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Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Of all the great things about television, the greatest is that it’s on every single day. TV history is being made, day in and day out, in ways big and small. In an effort to better appreciate this history, we’re taking a look back, every day, at one particular TV milestone.

IMPORTANT DATE IN TV HISTORY: November 9, 2014

PROGRAM ORIGINALLY AIRED ON THIS DATE: Brooklyn Nine-Nine, “Jake and Sophia” (season 2, episode 6). [Stream on Hulu.]

WHY IT’S IMPORTANT: It’s hard to pick out one standout episode of Brooklyn Nine-Nine, mostly because each episode goes along a remarkably stable trajectory. Brooklyn Nine-Nine is such a reliable show, every episode pretty much delivers exactly what you want from it. It’s fantastic. The only real ongoing story that matters is the evolving romance of Jake and Amy. But there is always the need to throw monkeywrenches into sitcoms’ most beloved couples. Which is how Desperate Housewives and Telenovela star Eva Longoria became the Karen Fillippelli on Brooklyn Nine-Nine.

You remember Karen, right? Perfectly lovely woman. Recurrent guest star of The Office. Played by Rashida Jones. Worked in every bit a dead-end job as your Jims and Pams. But Karen was cast in the vile role of The Other Woman. She was the girl who Jim started dating when he moved to Stamford from Scranton, and their coupling was THE major lightning-rod of The Office‘s third season.

Which brings us to Sophia. On some level, you get the feeling that Eva Longoria knew exactly the kind of no-win situation she was stepping into here, driving a wedge between Jake (Andy Samberg) and Amy (Melissa Fumero), and she has a blast with the role. She also really digs into being adversarial to Jake at times, which as Andre Braugher has taught is all, is an essential element to a good Brooklyn Nine-Nine.

[You can stream Brooklyn Nine-Nine‘s “Jake and Sophia” on Hulu.]