Throwback Thursday: How this 'Backstreet Boys' song gave 'Brooklyn Nine-Nine' one of its best opening scenes

Andy Samberg in a still from the episode

'Brooklyn Nine-Nine' is a popular American sitcom that gives a closer look into the daily life of detectives from Brooklyn. Headlined by Andy Samberg, Melissa Fumero, Stephanie Beatriz, Terry Crews, Andre Braugher, Joe Lo Truglio, and Chelsea Peretti, the show was concluded in 2021 after eight seasons. As Backstreet Boys is set to perform in India tonight, we look back at how the popular band's song gave the sitcom one of its best opening scene.

The seventeenth episode of season 5 begins with Andy Samberg who plays detective Jake Peralta making 5 criminals sing the song 'I Want It That Way'. The reason you ask? To identify the true criminal, whom a witness identifies only by voice. When Jake Peralta asks the witness if she recognises any men in the police lineup, she answers in negative saying she was hiding when the crime took place. But, she adds, "I heard him, he was singing along to the music at the bar . . . I think it was that song, ‘I Want It That Way.'"

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"Backstreet Boys, I'm familiar," Jake says in a serious tone and turns to the lineup. "Number one, could you please sing the opening to ‘I Want It That Way'"? he says in a serious tone.

A confused suspect begins singing the song and Jake instructs the next person in line to take it forward. Jake gets carried away by it and himself contributes by singing the line "Tell me why-ee". He completely forgets about the real purpose of the activity and says he got chills hearing them sing together until the witness claims, "It was number five. Number five killed my brother." Jake jumps. "Oh my God, I forgot about that part!"

Backstreet Boys were also amazed and flattered by the reference. They took to their Twitter handle in 2018 and thanked the team for the memories while sharing the cold opening scene.

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The song 'I Want It That Way' was released by the Backstreet Boys in 1999 and was an instant hit. The American vocal group, consisting of Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, AJ McLean, and cousins Brian Littrell and Kevin Richardson, was formed in 1993, and went on to release as many as 10 albums over 30 years including the latest one last December called ‘A Very Backstreet Christmas'. While they have quite a few hits over three decades, it was the likes of 'I Want It That Way' and 'Everybody' among others that propelled them to worldwide fame and making them a household name in India, especially with their harmonising vocals and dance steps.