Melissa Fumero and Andy Samberg had such a blast playing love interests on Brooklyn Nine-Nine — and they aren’t ruling out another collaboration.
“I do voice work on Andy and Neil Campbell‘s animated show, Digman!. While I haven’t been able to be in the booth with Andy, at least it’s fun to be part of another thing together,” Fumero, 42, exclusively told Us Weekly while discussing season 2 of Based on a True Story. “And we’re always joking about finding something else to do together. I hope our work paths keep crossing.”
Fumero said the entire cast of Brooklyn Nine-Nine is interested in an onscreen reunion.
“Not anything specific yet but it’s definitely something that we’re always talking about and dreaming about,” she noted. “Stephanie [Beatriz] and I are always looking for something to do together. So we all love each other a lot and want to keep working together. Hopefully we find the right things.”
Brooklyn Nine-Nine, which ran on Fox (and later NBC) from 2013 to 2021, centered around detectives working for the New York City Police Department. In addition to Samberg, 46, Fumero and Beatriz, 43, the police procedural starred Terry Crews, Joe Lo Truglio, Chelsea Peretti and the late Andre Braugher.
During the show’s lengthy run, Fumero and Samberg became fan favorites — and legendary sitcom couple — with Jake and Amy’s coworkers to lovers story. Their performances were so memorable that Fumero’s new role on Based on a True Story purposely mirrored Amy.
“It was on purpose. I had a meeting before I started with the showrunners and they told me, ‘Oh, this is on purpose. You are so known for this character and there’s going to be this twist where we think she’s a cop and it’s kind of meta and everyone’s going to buy it because you were Amy,’” she recalled to Us. “So it feels like we’re doing this on purpose. You saw what you were supposed to because they’re brilliant. And I remember thinking, ‘That’s so fun.’ I also was very flattered by it too. The fact that they think I am known enough for this? It was a cool moment.”
Season 2 of Based on a True Story introduced Fumero as fellow mom Drew, who befriends Ava (Kaley Cuoco) — and happens to be the detective working on the West Side Ripper case. It is ultimately revealed, however, that Drew is actually Olivia — a.k.a Matt’s (Tom Bateman) ex-wife.
“I was so grateful to them for giving me all of that information before I started. To know where it was going and where all the twists and turns were going to be, it did really inform my choices,” Fumero explained. “It’s really fun as an actor to have a secret and to have it with you all the time in the scenes.”
Fumero was relieved not to be “in the dark” about where the story was going, adding, “I might have made totally different choices. So it was just always with me in the back of my mind. It’s fun to pick the moments where you want to lean into the secret.”
Based on a True Story is one of several murder mystery shows that Fumero has found herself drawn to.
“They just happen to come up for me. My new show that’s coming out in February — Grosse Pointe Garden Society — is also a murder show,” she shared. “So something about me screams mystery. But I’ll take it. It’s a genre that I enjoy and I’m not complaining.”
Based on a True Story is currently streaming on Peacock.