Brooklyn Nine-Nine Characters, Ranked
Nine-Nine, no more questions. We're ranking the precinct's best and worst, from the detectives who carried the show to the background players who mostly carried a joke or two. This covers the main squad plus the recurring faces who kept showing up because they were too good to let go, like Doug Judy and Wuntch.
Some of this is obvious (sorry, Hitchcock). Some of it we know people will argue about, especially where we put Gina or Pimento. That's fine. Pull up a cruller and tell us where we got it wrong.
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SS Tier: The precinct's backbone
Raymond Holt
Holt is the show's secret engine. The deadpan delivery, the Cheddar devotion, the decades of quietly fighting the NYPD's homophobia before we even meet him, it all adds up to the funniest 'serious' character on TV. Andre Braugher somehow makes 'Bone?' a catchphrase, which should not work and absolutely does.
About Raymond Holt
The precinct's reserved, deadpan captain, one of the first openly gay captains in the NYPD within the show's world. Played by Andre Braugher.
- Role
- Captain
- Played by
- Andre Braugher
Jake Peralta
The show doesn't exist without Jake's man-child energy slowly growing into an actual adult who still loves Die Hard. His chemistry with everyone in the bullpen, not just Amy, is what makes the ensemble click. 'Cool cool cool cool cool' entered the cultural lexicon for a reason.
About Jake Peralta
The lead detective of the Nine-Nine, a talented but immature cop who grows up over the course of the series. Played by Andy Samberg.
- Role
- Detective, later Sergeant
- Played by
- Andy Samberg
Rosa Diaz
Rosa says six words a season and every one lands like a punch. Her coming-out episode is one of the show's most genuinely moving stretches, and her switchblade-collecting, motorcycle-riding exterior never once feels like a gimmick. Stone cold, but never a cartoon.
About Rosa Diaz
A tough, private detective known for her intensity and her motorcycle. Played by Stephanie Beatriz.
- Role
- Detective
- Played by
- Stephanie Beatriz
AA Tier: Scene-stealers with real heart
Amy Santiago
Binders, pantsuits, a shrine to Holt in her desk drawer, Amy is the show's biggest overachiever and its warmest heart once you get past the color-coded spreadsheets. Her arc from anxious try-hard to captain material is one of the series' most satisfying slow builds.
About Amy Santiago
An ambitious, detail-obsessed detective who eventually becomes captain. Played by Melissa Fumero.
- Role
- Detective, later Captain
- Played by
- Melissa Fumero
Terry Jeffords
Terry loves yogurt, his daughters, and his squad in roughly equal measure, and that sincerity is what grounds the whole precinct. He's also responsible for some of the show's best physical comedy, built like a tank and scared of ghosts in equal measure.
About Terry Jeffords
The precinct's sergeant, a muscular family man with a soft side and a love of yogurt. Played by Terry Crews.
- Role
- Sergeant
- Played by
- Terry Crews
Doug Judy
The Pontiac Bandit is the rare recurring guest who earns an entire episode built around a bit, and then earns it again four more times. His bromance with Jake is genuinely sweet under all the heists, and 'let's go, let's go' deserves its own line in the show's history.
About Doug Judy
A recurring con artist nicknamed the Pontiac Bandit, who forms an odd friendship with Jake. Played by Craig Robinson.
- Role
- Recurring guest character
- Played by
- Craig Robinson
BB Tier: Great in the right dose
Gina Linetti
Gina is either your favorite character or the one you fast-forward through, and fans really are split on this. When the writers lean into her weird confidence (the Herbert dances, the Vulture gig, 'I am the human form of the 100 emoji') she's a riot. When she's just there to insult people, less so.
About Gina Linetti
The precinct's civilian administrator, known for her confidence, dance skills, and blunt opinions. Played by Chelsea Peretti.
- Role
- Civilian Administrator
- Played by
- Chelsea Peretti
Michael Hitchcock
Hitchcock shouldn't work on paper, a guy who seemingly does nothing and eats everything, but the show found a weirdly touching backstory for him and the Scully pairing is one of the most reliable sources of background laughs in the series. Low effort, high reward.
About Michael Hitchcock
A longtime detective known for doing minimal work and eating constantly, usually paired with Scully. Played by Dirk Blocker.
- Role
- Detective
- Played by
- Dirk Blocker
Adrian Pimento
Pimento is a big swing, an undercover cop so broken by his assignment that he's basically feral, and it mostly pays off thanks to how committed the performance is. He's divisive among fans, some find him exhausting rather than funny, and that's a fair complaint.
About Adrian Pimento
A former undercover cop whose years deep undercover left him unstable and intense, briefly a love interest for Rosa. Played by Jason Mantzoukas.
- Role
- Detective (recurring)
- Played by
- Jason Mantzoukas
CC Tier: Fun but thin
Madeline Wuntch
Wuntch is a great Holt foil in small doses, all petty bureaucratic cruelty and decades-old grudges. The problem is she's a one-note joke stretched across a lot of appearances, and the note, while funny, wears thin by the fourth or fifth return.
About Madeline Wuntch
A rival NYPD official with a decades-long feud against Holt, recurring across several seasons. Played by Kyra Sedgwick.
- Role
- Recurring antagonist
- Played by
- Kyra Sedgwick
Kevin Cozner
Holt's husband is a nice idea, erudite, a little snobbish, devoted to Cheddar the dog, but he mostly exists to react to Holt rather than to be his own person. Good for a chuckle whenever he shows up, forgettable once he leaves.
About Kevin Cozner
Captain Holt's refined, academically minded husband, often seen with their dog Cheddar. Played by Marc Evan Jackson.
- Role
- Recurring character, Holt's husband
- Played by
- Marc Evan Jackson
FF Tier: Forgettable even by sitcom standards
Debbie Fogle
Hitchcock's ex-wife shows up for exactly the kind of one-joke cameo that doesn't leave much of a mark. There's just not enough material here to rank her above characters who actually get something to do across multiple episodes.
About Debbie Fogle
Hitchcock's ex-wife, appearing in a small number of episodes for brief comic effect.
- Role
- Minor recurring character
How we ranked them
We weighed how much each character shaped the show's best episodes, how quotable and distinct they were, and how fans and critics talk about them in rewatches and "best of" lists. Main cast got judged on range and growth across nine seasons. Recurring characters got judged on how much they elevated every scene they stole. Where fan opinion splits, we picked a side and said so.
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Rank these yourselfFAQ
Who is the best Brooklyn Nine-Nine character?
By consensus it's a toss-up between Jake, Holt and Rosa, with Holt often winning for his dry delivery and surprising depth.
Is Gina Linetti a divisive character?
Yes. Fans are genuinely split, some love her chaotic confidence, others find her abrasive and skippable in later seasons.
Why is Hitchcock ranked above some recurring characters?
Because the Hitchcock and Scully duo became a reliable running joke across the whole series, which gives him more staying power than one-off guests.
Who is Doug Judy in Brooklyn Nine-Nine?
He's the Pontiac Bandit, a recurring con artist and Jake's unlikely friend, played across several fan-favorite episodes.
Is Kevin Cozner a main character?
No, he's a recurring character, Captain Holt's husband, who appears periodically rather than in every episode.
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Image credits
- Raymond HoltPhoto: Peabody Awards, CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons) · License · Source
- Jake PeraltaPhoto: Uproxx, CC BY 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons) · License · Source
- Rosa DiazPhoto: Richard Sandoval, CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons) · License · Source
- Amy SantiagoPhoto: Wikipedia · Source
- Terry JeffordsPhoto: John B. Mueller, CC BY 2.5 (Wikimedia Commons) · License · Source
- Doug JudyPhoto: Gage Skidmore via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons) · License · Source
- Gina LinettiPhoto: Kevintporter, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons) · License · Source
- Michael HitchcockPhoto: Bolcott92, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons) · License · Source
- Adrian PimentoPhoto: Greg2600, CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons) · License · Source
- Madeline WuntchPhoto: Angela George at https://www.flickr.com/photos/sharongraphics/, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons) · License · Source
- Kevin CoznerPhoto: Genevieve, CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons) · License · Source
- Debbie FoglePhoto: Behind The Velvet Rope TV, CC BY 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons) · License · Source