Brooklyn Nine-Nine is a fairly atypical comedy, in a genre where most comedies fit templates. Given that most police comedies have in the past not been great, do you enjoy not fitting the box?

Mike: There haven't been many comedies set specifically in the world of a police department in America, but this is, at its essence, a workplace comedy and there are plenty of templates for that.

But you will write Andre Braugher, for example, a page of dialogue. Sitcoms don't often do that.

Mike: I would say those kinds of decision are based almost entirely on the actor. Andre has trained as a Shakespearean actor for many years and one of our first goals was to try to deface that. The differences in the way we tell stories and the way that other shows tell stories probably look more significant than they are. It's the superficial stuff. It's the fact that scenes take place in this briefing room and that there's a holding cell over there, and that there's perps in the cell over there, but in essence it's a workplace comedy about people who hang out together for 12 hours a day.

OK, so, Andre, why is a Shakespearean actor doing a TV comedy?

Andre: I needed a change. I needed to grow and take on new challenges in my career. I love drama, I love rough and tumble stuff, the gritty, edgy, western swamps of Louisiana kind of stuff, but I also want to have some fun too. Looking at my career, I have made some interesting choices and had some successes, but I needed a new challenge, I needed to laugh a bit. Part of it is playing off the fact I was on Homicide for seven years, which was, in its time, a groundbreaking police drama. I understand the world, I understand the mindset of the characters, I understand the workplace, but for me as an actor, I felt this would be a great challenge.

What about you, Andy? You came from Saturday Night Live, which can be pretty raunchy. Is this a more restrained environment?

Andy: Yes, but only because it's not a late-night show. There were little things there [on Saturday Night Live] we would bleep and blur all the time, and that's not something we do here, but I don't find it to be that different. You have to be true to the characters and you have to be true to the work, but one of the reasons I was so excited to work with Mike and Dan was the world was really silly – grounded and heartfelt in a lot of ways – but the comedy was out in front, and it's really joyful, silly comedy.

What about the physical side of it, all those police stunts that you do, Andy? Do you get to tap into the action man inside you?

Andy: It's fun to play dress-up and they obviously don't let me do any of the really crazy stuff.

Andre: You're supposed to say you do all your own stunts.

Dan: Andy does all of his own stunts.

Andy: All of them, except the ones I don't do. We all get a kick out of doing a raid. We're basically a bunch of actors and comedians going "Go! Go! Go!". It's fun.

The show is now filming its second season. Do you think you've found your voice more clearly in season two?

Dan: I feel like we started to find our voice last season, and so I don't think there has been a massive sort of recalculation of our voice or anything, but yes, I think that we are maybe more comfortable and able to take some larger swings.

What about the show do you think struck a chord with the audience?

Dan: From what I can tell, when people approach me and tell me why they like it, a huge part of it its great writing and [that] the cast gels. A lot of people go out of their way to mention that they like spending time with this group of people, because this group of people look like they like spending time with each other. The other thing is there are very small details all over this show that make it feel a little more like it's true to today.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine series one, Wednesday, Universal Channel, 8.30pm.