Months after surviving cancellation, Fox-turned-NBC comedy Brooklyn Nine-Nine received a dose of bad news Wednesday.
Star Chelsea Peretti revealed that she will not be returning as a series regular on the show from executive producers Mike Schur and Dan Goor.
“I won’t be doing a full season of Brooklyn Nine-Nine in season six. But that doesn’t mean I won’t ever be back, winky face emoji, heart emoji. I want to thank you for the hours you spent watching Gina be Gina,” the actress wrote in the first of a thread of tweets ultimately pointing to Emmy Rossum’s extensive statement about her Shameless departure.
Showrunner Goor responded with his own statement about Peretti’s pending departure, noting that viewers have not seen the last of her beloved Gina. “We have tried really hard to create a storyline for her departure that lives up to a character who can only be described as ‘The human embodiment of the 100 emoji,'” he wrote. “While it’s sad to see a member of the family leave, we are so proud of Chelsea and excited for what she does next. Also, I know for a fact that this isn’t the last we’ll see of Gina Linetti. I mean, she got run over by a frickin’ bus, and she only missed like a week of work.”
Peretti has been a series regular from the start on Brooklyn Nine-Nine, filming 112 episodes thus far. The role saw her reunite with Goor and Schur following her time as a guest star and writer on NBC’s Parks and Recreation. The part also helped propel her to other gigs, including the feature Game Night. Peretti is the first original series regular to depart the comedy.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine, which moved to NBC within days of its shocking cancellation by Fox, saw its sixth season episode count expanded from 13 to 18. The Andy Samberg-led comedy will return in midseason, with a specific premiere date to be announced.