What was FOX's loss proved to be NBC's gain. Fans were irate when 'Brooklyn Nine-Nine' was taken off the air after five seasons. Thankfully, the hiatus was short-lived as NBC was quick to snag the series just in time for the sixth season. Finally, after eight seasons, it appears as though the show is coming to an end. It'll be an emotional send-off, surely.
Along the way, there have been some questionable moments, especially behind the scenes. One had fans scratching their heads as a big fan favorite was shown the door. Making matters that much more complicated, the star would reveal that exiting the show wasn't her idea and instead, the details remain very sketchy.
We'll take a look at what went down during her exit and how the fans reacted. Thankfully, it looks like she'll be returning before the show closes for good.
Peretti Had Little Input On Her Character's Departure
Fans weren't ready to say goodbye and as it turns out, Chelsea Peretti wasn't exactly onboard either. Given her departure, most would assume she had at least a bit of creative output when it came to her exit. However, as she revealed alongside TV Line, although she was asked for her thoughts on the final episode she appeared in, ultimately, the show decided to go in a completely different direction.
"Dan definitely was like, “What are the dream things you’d want to do?” But somehow an 80-page chess game wound up in the script. [Laughs] So he definitely asked me, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that’s what I said."
Peretti's ideal send-off would've looked very different. According to the sitcom star, she had envisioned hitting the spa alongside Captain Holt and gossiping about the others at the station.
"I was pitching a spa day that me and Holt have in his office and nobody knows about it… We shut the blinds and just candidly talk about people and read magazines. Anyhow, that went into Dan’s head and turned into a serious chess game… But yeah, we cracked up a lot about all the different stuff that could happen, and he’s been very fun to kind of hash out ideas out with."
As for the Mario Lopez cameo, turns out, that wasn't her idea either. She was totally caught off-guard when seeing his name in the script. "I actually opened the script and said, “Wait, does this mean Mario Lopez is going to be in this episode?” And it did."
Turns out, that wasn't the only thing she was surprised about...
Leaving Was Apparently Not Her Decision
It seemed like such odd timing, especially given the success of the show, matched with Gina's impact and what a fan favorite she had become. Details were very sketchy and it was reported that Chelsea took the decision upon herself to leave. However, as she revealed, that wasn't the entire story.
"It wasn’t fully just my decision. It’s hard to get into the weeds of what exactly transpired and how it all shook out, but it kind of came together to be this timing that presented itself. So I kind of knew that it was going to be happening for a while…"
Fans on Reddit would also chime in on the matter. As you might expect, fans weren't happy. A lot of fans blamed it on failed negotiations, while others feel as though the network was trying to save a couple of bucks.
"Pretty obvious this was simple cost-cutting. She basically got laid off, no reason to dance on her or imply her coworkers didn’t like her."
"So I'm guessing she wanted more money, and they couldn't even afford her current salary. So they both realized this would be the conclusion."
"NBC comedies always end up losing a cast member in later seasons."
Who really knows what went down but at the very least, the actress took the exit with the utmost professionalism and in fact, she might make a return before the show's end.
She Still Considers The Cast Family
Even during her departure, the star stated that there was "a family feel." The exit was not an easy one to digest, however, it looks as though there were no problems with her fellow castmates and instead, she kept things very close.
She has ventured off into different projects since then and has found success elsewhere in different genres. However, we can all agree, Gina returning to the show is what everyone wanted to see and during the show's final season, which is currently airing, everyone got their wish.
It was only fitting that she returned to the family, given what a crucial cast member she was for most of the series.