Who is Terry Jeffords in Brooklyn Nine-Nine?

Show

Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Played by

Terry Crews

First episode

“Pilot”Season 1, Episode 1, aired September 17, 2013

Role

Main cast

Network

FOX

Occupation

NYPD sergeant, later lieutenant and captain

Show run

2013 to 2021Moved from FOX to NBC for its last three seasons.

Also known as

Sergeant Jeffords, Terrence Jeffords, Jeffords, Sarge

Terry Jeffords is built like a superhero and has the heart of a worried dad. Played by Terry Crews, he is the 99th Precinct's sergeant, the squad's den mother, and a man who loves yogurt enough to talk about it in the third person.

On Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Terry Jeffords's story runs through Raymond Holt (Captain), Jake Peralta (Detective and Ava's Godfather), Amy Santiago (Detective), Rosa Diaz (Detective), and Charles Boyle (Detective).

Who is Terry Jeffords?

Terry supervises the detectives of the 99th Precinct and is often the only grown-up in the room. When the series begins, he has been pulled off field work after a panic attack, and he worries constantly about leaving his young daughters without a father. He spends early episodes working his way back to the field.

He is devoted to his wife, Sharon, and their daughters, twins Cagney and Lacey, and later a third girl, Ava. A former Syracuse University linebacker who graduated with honors, Terry is also an avid bodybuilder whose strength is a running joke: he breaks things without trying, and he could run through a wall if he wanted to.

Personality and comedy

Terry's comedy comes from the gap between his intimidating size and his gentle, anxious personality. He gets excited, nervous, and emotional, and he often refers to himself in the third person, as in his famous declaration that Terry loves yogurt. He flexes when stressed and brings the full intensity of a fitness fanatic to everything, though he hates feeling that people respect him only for his muscles.

He is also a genuinely good leader. He cares about his detectives like a parent, keeps the chaos in check, and tells hard truths when needed. The show uses him to explore what it means to be a strong man who is not ashamed to be soft.

Key storylines

Terry's third daughter, Ava, is born in season three after Sharon goes into labor while Jake is watching over her. In season four, he is racially profiled by a fellow officer near his own home while searching for his daughters' blanket, and he files a complaint even though it could hurt his career, one of the show's most serious storylines.

For years he chases a promotion to lieutenant. He secretly passes the exam in season six and reveals it at the end of a heist the squad throws to calm his nerves. In the series finale, when Holt moves up to lead police reform, Terry becomes the new captain of the 99th Precinct.

Behind the scenes and legacy

Terry Crews, already familiar to sitcom fans from Everybody Hates Chris, plays a character who shares his first name and was built around his big, warm screen presence. In June 2020, Crews said that four planned season eight episodes had been scrapped after the murder of George Floyd, as the writers rethought how the show should handle policing. Terry, a Black officer who is profiled by a fellow cop in season four, is central to that reckoning.

"Moo Moo" stands out as an example of the show tackling a serious subject without losing its heart, with Holt torn between protecting Terry's career and supporting his complaint. On the lighter side, Terry's love of yogurt and his pec flexing are among the character's most recognizable bits.

Terry Jeffords: frequently asked questions

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