Det. Dave Majors

In its original American broadcast, "Det. Dave Majors" was seen by an estimated 2.72 million household viewers and gained a 1.2/4 ratings share among adults aged 18–49, according to Nielsen Media Research.[1] This was a slight decrease in viewership from the previous episode, which was watched by 2.78 million viewers with a 1.5/4 in the 18-49 demographics.[2] This means that 1.2 percent of all households with televisions watched the episode, while 4 percent of all households watching television at that time watched it. With these ratings, Brooklyn Nine-Nine was the fourth most watched show on FOX for the night, beating Bob's Burgers, but behind The Simpsons, The Last Man on Earth and Family Guy, third on its timeslot and eight for the night, behind Revenge, The Simpsons, The Last Man on Earth, America's Funniest Home Videos, Family Guy, Once Upon a Time, and Secrets and Lies.

"Det. Dave Majors" received positive reviews from critics. Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya of The A.V. Club gave the episode an "A−" grade and wrote, "'Det. Dave Majors' brings back that competitive nature, if only for part of an episode, with Jake and Amy competing to get on Detective Dave Majors (the fantastic Garret Dillahunt) of the 9-3's good side in a joint, baby mask, check cashing robbery case (which is just as weird as it sounds, though less consequential)."[3] Allie Pape from Vulture gave the show a perfect 5 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "My biggest issue with Brooklyn Nine-Nine continues to be how many episodes go by without the characters actually wanting much of anything. So 'Det. Dave Majors' was a blast of barrelproof whiskey-scented fresh air with a delightfully fizzy orange-soda back."[4]

Alan Sepinwall of HitFix wrote, "Fortunately, the slow-burning flirtation between Peralta and Santiago has consistently been an area where taking Jake seriously has worked, and we got another strong example of that in the well-balanced 'Det. Dave Majors.'"[5] Andy Crump of Paste gave the episode an 8.9 rating and wrote, "'Det. Dave Majors' feels like a much-needed shot in the arm to that flagging storyline. At worst, the episode hinges on a guest appearance by the reliably terrific Garret Dillahunt, who lends his many and varied talents toward portraying the hotshot detective of the title."[6]