"I want it that way": The cold open that made Brooklyn Nine-Nine a meme machine 

Chills, Literal Chills! That's exactly what the viewers felt after watching one of Brooklyn Nine-Nine's most popular cold opens. For the unversed, a cold open refers to a sequence that appears before the opening credits of a show. With over 42 million views on Brooklyn Nine-Nine's official YouTube channel, this snippet remains the most-watched B99 video.

In Season 5 Episode 17, DFW Detective Jake Peralta lines up five suspects and forces them to sing Backstreet Boys' 'I Want It That Way' to help the witness (Devin Sidell) point out the culprit who killed her brother. What followed is a pure three-minute comedic gem that went viral.

From Peralta asking the culprits to sing the Backstreet Boys' song to the suspects singing the song with full dedication and passion (even joining in a chorus), they almost forgot about the murder investigation. When the witness revealed:

"It was Number 5. Number 5 killed my brother"

Jake Peralta gleefully replied:

"Oh my God, I forgot about that part"

From Reddit to Twitter, this three-minute snippet turned into meme material overnight. The popularity of the scene was such that not only fans, but also those who were not aware of the sitcom, began to use the reference.

Even after almost four years since the show ended, Brooklyn Nine-Nine remains one of the most popular police procedural sitcoms of all time. It boasts an 8.4/10 rating on IMDb and a remarkable 95% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Starring Andy Samberg, Melissa Fumero, the late Andre Braugher, and Stephanie Beatriz, this sitcom premiered in 2013 and spanned across eight successful seasons. The series concluded on May 20, 2018.

Here's what we know about the iconic B99 cold open

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The cold open that made Brooklyn Nine-Nine a meme machine

The cold open for Brooklyn Nine-Nine Season 5 Episode 17, I Want it That Way' will forever remain iconic. Jake Peralta's enthusiastic 'Now Number 5' wasn't just funny but legendary.

What started as a goofy musical gag ended with a murder reveal- Andy Samberg's reaction to it made it even more hilarious. The clip went viral almost overnight. Tagged as one of the best cold opens of all time, the Backstreet Boys even recreated it in December 2022 at the Empire State Building.

Years later, the cold open remains a benchmark for TV comedy. A living proof that the right mix of humor and absurdity can turn a simple throwaway gag into a viral clip. From reaction GIFs to parody and animated videos, this cold open proved that Brooklyn Nine-Nine could turn a '90s nostalgic song into viral chaos. Interestingly, the writers and producers were also aware that the scene was iconic and had the potential to go viral. Here's what we know about it.

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How was the viral cold open for Brooklyn Nine-Nine written?

In a 2023 interview with GQ, writer Jep Topolski, EP Luke Del Tredicu, and CP Justin Noble opened up about the making of Brooklyn Nine-Nine's viral cold open. Topolski revealed that it was not a sudden decision to opt for the Backstreet Boys' popular song. Tredici said that he pitched a Disney song from the animated film The Little Mermaid. However, it was then that someone from the team threw in the Backstreet Boys' song, despite being aware of the network's financial restrictions. Tredici said:

"Andrew Guest pitched the moment when Andy sings Now number five...Phil Jackson pitched the blow to the whole thing- where we hold off the information that it's about a murder and Andy forgot about that. "

And when they pitched the scene during the table read, everybody loved it. Topolski said:

"Everybody was dying"

The scene was shot by director Jaffar Mahmood, and the actors behind the iconic scene were Detective Jake Peralta ( Andy Samberg), Gwen (Devin Sidell), the suspects (Adam Brooks, Adam Bucci, Marcus Terell Smith, Roshan Golconda, and John Shartzer).

Want to rewatch it? Brooklyn Nine-Nine is available to stream on Netflix.

Read more: Brooklyn Nine-Nine as real-life cops, ranked by who’d crack the case and who’d crack under pressure

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