Fox’s new comedy Brooklyn Nine-Nine premiered this week and has introduced us to a new masculine black gay man on network television. This is damn near unheard of.
Talented veteran actor Andre Braugher plays Captain Ray Holt who is a gay. When interviewed recently about playing a gay character, Braugher stated,”I think it’s wonderful that it’s part of a complex person, as opposed to the defining characteristic, because when it is the defining characteristic it’s always gonna bump up, inevitably, against good taste and wind up creating an offensive stereotype.”
“I will have a husband like everyone else has a husband or a wife, but it’s going to be entirely appropriate, and that’s of overwhelming importance to me.” “we live in a world with a lot of different kinds of people so consequently those stories need to be told also so I feel quite comfortable telling that story and telling it as truthfully as I can.”
I found if refreshing that a mainstream black actor would speak so candidly about wanting not to portray as a negative stereotype but a negative gay stereotype as well. Braugher added, “…this would not be a character that would embarrass me or embarrass any of the people that I love…”
Executive Producer/Co-Creator Michael Schur “We wanted there to be a reason that [Holt is] the age he is without ever having run a precinct so we poked around and we did some research and we came up with this idea that maybe he came out and for a while he was held back for that reason and then once it became a thing that the NYPD wanted to spin positively then he was shuttled into the public relations and public affairs and outreach and he’d just been on this weird trajectory that it prevented him from ever being the captain of a precinct.”
Even though Michael Schur has created hit shows like The Office and Parks and Rec, Fox is known for cancelling hit comedies after only a few seasons. Think Family Guy, Futurama and Arrested Development.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine also stars Andy Samberg, Stephanie Beatriz, Terry Crews, Melissa Fumero, Joe Lo Truglio and Chelsea Peretti. Check out the short clip where the character of Captain Ray Holt is introduced.
OckyDub
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Well I’m glad there’s one people won’t scoff at, but I’ve longed believed that most scripted black gay characters are portrayed as masculine. I don’t believe, however, that he won’t be played for laughs. The show is a comedy afterall.
OK I went and watched it. I feel I will like the show because I love the office and Parks and Rec. The pilot was funny and I can’t wait to see how they are going to develop his character.
I’ve seen previews and will watch because Andre has alway had such a commanding prescence. I remember him as Frank Pembleton on Homicide and it was all over for me after that. He’s a superb actor and hopefully this series will last awhile.
Just watched the pilot on Hulu. It’s kind of a Barney Miller/Reno 911! hybrid. Of the two, I much preferred the latter.
Is it too much on my part to wish that his husband is a masculine person of color?
No it’s not but I have a strange feeling the husband will be white or a white looking fem hispanic.
I saw this show and thought it was pretty funny! I just stumbled across it. It was great to see that the guy was not a “stereotype” for Black men, but also gay men. They are different. I look forward to seeing where this show goes! 🙂