I’m generally more intimidated by men like Terry Crews than I am by men with Terry Crews’ physique but not his personality. Crews has the kind of build emulated in Greek mythology. I’m about certain he can crush heads with his thighs. But if you took the muscle away he’d still be everything we cherish Terry Crews for on a pop cultural level, and in any discussion about the evolution of contemporary manhood, “everything” is a lot to live up to.
Honestly, years into Brooklyn Nine-Nine, most of which I’ve spent actively writing about the show, Crews is more or less my favorite member of the cast, which is saying a lot, because the cast is great. But I think Terry Crews and Terry Jeffords give Brooklyn Nine-Nine a foundation to rest on, especially when the series is viewed through the lens of its representation of masculinity. So I decided I’d hone in on that now that the series is on NBC.
You can read my full thoughts over at Men’s Health.