Hot damn is associated with Captain Raymond Holt, the deadpan precinct captain in Brooklyn Nine-Nine, the police sitcom centred on a New York detective squad. Holt's restrained manner became one of the show's most recognisable running jokes, and short clips of his driest lines circulated widely in fan edits and reaction videos after the series found a second life online. The phrase endures because it works as a compact reaction: Holt's voice alone signals dry approval, surprise, or quiet vindication without needing any context from the scene.