A lot of work goes into creating a television show. And, unfortunately, a lot of that work tends to go unnoticed. The small details that people put into the costumes, the more subtle elements of character development, and the sets themselves often go unnoticed and that is not okay. Those tiny details are what makes a show feel realistic, makes a set looks lived in, and provides an element of realism to the show.
Today we will be looking at the tiny details that went into creating the 99th precinct that we know and love. Some of these details have been around since the start of the series while others were added over time.
Captain Stentley's Bongos
Captain Stentley was a rather chaotic character and one of the most memorable aspects of his small part on the show was his bongo drums. He can be seen playing his bongos in his office on multiple occasions.
But he did not take his beloved bongos with him when he left the Nine-Nine. The bongos can be seen on the shelf behind Holt's desk chair. We wonder if Holt ever takes them down and plays them every now and then.
A Changing Backdrop
Fans who return to the shows earliest episodes after having caught up with its newest ones might be surprised when they take a look at the precinct itself.
In the earlier episodes of the show, the background was painted a rather blinding shade of white. Luckily, it was darkened to a more neutral tone later in the series as the lighter shade was distracting and had a tendency to wash out the characters.
The Safest Sandwich
Holt is the type of person to take everything seriously. Office environments are notorious for lunchtime thievery and Holt is not the type of person to play around when it comes to protecting his meal.
On occasion, when the inside of Holt's safe is shown, fans might be able to see a wrapped sandwich held within it.
Scully And Hitchcock's Paper Mover
Scully and Hitchcock are known for doing their own thing in the background whilst the rest of the cast handles the action. They are on a different wavelength from those around them and feel no need to join Jake and Amy on their level.
They are also known for being notoriously lazy. If fans pay close attention to them while they work in the precinct, they might be able to see Scully and Hitchcock hand each other paper and important documents with a special device that they built in order to prevent themselves from having to move/get up to complete the task.
Stentley's Blinds
In an attempt to show how utterly incompetent Captain Stentley is in his position, many jokes are made at the man's expense. One joke revolves around his complete inability to understand how to properly open and close the blinds in his office.
Though it seemed like a one-off joke, if fans pay attention to the background in following precinct scenes they may notice that the blinds for the Captain's office are hanging at a truly bizarre angle.
Holt's Rainbow Binders
Though many fans were quite shocked when Holt revealed his sexuality in the first episode of the show, he was right when he said that it is not something he tries to hide.
From the rainbow flag that he keeps in his pencil holder on his desk to his colour coded binders, kept on the shelf behind said desk, which are arranged in the pride flag pattern, Holt practically plasters his office with evidence of his pride.
Scully's Award
Though many people, including their own coworkers, have entirely written off both Hitchcock and Scully as detectives (and even as people) it is important to note that they have done some pretty fascinating things during their lengthy careers.
A framed award can be seen on the wall in the briefing room at the precinct. This award was given to Scully by the Association of Polygraph Examiners and is just another piece of proof that Hitchcock and Scully were truly brilliant detectives in their prime.
Holt's Portrait
Though this object cannot be seen in the precinct itself, its existence is the direct result of precinct-based activity and it is such an endearing tidbit that it would be a shame not to include it.
Remember the oil painting of Holt that Amy had Terry paint when she noticed that he was struggling after his first month as Captain? Though Holt was not a fan of the piece, he did remark that his husband would enjoy it. And that he did. Kevin has the portrait hanging in his own office.
Jake And Amy's Selfie
One of the best things about Brooklyn Nine-Nine is the amount of effort that they put into creating realistic and lived-in sets. A perfect example of this is the person details that can be seen on each characters desk.
After Jake and Amy finally get together and stop looking for signs that they are making a mistake, a small framed photo of the pair can be seen on Amy's desk. This photo was actually taken from the actresses real life Instagram account.
Gina's Little Urn
Though Gina likes to act like she could not care less about anyone and anything. She does have a soft spot for her coworkers at the Nine-Nine, as well as her job there. And though she did, eventually, end up leaving the shows main cast (appearing, instead, as a secondary character,) when Gina was a main character, she had a little urn on her desk and fans absolutely love it.
This little urn that she kept on her desk came with a little inscription. The jar read "Ashes of Problem Employees" and it seems like the exact sort of thing that Gina would have on her desk.