Brooklyn Nine-Nine star Andre Braugher insists Hollywood needs to destroy myths about cops following Black Lives Matter protests against police brutality. Braugher plays stoic police captain Raymond Holt on the NBC sitcom and has since the show first began in 2013. Brooklyn Nine-Nine got its start on Fox, but when the network cancelled it after season 5, fan campaigns for the show's survival led to NBC picking it up. Last year, NBC renewed Brooklyn Nine-Nine for season 8, which is expected to premiere in 2021. Over the years, Brooklyn Nine-Nine has been considered one of the best comedies on television, with fans praising it for its talented ensemble and its approach to characters of color and LGBTQ characters.

However, Brooklyn Nine-Nine hasn't been immune to the growing conversation around the depiction of police in the media. This year has seen protests against the police spread around the globe following the death of George Floyd while in police custody. As some call for the police to be defunded and actors request that Hollywood divest from law enforcement, creatives have to step back and reassess their way forward. Brooklyn Nine-Nine, a series focused on the officers of Brooklyn's 99th precinct, has been one of the projects to come under close scrutiny.

Related: What To Expect From Brooklyn 99 Season 8

Braugher, who was recently nominated for his fourth Emmy for Brooklyn Nine-Nine, spoke to EW about how cop shows need to adjust their practices for the future. First, Braugher said, shows need to do away with the notion that police officers can get away with breaking the law if it's for the greater good. "It's a very complicated subject, but I think they have to be portrayed much more realistically, in terms of this: The convention... that police breaking the law is okay because somehow it's in the service of some greater good, is a myth that needs to be destroyed," Braugher explained. Braugher also touched upon how Brooklyn Nine-Nine will cope with this renewed change:

We're going into an eighth season with a new challenge which is that everyone's knowledge and feelings about police... have been profoundly affected. What we have from [creator] Dan [Goor] is a commitment to write a smart show that will not attempt to hide itself in a fantasy. So the Nine-Nine is going to have to deal with what we know about the New York Police Department.

Brooklyn 99 Holt Terry

Braugher's co-star Terry Crews previously revealed the first four scripts for Brooklyn Nine-Nine season 8 were scrapped in order to properly respond to the BLM protests. While it remains to be seen exactly how Brooklyn Nine-Nine will begin this conversation about BLM and police brutality, that its stars and writers are so determined to create something meaningful is promising. Of course, that might not be enough for some who are displeased with police in the media in general, but Braugher's comments at least indicates some of the more questionable aspects of how police are portrayed could become a thing of the past.

There's a real conversation going on within Brooklyn Nine-Nine, as there should be with other shows centered on police officers. As the season isn't set to premiere until 2021, there's still time to make the necessary adjustments and create a show that reflects the important ongoing conversations. Audiences can then decide if those adjustments were enough when Brooklyn Nine-Nine returns.

More: Brooklyn 99's Backlash & Criticism Explained

Source: EW