One of the best cold opens from TV police comedy Brooklyn Nine-Nine involves detective Jake Peralta asking the members of a police lineup to sing the Backstreet Boys’ classic “I Want It That Way.” It’s even better when Peralta is played by Animal Crossing: New Horizons’ Raymond while Marshall the squirrel plays a cold-blooded murderer.
Youtuber Dclemente (via the Animal Crossing Reddit) painstakingly recreated the popular scene, turning a space in New Horizons into the perfect stage for a gritty police lineup. Pashmina, one of my favorite villagers, plays the sister of the victim of a violent crime. She did not see the perpetrator but did hear him singing one of the Backstreet Boys’ greatest hits. Hilarity ensues.
For those unfamiliar with the show, here’s the original scene. As much as I love it, I think the Animal Crossing version is better.
Don’t like the cast Dclemente chose? YouTuber Hana Lee also recreated the scene with a completely different lineup. It’s a pretty popular scene.
I’ve seen a ton of excellent television and movie scene recreations since Animal Crossing: New Horizons launched. If the ongoing covid-19 crisis digs into fall television, might I suggest producers consider Animal Crossing machinima? It’s gotta be better than what they did to The Blacklist.