Killing It Is The Best Evolution Of Craig Robinson's Brooklyn 99 Character
Killing It is an incredibly funny satire but the role-reversal of Brooklyn 99's Robinson as a law-abiding straight man adds to the fun of the show.
Warning: SPOILERS for Killing It.
Craig Robinson's new sitcom Killing It, co-created by Brooklyn Nine-Nine's Dan Goor, sees the actor play a role that evolves his iconic Pontiac Bandit character. Killing It tells the story of Craig (Robinson), a low-paid security guard and family man who gets drawn into the high-profit world of python hunting. It's an absurd and timely satire of the American Dream, and a role that plays to Robinson's strengths while wrong-footing the audience.
Despite an opening sequence that feels like yet another self-aggrandizing speech by the Pontiac Bandit, Craig is actually a more humble and relatable figure. The opening episode sees Craig move from bank to bank, forced to endure the casual racism and business loan rejections of multiple bank managers. Unlike Doug Judy, Craig is determined to play by the rules, in contrast to his criminal brother Isaiah, who better reflects Jake Peralta's former nemesis.
In Killing It, Craig Robinson is the straight man of the series, contending with more overtly comic characters like Claudia O'Doherty as Jillian and Rell Battle as Isaiah. In a fun reversal of roles, season 1, episode 7 "Boss Up" finds Craig tricked into disposing of a dead body by his brother. It's a plot that isn't a million miles away from the many scrapes in which the Pontiac Bandit would include Jake Peralta. Isaiah and Craig's relationship is very similar to that of Jake and Doug in Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Jake and Craig are both distrustful of Isaiah and Doug's criminality, and yet they can't help but love them. While Killing It is an incredibly funny satire in its own right, the role-reversal of The Office and Brooklyn Nine-Nine's Craig Robinson as a law-abiding straight man adds to the fun of the series. It also lends the series its powerful emotional arc, highlighting how Robinson's new character represents an authentic and successful evolution.
Craig and Isaiah have unresolved issues brought about by the tragic death of their father. While Craig has tried his best to live an honest life like his father, Isaiah's grief and anger has put him on a different road that will ensure he doesn't make his father's mistakes. This divergence in the brothers' moral codes is beautifully handled in the farcical corpse disposal episode of Killing It, and recalls how Brooklyn Nine-Nine regularly balanced outlandish comic situations with genuine human emotion. Naturally, The Office star Craig Robinson excels in these scenes, as does Rell Battle who delivers an emotionally raw monologue with aplomb.
The themes at the core of Killing It are also enhanced by Craig Robinson's previous role as the Pontiac Bandit. Luke Del Tredici and Dan Goor's show is all about how society rewards the right kind of criminals - rich businessmen and trophy wives who have the money and influence to get away with their crimes. Meanwhile, honest working folk like Craig and Jillian are forced to debase themselves and make huge sacrifices just to keep a roof over their head. Nowhere is this more apparent than Tim Heidecker's villain role as unhinged millionaire grifter Raymond Lamonca. As Killing It continues, Craig is put in numerous situations where he's implicated in criminal activities. While it's hardly Breaking Bad, the show is very much about a man living by a particular moral code, who realizes that the world isn't playing by the same rulebook. It's this conflict that forms the thematic backbone of the show, and in casting Brooklyn Nine-Nine's beloved criminal in the lead role, it hints to the audience that if Craig does decide to break the law in his pursuit of the American Dream, then they'll still be rooting for him.
All episodes of Killing It are now streaming on Peacock.