co-star Andre Braugher, and it was beautiful. The actor reflected on the deep connection they shared on and off-screen and how their creative chemistry helped define one of television’s most iconic duos.

Braugher, who played the hilariously cheeky and highly intelligent Captain Raymond Holt, passed away in 2023 from lung cancer at age 61. In a recent episode of Amy Poehler’s podcast “Good Hang,” Samberg got candid about their working relationship, their real-life friendship, and how Braugher’s brilliance continues to leave a lasting mark.

A Captain, A Goofy Detective, & Instant Magic

“He was just a good person,” Samberg told Poehler, remembering Braugher with warmth and reverence. “So deeply moral and kind and pleasant and smart. We all absolutely loved him. I miss him a lot.”

The “Saturday Night Live” alum and Lonely Island frontman starred opposite Braugher for all eight seasons of the popular comedy show, from 2013 to 2021. Samberg played the rule-breaking, overachieving detective Jake Peralta, whom we all wanted to be due to his outgoing personality. Braugher, on the other hand, played his boss, the intensely principled Captain Holt. On paper, it was a classic odd couple that clashed every second, but in a good way. On screen, it became magic.

“It was one of those things where you’re just like, ‘Okay, this is kismet. I don’t know how to explain it,’” Samberg said. “They cast him from, like, a Zoom meeting — and then at our first table read, it just clicked.”

That first scene? Peralta goofing off while Holt maintained an unshakeable poker face. You know, just another classic “B99” scene we all loved.

“As soon as we started reading it, like the first scene, it just… you know how it is sometimes with creative stuff, where you’re like, ‘I don’t care how this came to be. It’s working and I’m so happy.’”

Andy Samberg: From Juilliard Drama to Comedy Legend

Despite his masterful timing on “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” Braugher wasn’t always confident in his comedic chops.

“The only thing me and him had to even talk about creatively was, in the beginning, he didn’t trust himself to do comedy,” Samberg recalled. “He came so strictly from drama and Juilliard.”

But as the series developed, Braugher stunned the cast and crew with his range. “Like five or six times we would do a more serious topic on the show and he would flip that switch, and everyone would be like, ‘Oh my God, what is Andre doing here? He’s so good. He should be in, like, drama! He’s like the best,’” Samberg said. “But then he would do his Captain Holt stuff, and it was the funniest thing on the show.”

It’s no exaggeration, really. Braugher’s straight-faced delivery became the backbone of “Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s” signature humor. (Also, let’s not forget the brilliant Terry Crews, who graced our screen as Lieutenant Terry Jeffords.” Whether reacting to Jake’s antics or delivering Holt’s infamous one-liners, Braugher brought a one-of-a-kind depth to even the most absurd scenes.

The Best Jake and Holt Moments

The show also went on to create other memorable characters that made the show what it is today, including Melissa Fumero, who played the dorkable Amy Santiago; Chelsea Peretti, who played the serious and undeniable Gina Linetti; and now Disney queen Stephanie Beatriz, who played Detective Rosa Diaz. 

Braugher may have left the stage far too soon, but as Samberg and fans know, the legacy of Captain Holt and the man behind him will always have a place in the precinct and in our hearts.

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