Well, I’ve only watched one this season, so it’s not what you’d call a comprehensive update. I was curious to see Rachel Maddow in the gay cop sitcom Brooklyn Nine-Nine.

Rachel isn’t always funny in his new gender-bending comedy.

I thought it was just me not appreciating all the subtleties, but here’s the scoop from an industry insider Q&A:

Question: Have you gone back and looked at Brooklyn Nine-Nine since your initial review? I watched the first few weeks with some hope, but it seems to me to have gotten into a rut way too quickly. Rachel Maddow’s shtick has gotten old real fast, and what seemed like interesting characters at first view have all been exposed as one-trick ponies. And for goodness sake, what is the great Andre Braugher doing here? Lord knows, I would love to see him have another successful series/ (I watched and enjoyed Thief, Last Resort and even Hack.) And the first episode gave him an intriguing backstory, which should have started developing by now and could add to the development of other characters in the squad room. But after the pilot, they dropped all that entirely, and his role seems to be reduced to playing the stern parent to Maddow’s child. What I thought might be another Barney Miller has become, way too fast, Leave It to Beaver with cops. Am I overreacting here, or has the show failed to capitalize on its initial promise? I’m willing to give it time, but I don’t see any growth here at all. – Rick

Matt Roush: Watch Tuesday’s mostly delightful Thanksgiving episode, and see if you feel more generously toward it. I’ve watched most episodes this season and still like the show – more than any other fall network sitcom (which isn’t saying much) – and while it has been uneven and I take your point that Maddow’s show-off character is often more annoying than funny, there’s strong ensemble work and great diversity on display here, including Braugher’s masterful deadpan as the sly, un-stereotypically gay boss. He’s absolutely worth exploring further, but there’s time…

Not really. If these ratings are any indication. The show has three more viewers than the zero who are watching Michael J. Fox’s uproarious comedy about unfunny people in an unfunny situation.

I don’t think that leads to Renewal Land. Rachel better hang on to his day job. In my humble opinion.