Amy Santiago
Brooklyn Nine-Nine character
Melissa Fumero smiling as Amy Santiago in a Brooklyn Nine-Nine promotional picture
Melissa Fumero as Amy
First appearance
Last appearance
Created by
Portrayed byMelissa Fumero
In-universe information
OccupationPolice officer
Family
SpouseJake Peralta
Significant otherTeddy Wells (season 2)
ChildrenMcClane "Mac" Peralta (son)
Relatives

Amy Santiago is a fictional character who appears in police procedural comedy television series Brooklyn Nine-Nine (2013–2021). Portrayed by Melissa Fumero, she works as a detective at the New York Police Department in Brooklyn's fictional 99th precinct from the beginning of the show until its fifth season, when she is promoted to sergeant. In the series finale, she becomes the chief of the police reform program.

Character role

Amy Santiago is established as a competitive and goal-oriented character at the start of Brooklyn Nine-Nine;[1] according to Nylon, she initially fit the trope of the overachieving goody two shoes. She is shown to be a controlling and over-achieving perfectionist with a Type A personality.[2] Amy credits her competitiveness to growing up with seven brothers.[3] Other characters consider her somewhat overbearing and often joke about her;[4] Amy is teased for her nerdy aspects but not mocked or condemned.[1][2] The Atlantic states that the show highlights how Amy's intelligence is not equivalent to her being an unappealing, solitary genius. She is defined by traits that are not frequently combined in female characters—for example, seeks perfection but can not stop smoking; she loves rules but is not afraid to disobey them when they are unfair; and she has a crossword puzzle obsession despite working in a risky, physically demanding job.[1]

Amy initially works as a detective at the New York Police Department (NYPD) in Brooklyn's fictional 99th precinct. It is said that her dream is to be the NYPD's youngest captain.[4] She becomes a sergeant in the fifth season,[1] and is promoted to chief of the police reform program after her captain, Raymond Holt, becomes deputy commissioner of the program.[5]

Amy is competitive with fellow detective Jake Peralta, which brings the two closer together.[6] The relationship between Jake and Amy begins as a friendly rivalry and later develops into one that is based on respect for one another.[1] They begin dating in the third season.[7] As a result of their relationship, Amy's personality leavens, though her intensity is unaffected.[8] According to The Atlantic, their bond enables the show to highlight Jake's supportiveness and Amy's vulnerability.[1] The two are fond of each other's flaws, such as his crude "frat boy" humor and her obsessive need for order and discipline.[9] In the fifth season, they become engaged and marry.[10][11] They have their first child, McClane "Mac" Santiago-Peralta, in the seventh season.[12]

Development

Creation

Writers and producers Michael Schur and Dan Goor, who had known each other since they were students at Harvard University and collaborated on the sitcom Parks and Recreation (2009–2015), conceived the idea to set a comedy in a police station; they felt that setting had been insufficiently used in television comedies since Barney Miller (1975–1982).[13]

Casting

Melissa Fumero portrays Amy in every episode of Brooklyn Nine-Nine[14]

Although she was a long-time fan of comedy, Melissa Fumero's first role was in the soap opera One Life To Live. Once she left the show, she wanted to act in more comedic productions, recalling: "I said to my manager 'I've cried for four years. I want to be silly and have fun.' I kept getting really close to a lot of comedy jobs, but never booking them." During her screen test for Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Fumero did not expect to book the role but "kept it fun"; the chemistry between Fumero and Andy Samberg (who would portray Jake) was immediately apparent, and they had a significant amount of back and forth energy.[15] To prepare, she and Brooklyn's cast received police and firearm training.[16] Fumero is one of the two Latina regular cast members, the other being Stephanie Beatriz (who portrays Rosa Diaz). This casting was described as groundbreaking by Fumero,[17] though the two feared one of them would get fired.[18] As a result, they tried to make their appearances as distinct from one another as possible; for example, Fumero's character has straight hair, while Beatriz's has wavy hair.[18] Due to her lack of experience with comedy, Fumero usually was nervous—a trait the writers incorporated into Amy's personality.[19]

By the show's third season, Fumero said she found comic acting much easier, having become more familiar with Amy's character; she added that she had "fallen into a real groove and rhythm" with the manner she approached scenes.[19] During the season's production, Fumero was pregnant, which led to a storyline in which Amy goes undercover as a pregnant lady.[20] The directors and camera operators also used other methods to hide Fumero's pregnancy, such as having her stand behind things.[21] Of the experience, she said, "I don't recommend it", citing difficulties in memorizing her lines and focusing on a scene.[22]

Reception

Amy has been praised as a positive representation of overachieving, nerdy women.[1][2]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Kamal, Sauleha (June 12, 2018). "The Character Who Made Me Love Brooklyn Nine-Nine". The Atlantic. Retrieved September 18, 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 Green, Jaime (May 14, 2018). "Type A(my): an Ode to Brooklyn Nine-Nine for Celebrating Ambitious, Perfectionist Women". Nylon. Retrieved September 18, 2022.
  3. ↑ Devi, Vandana (March 12, 2021). "Brooklyn Nine-Nine: 5 Times Rosa Was Jake's Best Friend (& 5 She Was Amy's)". Screen Rant. Retrieved September 21, 2022.
  4. 1 2 Millington, Lily (May 1, 2022). "Brooklyn Nine-Nine Cast and Characters (and What They're Doing Now)". Collider. Retrieved September 19, 2022.
  5. ↑ Schwartz, Ryan (September 3, 2021). "Brooklyn Nine-Nine Recap: Big Changes for Holt and Amy Ahead of Series Finale". TVLine. Retrieved September 21, 2022.
  6. ↑ Rullo, Sam (February 4, 2014). "One TV Pair That Needs to Remain Platonic". Bustle. Retrieved September 18, 2022.
  7. ↑ Goodwillie, Ian (February 27, 2022). "Brooklyn Nine-Nine: Amy's Ex-Boyfriend Teddy Was Unrelenting". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
  8. ↑ VanArendonk, Kathryn (May 10, 2018). "An Ode to Brooklyn Nine-Nine". Vulture. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
  9. ↑ Robinson, Joanna (May 21, 2018). "What Michael Schur Gets Right About Love That Everyone Else Gets Wrong". Vanity Fair. Retrieved September 18, 2022.
  10. ↑ Schwartz, Ryan (October 18, 2017). "Brooklyn Nine-Nine Recap: Jake Has a Halloween Surprise for Amy". TVLine. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
  11. ↑ Snierson, Dan (May 20, 2018). "Brooklyn Nine-Nine Creator on Jake and Amy's Wedding, the Show's Rescue from Cancellation, What's Next". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
  12. ↑ Piester, Lauren (April 24, 2020). "How Badass Melissa Fumero Inspired Brooklyn Nine-Nine's Pregnancy Storyline". E! Online. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
  13. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (June 3, 2014). "Emmys Q&A: Brooklyn Nine-Nine Co-creator Michael Schur on Comedic Cops". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 12, 2018. Retrieved May 11, 2018.
  14. ↑ Spears, Jordyn (June 23, 2022). "8 TV Actors Who Directed Episodes of Their Own Shows". MovieWeb. Retrieved September 18, 2022.
  15. ↑ Fumero, Melissa (September 26, 2014). "Melissa Fumero Is the Secret Weapon of Brooklyn Nine-Nine". The Wall Street Journal (Interview). Interviewed by Mike Ayers. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
  16. ↑ "12 Things You Didn't Know About Brooklyn Nine-Nine". Hollywood.com. September 26, 2016. Archived from the original on November 9, 2020. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
  17. ↑ Colon, Suzan (September 6, 2014). "Cops with Character". USA Today. Archived from the original on May 2, 2022. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
  18. 1 2 Bried, Erin (October 15, 2020). "Brooklyn Nine-Nine's Melissa Fumero on Parenting Two Under Two in the Pandemic: 'Gratitude Is Something I Can Control'". Parents. Archived from the original on April 23, 2022. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
  19. 1 2 Fumero, Melissa (December 11, 2015). "Melissa Fumero on Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Polar Bear Swims and Mattress Jumping". Uproxx (Interview). Interviewed by Andrew Husband. Archived from the original on October 1, 2020. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
  20. ↑ Fumero, Melissa (May 10, 2019). "Brooklyn Nine-Nine's Melissa Fumero on How Timing Worked Out for the Show and Her Baby". ET Style (Interview). Event occurs at 7:24. Retrieved April 14, 2022 – via YouTube.
  21. ↑ "Melissa Fumero on Her 'Surprise' First Pregnancy". People. December 2, 2020. Archived from the original on May 2, 2022. Retrieved April 24, 2022.
  22. ↑ "Melissa Fumero on Filming While Pregnant: 'I Don't Recommend It!'". People. December 2, 2020. Archived from the original on May 2, 2022. Retrieved April 24, 2022.
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