Brooklyn Nine-Nine's Captain Holt isn't impressed by much, but this tidbit might just make the top of his long pet peeve list: The new, final season of Brooklyn Nine-Nine won't be streaming on Peacock.
I thought for sure Peacock Premium would be an option to watch Brooklyn Nine-Nine season 8 online, along with Hulu. But the first two episodes, which aired on NBC on Thursday, never popped up on NBCUniversal-owned Peacock. They did show up on Hulu, though.
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Then, I started seeing some chatter on Twitter from other confused fans, who tried (and failed) to find the new B99 episodes on Peacock.
Hi Sarah! No news at the moment regarding Season 8 of Brooklyn Nine-Nine on Peacock. In the meantime, you can watch Seasons 1-7 on Peacock Premium. Additionally, you can find new episodes from Season 8 on the NBC app. Feel free to DM us any other questions.August 16, 2021
Tom's Guide received confirmation that new episodes of Brooklyn Nine-Nine season 8 will not be available on Peacock.
As a result, like Twitter user Sarah, I'm also wondering, "Why am I paying for Peacock Premium then?" Premium costs $4.99 per month and provides a limited-ad experience, as well as access to originals and "next-day access to current seasons of returning [NBC] broadcast series" (according to the official press release).
Of course, that actually isn't the case for some of NBC's most popular shows. For instance, new episodes of This Is Us aren't available next day on Peacock, but eight days after airing. But This Is Us is produced by 20th Century Fox, now owned by Disney. Streaming rights were sold ages ago to Hulu, also controlled by Disney, which likely didn't want to share them with a new competitor.
Still, Brooklyn Nine-Nine is produced by NBCUniversal and it would make sense that the new season would stream on Peacock. But when has streaming ever made a lot of sense?
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I'm sure it makes sense to someone that the newest episodes of Brooklyn 99 are not on Peacock, the streaming service from the network that it airs on, but on Hulu, primarily owned by their biggest competitor.August 16, 2021
This kind of head-scratching streaming conundrum is nothing new. Previous examples include the divorced parents' tug-of-war between Peacock and WarnerMedia's HBO Max over the Harry Potter movies and the Fast and Furious movies.
While Brooklyn Nine-Nine may not be NBC's biggest show, it boasts a very loyal following. And season 8 is the final outing, to boot! It's not a good look that this fumble comes on the heels of Peacock's lackluster Olympics coverage, which was confusing, not particularly additive, and filled with tedious studio segments (excepting Snoop Dogg's memorable equestrian commentary).
Despite the Olympics fail, I'm actually a fan of Peacock as a streaming service. Its library contains some of my favorite series, like Friday Night Lights, Battlestar Galactica and Downton Abbey. Its originals are pretty good, too; definitely check out the Saved By the Bell reboot, We are Lady Parts and Girls5eva (which convinced my colleague Phillip Michaels to pay for Premium).
Which is why this Brooklyn Nine-Nine situation is so disappointing. The fact is, there are a ton of streaming services vying for our monthly dollars. If a hit NBC show is not on NBC's streaming service, what's the point?
I'll just leave you with this Captain Holt GIF:
Kelly is the streaming channel editor for Tom’s Guide, so basically, she watches TV for a living. Previously, she was a freelance entertainment writer for Yahoo, Vulture, TV Guide and other outlets. When she’s not watching TV and movies for work, she’s watching them for fun, seeing live music, writing songs, knitting and gardening.