The Top 12 Breakthrough Actors Of 2014

Chelsea Peretti (Brooklyn Nine-Nine)

One of the joys about watching FOX’s crowning comedy Brooklyn Nine-Nine is how often one ends up picking a new favorite character. Some weeks, it is Andre Braugher’s articulate, delightfully deadpan police chief. In other weeks, it can be Joe Lo Truglio’s irrevocably loyal Charles Boyle or Stephanie Beatriz’s curt, conniving detective Rosa Diaz. Regardless, most of the time, the precinct’s most quotable and beloved creation is sarcastic administrator Gina Linetti, played by the acidic but amazingly funny Chelsea Peretti.

It took the show’s writers a bit of time to make Gina a perennial favorite, but since her role expanded toward the end of season one, Peretti has been given comedy gold almost every week. Her selfish behavior and sardonic comments to the other cops could be seen as too rude in another actor’s shoes, but Peretti gives her character a slacker charm and pop culture obsession that is sometimes too much to resist. Although her love affair with Boyle may not have been one of the series’ high points, it allowed the actor the chance to delve more deeply into the character’s humanity, as spunky as Gina may be.

Carefree and mischievous without trying too hard, Peretti is the opposite of co-star (and fellow high school classmate) Andy Samberg, who gets laughs but is clearly working hard to get them. Peretti’s lax hilarity works even better, given the fast-paced rhythms of the show and the environment the characters work in.

Now, if only we could have seen more of Gina’s stint with dance troupe Floorgasm…