8 Years After 'New Girl,' Jake Johnson Teases His New P.I. Sitcom With 'Brooklyn Nine-Nine' Co-Creator [Exclusive]

4 weeks ago 12

Published Mar 16, 2026, 10:49 AM EDT

Last month, news broke that Jake Johnson was officially heading back to television for a new sitcom. Nearly eight years after he said goodbye to his longtime role as Nick Miller in the hit Fox series, New Girl, he signed up to work with two veterans of the genre, Brooklyn Nine-Nine co-creator Dan Goor and executive producer Luke Del Tredici, for an untitled workplace comedy set in the world of private eyes. Add in Keith David as a co-star and Akiva Schaffer, fresh off helming the acclaimed Naked Gun reboot with Liam Neeson, as the pilot's director and executive producer, and it sounds like a recipe for success. Even before knowing exactly who was involved, however, it was already making waves as the potential next great television series.

The premise specifically follows Mickey Wilder (Johnson), a smart, cynical, and once-renowned former LAPD cop with a broken heart who's trying to keep himself together while working cases and trying to hide just how broken he truly is. He works for the Garner Taggart PI Agency alongside David's no-nonsense Taggart, who's a bit behind the times in his view of the world, and Taggart's son, Mitch. At the time it was ordered, the pilot was also said to continue "the proud tradition of Los Angeles private eyes that began with Philip Marlowe and will end with this show," teasing a play on the tropes of the detective genre. One report even went as far as calling it "One of the strongest comedy pitches to hit the TV marketplace in a while."

That last line had Collider's Perri Nemiroff curious, and during an interview with Johnson for his new film, The Sun Never Sets, at SXSW, she asked if he got that feeling from the premise alone. He credited the co-creators' experience with Brooklyn Nine-Nine for the humor, which comes from not just the PI send-up but the same office dynamic that made the Andy Samberg series so beloved. The main cast and guest stars also have him excited for the comedic possibilities.

"Well, it's Dan Goor, and it's Luke [Del Tredici]. It's the guys who did Brooklyn Nine-Nine. They're very smart. It's really funny. It's a workplace comedy set in the world of P.I.s, so it's going to be a new way of looking at the P.I. genre, but we're going to still have great guest stars coming in. But it's really going to be about the office. We just cast it, and there are some really funny people."

King Friday XIII and Other Regal Characters — The Collider TV Quiz!

It's Friday the 13th. What better day to bone up on your knowledge of King Friday XIII and other television royals?

What Is 'The Sun Never Sets' About?

While there are still plenty of unknowns about the new workplace comedy, Johnson did, however, pull the curtain back on his latest project with longtime collaborator Joe Swanberg with its premiere at SXSW. The Sun Never Sets is a love triangle drama, centered on Wendy (Dakota Fanning), her older, divorced boyfriend Jack (Johnson), and her old ex, Chuck (Cory Michael Smith). Wendy's life is thrown into complete disarray when Jack insists that they take a break from each other, which invites chaos when Chuck returns to town and stirs up old feelings. All three are caught in a confusing web together that's bound to create explosive tension as they work out their respective futures.

Stay tuned here at Collider for more on Johnson's new sitcom pilot as more information comes out and more coverage here from SXSW throughout the weekend.