Brooklyn Nine-Nine was never a ratings juggernaut, and that did not improve much when the show was canceled by Fox and picked up by NBC, which had produced the show through its Universal Television division for Fox. Despite low ratings for Brooklyn None-Nine's TV airings, NBC ran it for three additional seasons.
In the sixth season, its first on NBC, Brooklyn Nine-Nine ranked 12th in the key 18-49 demo. Not only did it have the most recognition among millennials, but it was NBC's highest rated show for males 18-34, which is advertiser catnip. NBC Universal research chief Jeff Bader told The Wrap, "Brooklyn Nine-Nine is sort of fun because you wouldn't think it's one of NBC's highest rated shows, but it is." Because its audience ran younger, it stood to reason that streaming would be the show's most robust source of ratings.
Fox canceled Brooklyn Nine-Nine because of low linear ratings and the fact that Disney bought out Fox's share of Hulu, so Fox didn't see any extra returns in the streaming market. The Disney purchase of most of Fox can be a bit confusing. Disney owns The Simpsons now, but Fox Broadcast Network is still a part of Fox Corporation, which also retained Fox News and Fox Sports among other entities in its portfolio; but Disney got 20th Century Fox, Fox Searchlight and the cascading library of content, including the aforementioned and infinitely profitable The Simpsons. This means that Fox only profited from TV and DVR viewings, while NBC reaped the benefits of both the TV audience and the streaming audience.
It made such perfect financial sense for NBC to add a few more episodes to the kitty to beef up syndication profitability that it picked Brooklyn Nine-Nine up for a new season literally the day after Fox canceled it. It also made perfect sense that the streaming audience would weigh heavier on the side of younger viewers, as Millennials were between the ages of 11 and 26 when Netflix opened the streaming floodgates and are more apt to go to streaming over linear than their older counterparts. Gen Z, the first true digital native generation, even more so.
It is a bit ironic that NBC picked up Brooklyn Nine-Nine after Fox's cancelation, not just because of its low linear ratings but because NBC passed on the series before Fox picked it up for an initial season run of 13 episodes. Its best ratings, though never anything to write home about, were in its early days. Moreover, its first season won Golden Globes for Best Television Series - Musical Or Comedy and Best Actor - Television Series or Comedy for lead, Andy Samberg. For all the talk of the show being a low-key hit for the network, NBC unceremoniously dumped the final season off two episodes at a time during the summer, only further proving the show's value as a digital asset while also proving its lack of value as a prime time broadcast sitcom. NBC made Fox's decision to cancel look like smart business when it didn't see any of the streaming revenue.
Passive tolerance is another reason Brooklyn Nine-Nine appeals to younger viewers, as innumerable studies have shown that tolerance of race and gender et al improves with successive younger generations. The series is racially diverse, and the station captain is openly gay and married to a man. Although the series occasionally touches on issues of race and sexuality, they rarely hang a light on it. It doesn't push an agenda, it just happens to feature a racially and sexually diverse cast of characters, who are no more or less kooky than any other sitcom with an ensemble of wacky characters. The show also takes a light touch, even when dealing with heavy issues, so it doesn't bring the audience down. All of that aside, no broadcast network would pay to produce eight seasons of an unprofitable show that no one watches unless it brought home annual oodles of awards hardware. Streaming saved Brooklyn Nine-Nine again and again, and it has the youth of America to thank.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine is streaming on Hulu and Peacock.