Parks and Recreation
Encyclopedia
Parks and Recreation is an American comedy television series on NBC
that focuses on Leslie Knope
(Amy Poehler
), a mid-level bureaucrat in the parks department of Pawnee, a fictional town in Indiana
. Created by Greg Daniels
and Michael Schur
, the series debuted on April 9, 2009; it has run for three seasons and is currently airing its fourth. Originally conceived as a spin-off
to The Office, Daniels and Schur instead created a stand-alone series that shares that show's single-camera
, mockumentary
filming style.
The writers researched local California
politics for the show, and consulted with urban planners and elected officials. The Leslie Knope character underwent minor changes after the first season
in response to audience feedback that she seemed unintelligent and "ditzy". The writing staff tried to incorporate current events into their episodes, such as a government shutdown in Pawnee inspired by the real-life global financial crisis
.
The Parks and Recreation staff tried to differentiate their show from The Office through subtle differences in their filming, like multiple camera angles during interviews and frequent use of jump cut
techniques. Improvisation
is encouraged among the cast, and dialogue made up by the actors often make the final cut of the episodes. Several guest stars have appeared on Parks and Recreation, including Megan Mullally
, Louis C.K.
, Will Arnett
, Justin Theroux, John Larroquette
, Mo Collins
, Parker Posey
, Paula Pell, Dan Castellaneta
, Andy Samberg
, Will Forte
, and Patricia Clarkson
.
Parks and Recreation received generally mixed to negative reviews during its first season, with many critics claiming it was too similar to The Office. However, reviews were much more positive in the second and third seasons, with several reviewers declaring it one of the best shows on television. The show has received several awards and nominations, including an Emmy Award
nomination for Outstanding Comedy Series
and two Emmy nominations for Poehler's performance. Despite the critical acclaim, Parks and Recreation has struggled in the Nielsen ratings
throughout its run on NBC.
(Amy Poehler
), the deputy director of the parks and recreation department in the fictional Indiana
town of Pawnee. Local nurse Ann Perkins
(Rashida Jones
) demands a construction pit next to her house be filled in after her boyfriend, Andy Dwyer
(Chris Pratt
), fell in and broke his legs. Leslie vows to turn the pit into a park, despite resistance from the parks director Ron Swanson
(Nick Offerman
), an anti-government Libertarian
. City planner Mark Brendanawicz
(Paul Schneider
) – for whom Leslie harbors romantic feelings – pragmatically insists the project is unrealistic due to government red tape
, but nevertheless secretly convinces Ron to approve the project. Leslie and her staff, including Tom Haverford
(Aziz Ansari
) and the uninterested summer intern April Ludgate
(Aubrey Plaza), try encouraging community interest in the pit project, but meet resistance. Later, Ann becomes furious to learn Andy has faked the severity of his injuries so Ann would pamper him. Meanwhile, a drunken and lonely Mark takes Leslie to the pit and kisses her, but she rejects his advances, not wishing to move forward while Mark is drunk. An embarrassed Mark accidentally falls into the pit and injures himself.
) is actually a green card marriage
which, to his disappointment, eventually ends in divorce. Meanwhile, Ron is visited by his horrible ex-wife Tammy (Megan Mullally
), a librarian who unsuccessfully tries seducing him into turning the pit into a library branch. The pit is eventually filled in and converted to a multi-purpose lot. April becomes attracted to Andy, but he remains fixated on Ann. Just as Mark plans to propose to Ann, she reveals she no longer has feelings for him. They break up, and Mark leaves his city hall career for a private sector job. Meanwhile, a crippling budget deficit leads state auditors Chris Traeger
(Rob Lowe
) and Ben Wyatt
(Adam Scott
) to temporarily shut down the Pawnee government, much to Leslie's horror and Ron's delight. Meanwhile, Andy develops feelings for April, but she fears he is still hung up on Ann. Ann later kisses Andy due to conflicting emotions from her break-up with Mark, prompting April to angrily reject Andy. The season ends with Tom shockingly discovering that Ron is now dating his ex-wife, Wendy.
. Later, however, Chris returns to become Pawnee's acting city manager, and Ben also takes a job in Pawnee. Jealous over Ron dating Wendy, Tom briefly dates Tammy to get even, but the two eventually reconcile. Andy wins April back and they start dating. Only a few weeks later, they marry in a surprise ceremony. Leslie and Ben begin dating, but keep it secret due to Chris's policy against workplace romances. Leslie is approached about possibly running for elected office, a life-long dream of hers, but when asked about potential scandals in her life she neglects to mention her relationship with Ben. Tom quits his city hall job to form an entertainment company with his friend, Jean-Ralphio
(Ben Schwartz
). The season ends with a horrified Ron learning that his first ex-wife, also named Tammy, has come to see him; the actress who plays her is not revealed.
said the season will deal in part with Leslie's dilemma over whether to continue her romance with Ben or pursue her dream of running for office, as well as Tom's efforts with his entertainment company. NBC also announced that Patricia Clarkson
had been cast as "Tammy One", Ron's first ex-wife, and that Paul Schneider would return as Mark in a story arc.
and Universal Media Studios produced Parks and Recreation starting with the first season, and the production companies Fremulon and 3 Arts Entertainment also became involved with the show starting with the second season. The series was created by Greg Daniels
and Michael Schur, who served as executive producers along with Howard Klein. Klein previously worked with Daniels and Schur on The Office, a half-hour NBC
comedy Daniels adapted from the British comedy of the same name
, created by Ricky Gervais
. Schur served as the showrunner of Parks and Recreation, while Amy Poehler and Morgan Sackett worked as producers. Dean Holland
, an editor on The Office, also worked as an editor on Parks and Recreation. Mike Scully
, a former executive producer and showrunner for The Simpsons
, joined Parks and Recreation as a consulting producer starting in the middle of the first season. Allison Jones
, who worked as a casting director for The Office, served in the same capacity at the start of Parks and Recreation, along with Nancy Perkins, for whom the character Ann Perkins was named. Dorian Frankel became the casting director starting with the second season. Alan Yang
, Harris Wittels
and Katie Dippold, all of whom were Parks and Recreation screenwriters, also worked as executive story editors.
The pilot episode
was written by Daniels and Schur, and directed by Daniels. Daniels also directed the second season episode "Hunting Trip
", while Schur made his directorial debut with the first season finale "Rock Show
", and wrote or directed several other episodes including "Sister City
", "The Master Plan
" and "Time Capsule
". Poehler wrote two episodes: the second season episode "Telethon
" and the third season's "The Fight
". Holland also directed several episodes throughout the series, including "The Master Plan". Norm Hiscock
, a consulting producer on the show, wrote a number of episodes including the first season finale "Rock Show" and second season premiere "Pawnee Zoo
". Other regular screenwriters included Katie Dippold, Daniel J. Goor
, Aisha Muharrar, Emily Spivey, Harris Wittels and Alan Yang. Frequent Parks and Recreation directors include Randall Einhorn
, Troy Miller
, and Jason Woliner
, with several others guest-directing one or two episodes such as Jeffrey Blitz
, Paul Feig
, Tucker Gates
, Seth Gordon
, Nicole Holofcener
, Beth McCarthy Miller, Michael McCullers
, and Charles McDougall
.
Two new cast members joined the show starting with the penultimate second season episode, "The Master Plan":
Jim O'Heir
and Retta made regular appearances as Jerry and Donna from the start of the show, but their personalities did not become developed until the second season. Schur said the Parks and Recreation staff liked the actors so decided to include them in the show and "figured we'd work it out later". A throwaway joke at Jerry's expense in the episode "Practice Date" led him to be established as the co-worker the rest of the department affectionately picks on. It was not until the third season they became considered regular cast members, although they still do not appear in the opening credits.
Several actors have made recurring guest appearances throughout the show, including Pamela Reed
as Leslie's mother and fellow politician Marlene Griggs-Knope
, Ben Schwartz
as Tom's fast-talking friend Jean-Ralphio
, Jama Williamson
as Tom's ex-wife Wendy, Mo Collins
as morning talk show host Joan Callamezzo, Jay Jackson as television broadcaster Perd Hapley, Alison Becker
as newspaper reporter Shauna Malwae-Tweep, Darlene Hunt
as conservative activist Marcia Langman, and Andy Forrest as Andy's frequent shoeshine customer Kyle. Megan Mullally
, the real-life wife of Nick Offerman, portrayed Ron's ex-wife Tammy in the second season's "Ron and Tammy
", a role she reprised in later episodes. The performance was well received, which made the Parks and Recreation producers feel more comfortable about using celebrity guest actors in later episodes. Other such celebrity guests included Fred Armisen
, Will Arnett
, H. Jon Benjamin
, Matt Besser
, Louis C.K.
, Will Forte
, Michael Gross
, Nick Kroll
, John Larroquette
, Natalie Morales
, Parker Posey
, Andy Samberg
, Roy Hibbert
, Detlef Schrempf
, and Justin Theroux.
was named co-chairman of NBC
's entertainment division in 2007, he asked Greg Daniels to create a spin-off
of The Office. Daniels co-created Parks and Recreation with Michael Schur, who had been a writer on The Office. The two spent months considering ideas for the new series and debating whether to make it a stand-alone show rather than a spin-off. According to Daniels, they eventually abandoned the original spin-off plan because they "couldn't find the right fit". They considered a series about a local government official trying to rebuild a political career following a humiliating public spectacle. They ultimately abandoned the idea, although, it was ultimately incorporated into the backstory for Ben Wyatt late in the second season. After Amy Poehler agreed to play the lead, they decided the show would revolve around an optimistic bureaucrat in small-town government.
The idea was partly inspired by the portrayal of local politics on the HBO drama series The Wire
, as well as the renewed interest in and optimism about politics stemming from the 2008 United States presidential election
. The staff was also drawn to the idea of building a show around a female relationship, namely Leslie Knope and Ann Perkins. Reports that Daniels and Schur were developing a show together led to press speculation that it would, in fact, be a spin-off of The Office. The producers insisted their new series would be entirely independent. Nevertheless, their concept for it shared several elements with The Office, particularly the mockumentary
approach and the encouragement of improvisation
among the cast, even though the episodes were scripted. The series was scheduled as a mid-season replacement, and was rushed into production to meet the premiere date of April 9, 2009. Before the title Parks and Recreation was chosen, the name Public Service was considered, but ultimately rejected because network officials did not want to be accused of mocking the idea.
meetings. Schur said they observed that many community hearings were attended only by those opposed, often angrily, to the proposals under consideration. This became a major component of town hall meeting scenes in Parks and Recreation, and was the basis for the entire "Canvassing
" episode. The writers consulted with real-life government officials such as urban planners and elected officials. Scott Albright, a California city planner, provided direct feedback for the Mark Brendanawicz character, and the inspiration for Ron Swanson's anti-government convictions came from a real-life encounter Schur had in Burbank
with a Libertarian government official who admitted, "I don't really believe in the mission of my job." The concept of turning a construction pit into a park was seen as a device to bring all the characters together working toward a common goal. The writers originally envisioned the pit becoming a park only in the series finale, although those plans were later changed and the pit was filled in during the second season. While researching whether such a project could realistically last several months or longer, Schur spoke to urban planners in Claremont, California
who said it was entirely plausible because they had recently broken ground on a park that had been in various planning stages for 18 years.
Daniels and Schur wrote the script for the pilot episode in mid-2008. The original script portrayed Leslie and Mark as slightly less likable than they appeared in the final draft, and they were changed to be more appealing in response to feedback the episode received from focus groups and press tour screenings. Schur said the writing staff strove to avoid the type of cynical humor prevalent in most television comedies at the time, and wanted the characters to have genuine appreciation for each other. Schur said of this, "I've never liked mean-spirited comedy. The characters on our show make fun of each other, but not in a biting, angry way. And there’s no shortage of conflict in the world of government." The first season episodes were written and developed relatively quickly after each other, and Schur said the staff was treating the entire six-episode season as if it was one television pilot. Daniels felt due to pre-expectations from viewers familiar with The Office, the first season episodes were "just about trying to tell people what we weren't", and that the writers had a better understanding of the characters by season two and could better write to their strengths.
During the first season, the writing staff received audience feedback that Leslie Knope seemed unintelligent and "ditzy". Schur said the writers did not intend for Leslie to be stupid, but rather an overeager woman who "takes her job too seriously, so a particular effort was made to present that character as more intelligent and capable at her job starting in the second season. The staff also decided to end the construction pit story arc with the second season episode "Kaboom", in which it was filled and turned into a lot. Although it was originally conceived that the pit would only become a park in the series finale, but Schur said the plotline was accelerated because early episodes were too focused on the pit and had led viewers to believe the entire show was about filling it in, which was not the writers' intention. Also starting with the second season, the writers made an effort to be more topical and incorporate current events into their scripts. For example, the episode "Pawnee Zoo
" included social commentary about same-sex marriage
. "The Stakeout
" included a parody of the controversial arrest
of Harvard University
professor Henry Louis Gates, and a sex scandal involving a Pawnee councilman in "Practice Date" mirrored the real-life 2009 scandal
of South Carolina
Governor
Mark Sanford
.
Starting in the middle of the second season, the writing staff began to draw inspirations from The Remains of the Day
(1993) and The Contender (2000). Schur explained that The Remains of the Day was about two people who are forced not to convey their romantic feelings for each other due to a repressive social system, which Schur compared to modern-day government, and that The Contender was about a female politician trying to succeed amid intense scrutiny in a political arena dominated by men, which is similar to challenges Leslie Knope occasionally encounters. The financial difficulties Pawnee experiences during the late second season and third season episodes were reflective of the financial crisis
facing the nation and much of the world when the episodes were produced. The introduction of Chris Traeger and Ben Wyatt as state auditors visiting Pawnee, and the subsequent government shutdown, were inspired by news reports at the time of a number of states considering a shut down of schools, parks and other services due to the global recession. The third season included a seven-episode story arc about the characters organizing a harvest festival, and staking the financial future of their department on its success. The festival served as a device united the characters much like the construction pit had earlier in the show. Schur said this was done because the first six episodes were written and filmed early, and the writing staff felt having one concise storyline to tie them together kept the writers focused and, in Schur's words, help "organize our tired, end-of-the-year brains".
in a cinéma vérité
style simulating the look of an actual documentary, with no studio audience
or laugh track
. Within the context of the show, the characters are being filmed by a documentary crew, the members of which are never seen or heard from on-screen. The actors occasionally look at and directly address the cameras, and in some scenes directly engage the cameras in one-on-one interviews with the documentary crew members. Although the episodes are scripted, improvisation is permitted and encouraged among the cast, and dialogue or performances that are made up by the actors during filming often make the final cut of the episodes. Schur said he believes the mockumentary style is particularly fitting for a show about city government because "it’s a device for showing the ways people act and behave differently when they're in public and private [and] the difference between what goes on behind closed doors and what people present to the public is a huge issue". The Parks and Recreation producers approach each episode as if they are filming a real documentary. They typically shoot enough for a 35- or 40-minute episode, then cut it down to 22 minutes, using the best material. Due to the improvisational acting and hand-held camerawork, a great deal of extra footage is shot that must be discarded for the final cut; for example, the original cut of the 22-minute pilot was 48 minutes long. The producers film about nine pages of the script each day, a large amount by U.S. television standards.
Despite the similarities in the mockumentary style with The Office, Daniels and Schur sought to establish a slightly different tone in the camerawork of the pilot episode. The one-on-one interviews, for example, sometimes feature two separate camera angles on the same person; the footage is intercut to create the final version of the scene. This technique was inspired by The Five Obstructions
, a 2003 experimental documentary directed by Lars Von Trier
and Jørgen Leth
, which Daniels watched at the suggestion of actor Paul Schneider. Another distinction from The Office is that, while almost all footage from that show is filmed in a workplace setting, the documentary crew on Parks and Recreation regularly follows the characters into more intimate, non-work settings, such as on dates or at their homes. Parks and Recreation also makes frequent use of the jump cut
technique. For instance, one scene in the pilot episode repeatedly jump cuts between brief clips in which Leslie seeks permission from Ron to pursue the pit project. Early in the season, editor Dean Holland
developed a technique that would be used throughout the series. During a scene in "The Reporter
" in which Leslie reacts to quotes read to her by the journalist, Poehler improvised a number of jokes, many of which were ultimately going to be cut from the episode. Holland thought they were all funny, so he created a brief montage intercutting several of the lines.
Principal photography began on February 18, 2009, less than two months before the show premiered. The show faced early production delays because Poehler was pregnant when she signed on, and filming had to be postponed until she gave birth. The show was filmed in Southern California. The exterior of the Pawnee government building, and several of the hallway scenes, were shot at Pasadena
City Hall. The parks and recreation department interiors, as well as the Town Hall courtyard, were filmed on a large studio set sound stage. The set's windows were outfitted with water systems to simulate falling rain, and the windowsills included fake pigeons. The set also includes four hallways that make up the hospital setting where Ann Perkins works as a nurse. The construction pit featured throughout the first and second seasons was dug by the episode's producers at an undeveloped property in Van Nuys
, a district of Los Angeles. The producers went door-to-door in the neighborhood, seeking residents' permission for the dig. The pit was guarded 24 hours a day. Scenes set in playgrounds and elsewhere outdoors were filmed on location in Los Angeles. Most scenes set in locations outside the usual Parks and Recreation settings are also filmed in Los Angeles-area locations. For example, public forum scenes in the pilot episode were filmed in one of the city's middle schools, and a town meeting scene in the episode "Eagleton
" was shot at the Toluca Lake Sports Center in the Toluca Lake district of Los Angeles. Elaborate festival setting and corn maze sets featured in "Harvest Festival
" was filmed at a real-life festival setting in Los Angeles Pierce College
, a community college in California. Schur said an aerial shot of the harvest festival at the end of the episode was the most expensive shot in the entire series.
Toward the end of production on the second season, Poehler became pregnant again and the producers of the show were forced to go into production on season three early and film an additional six episodes to accommodate not only Poehler's pregnancy, but also a projected September 2010 air date. However, after the episodes were already filmed, NBC opted not to put the show on the fall schedule and instead delayed the premiere of the third season until the beginning of 2011. This allowed for the network to run its new comedy, Outsourced
, in two-hour comedy schedule block rather than Parks and Recreation. The schedule change meant that all sixteen episodes from the third season will have been filmed before any of them is shown; the rest of the episodes, starting with the seventh, were filmed in the fall of 2010. NBC chief executive officer Jeff Gaspin
said this move was not a reflection on Parks and Recreation, and suggested the extended hiatus would not only have no negative effect on the show, but could actually build anticipation for its return. The move proved frustrating for the cast and crew of Parks and Recreation, although Poehler also pointed out it gave them additional time to go back and re-edit episodes or shoot and add new material.
and Vincent Jones. Michael Schur said in selecting a theme song, they wanted something that would immediately make the viewer associate the music with the series and the characters. He said of Moreno's and Jones' song: "It does a really good job of explaining what the town is like. (The) credits do a really good job of establishing it's just sort of a normal, every-day town in the middle of the country." Due to its realistic mockumentary-style cinematography technique, Parks and Recreation does not use composed background music. Several songs were written for the show to be performed by Andy Dwyer's character and his band within the show, "Mouse Rat". Chris Pratt, who plays Andy, sings and plays guitar in the band himself, while the drums are played by Mark Rivers, the guitar is played by Andrew Burlinson, and the bass guitar is played by Alan Yang, a screenwriter with the show.
Pratt and the other band members played live during filming of the episode, rather than pre-recorded and dubbed later. One song featured in "Rock Show" called "The Pit" is Andy's experience falling into a construction pit and breaking his legs. A ballad about Ann Perkins featured in the episode "Boys' Club
", called "Ann", was written by Pratt himself. The lyrics to a song featured in "The Master Plan" about April Ludgate, called "November", were written by Michael Schur. In the episode "Woman of the Year
", Andy claims every song he writes includes either the lyrics, "Spread your wings and fly" or "You deserve to be a champion." As a result of that joke, every "Mouse Rat" song featured in the series since then has included one of those two lyrics. In the episode "Telethon", Andy plays the song "Sex Hair", about how one can tell whether someone had sex because their hair is matted. In "Li'l Sebastian", Andy performs a tribute song called "5,000 Candles in the Wind", where he tries to write a song 5,000 times better than Elton John
's "Candle in the Wind
".
line-up. It was moved to a 9:30 pm timeslot during its third season, where it premiered as a mid-season replacement. In the fall of 2011, the show will return to its original 8:30 pm timeslot for the fourth season. In Canada, Parks and Recreation is simsubbed
in most areas on Citytv
. In the Philippines
, it airs on Jack TV
every Friday at 9:30 pm, Wednesday at 2:30 am and 10:00 am. In Australia, the series will air on Channel Seven
's digital channel, 7mate
, on Mondays at 10:00 pm, after having aired Season 1 and five episodes of Season 2 on Seven
at a late timeslot of 11:00 pm. In South Africa, the show airs on Pay-TV operator MNET
. In Portugal
, the show airs on Sony Entertainment Television
. In Sweden
, it airs on TV4 Komedi
. In India, it airs on Zee Cafe. In Denmark the series airs in high definition
on DR HD
. In the Republic of Ireland, it airs on RTÉ TWO
.
In March 2011, Universal Media Studios announced their intentions to sell the syndication rights of Parks and Recreation. Comedy Central
, Spike and FX were all described as possible contenders to buy the syndication rights.
, focus groups responded poorly to a rough-cut version of the pilot. Many focus group members felt the show was a "carbon copy" of The Office. Some found it predictable, slow paced and lacking in character development; others said the show lacked strong male characters, particularly a "datable" lead. Schur insisted the pilot had been completely re-edited at least four times since the focus groups described in the report were held. Nevertheless, the early feedback left many critics and industry observers skeptical about the show's chances of success. After it aired, the first season received generally mixed to negative reviews. Many critics said the series was too similar to The Office, and several commentators said Leslie Knope too closely resembled Michael Scott
, the well-intentioned but dimwitted protagonist of The Office. Some critics said the show's characters and overall tone were too mean-spirited in the early episodes, and although reviewers praised various cast members in individual episodes, some said the supporting characters in general needed to be more fully developed and provided with better material. However, the season finale "Rock Show
" received far better reviews, with several commentators declared that Parks and Recreation had finally found the right tone both generally and for the Leslie Knope character in particular.
Season two was better received, with several publications declaring it among the best shows of 2009 including the Los Angeles Times
, the Chicago Tribune
, Time
, Entertainment Weekly, GQ, New York magazine, The Star-Ledger
, the San Francisco Chronicle
, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
, Paste
magazine, IGN
, and TV Squad. Several reviewers called the second season one of the most impressive comebacks in television history. Some reviewers said the supporting cast was now working with better material and that Amy Poheler's character had improved and become less over-the-top and more human than in the first season. Others praised the decision to drop subplots from season one that risked becoming stale, like Leslie's long-standing crush on Mark, as well as the decision to fill in the pit during the second season, which some commentators said freed the show up for more stories and better scripts. The critical acclaim continued into the third season, which Time magazine writer James Poniewozik
called it "a fabulous season – the best thing on TV in 2011 so far", and which TV Squad writer Maureen Ryan, who previously criticized the series, called one of the ten best shows of 2011. Parks and Recreation was featured on the February 11, 2011 cover of Entertainment Weekly
, where it was called "the smartest comedy on TV" and which included the article "The 101 Reasons We Love Parks and Recreation".
Amy Poehler said the first season struggled in part due to extremely high expectations from comparisons to The Office. After the first season ended, she said: "I think it was something we had to work through in the beginning, and I’m kind of hoping we’re on the other side of that and people will start to judge the show on its own, for what it is and realize it’s just a completely different world in a similar style." Likewise, Schur said he believed much of the early criticism stemmed from the fact that audiences were not yet familiar with the characters, and he believed viewers who revisited the episodes enjoyed them more because they had gotten to know the characters better as the series progressed. Poehler received wide praise for her performance from the beginning of the series; several reviewers, even those who did not enjoy the show, said her talent, timing and likability helped elevate the series above some of its flaws. Nick Offerman received particularly strong praise for his minimalist and understated performance as Ron Swanson, who many considered the show's breakout character. By the end of the second season, the character had taken on a cult status
; Jonah Weiner of Slate
magazine declared Swanson "Parks and Recreation' s secret weapon". Reviewers also consistently praised the performances by supporting actors Aziz Ansari as Tom Haverford, and Chris Pratt as Andy Dwyer.
Parks and Recreation has struggled in the Nielsen ratings
throughout its entire run on NBC. The series premiere was seen in 6.77 million households, which media outlets described as a strong opening, comparable to the average Nielsen ratings
for 30 Rock
, another Thursday-night show on NBC. However, viewership declined almost every week over the rest of the season, culminating in a season low of 4.25 million households for the final episode. Parks and Recreation ended the first season with an overall average rating of 5.97 million household viewers, ranking 94th in a list of 193 network shows for the 2008–09 television season
. The Office experienced similarly poor ratings during its first season and later became a success. However, the low viewership presented a greater challenge for Parks and Recreation because NBC now trailed CBS
, ABC
and Fox
in the ratings, and the move of comedian Jay Leno
from The Tonight Show
to a variety show
in NBC's 10:00 pm weeknight slot left less room on the network's primetime schedule. At the end of the season, members of the cast and crew were stressed because they did not know whether the show would be renewed.
Although Parks and Recreation achieved critical success during the second season, the show continued to suffer in the ratings. By December 2009, the average episode viewership was 5.3 million households, which was lower than the average ratings other Thursday-night NBC comedy shows like Community
' s 6.5 million households, 30 Rock
' s 7.3 million and The Office' s 10.1 million. For the overall second season, Parks and Recreation had an overall average viewership of 4.6 million households, making it the 108th ranked network series for the 2009–10 season. The poor ratings continued into the third season, which ended with an overall average rating of 5.1 million households, the 116th ranked network series of the 2010–11 television season. Michael Schur partially attributed the continually low viewership to a decline in ratings for NBC in general, as well as changing viewer trends due to a large amount of available channels.
for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, based on her performance in the second season episode "Telethon". Also that year, the Parks and Recreation theme song by Gaby Moreno
and Vincent Jones was nominated for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Main Title Theme Music
. Parks and Recreation was also nominated for a 2010 Television Critics Association Award
for Outstanding Achievement in Comedy, and Nick Offerman received a nomination for Individual Achievement in Comedy; The second season premiere episode, "Pawnee Zoo", won the GLAAD Media Award
for Outstanding Individual Episode. Also in 2010, Parks and Recreation received two nominations from Entertainment Weekly' s Ewwy Awards: one for Best Comedy Series, and one for Nick Offerman as Best Support Actor in a Comedy. Aubrey Plaza received a Best Supporting Actress in Television nomination from the Imagen Awards, which honors positive portrayals of Latinos in entertainment.
In 2011, Parks and Recreation was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series
, and Amy Poehler received her second Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. In June 2011, Parks and Recreation was nominated for three of the inaugural Critics’ Choice Television Awards. The show itself was nominated for "Best Comedy Series", Amy Poehler was nominated for "Best Actress in a Comedy Series" and Nick Offerman was nominated for "Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series". Also that month, Parks and Recreation was nominated for four TCA Awards: Program of the Year, Outstanding Achievement in Comedy and Individual Achievement in Comedy awards for Offerman and Poehler. Offerman will also host the TCA Awards ceremony this year.
on September 8, 2009. The DVD included all six episodes, as well as an "Extended Producer's Cut" of the season finale, "Rock Show". The disc also included cast and crew commentary tracks for each episode, as well as about 30 minutes of deleted scenes. The second season was released in a four-disc set in region 1 on November 30, 2010. They included extended episodes for "The Master Plan" and "Freddy Spaghetti", as well as two-and-a-half hours of deleted scenes, a third season preview and additional video clips. Audio commentaries were recorded for the episodes "Sister City", "Ron and Tammy", "Hunting Trip", "Woman of the Year", "The Master Plan" and "Freddy Spaghetti". Parks and Recreation can be viewed on the streaming video service Hulu
, as well as the "Instant Watch" streaming feature of Netflix
. Individual episodes can also be purchased on the Apple Inc. digital media iTunes Store
and viewed on an NBC mobile browser on the iPhone
and iPod Touch
.
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
that focuses on Leslie Knope
Leslie Knope
Leslie Barbara Knope is a fictional character in the NBC comedy Parks and Recreation. She is portrayed by Amy Poehler. Poehler garnered two Emmy Award nominations for Best Lead Actress in Comedy Series for her role.-Background:...
(Amy Poehler
Amy Poehler
Amy Meredith Poehler is an American comedian, actress and voice actress. She was a cast member on the NBC television entertainment show Saturday Night Live from 2001 to 2008. In 2004, she starred in the film Mean Girls with Tina Fey, with whom she worked again in Baby Mama in 2008. She is...
), a mid-level bureaucrat in the parks department of Pawnee, a fictional town in Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
. Created by Greg Daniels
Greg Daniels
Gregory Martin "Greg" Daniels is an American television comedy writer, producer, and director.-Life and career:...
and Michael Schur
Michael Schur
Michael Herbert Schur is an American television producer and writer, best known for his work on the NBC comedy series The Office and Parks and Recreation, the latter of which he co-created along with Greg Daniels...
, the series debuted on April 9, 2009; it has run for three seasons and is currently airing its fourth. Originally conceived as a spin-off
Spin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...
to The Office, Daniels and Schur instead created a stand-alone series that shares that show's single-camera
Single-camera setup
The single-camera setup, or single-camera mode of production, is a method of filmmaking and video production. A single camera—either motion picture camera or professional video camera—is employed on the set and each shot to make up a scene is taken individually...
, mockumentary
Mockumentary
A mockumentary , is a type of film or television show in which fictitious events are presented in documentary format. These productions are often used to analyze or comment on current events and issues by using a fictitious setting, or to parody the documentary form itself...
filming style.
The writers researched local California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
politics for the show, and consulted with urban planners and elected officials. The Leslie Knope character underwent minor changes after the first season
Parks and Recreation (season 1)
The first season of Parks and Recreation originally aired in the United States on the NBC television network between April 9 and May 14, 2009...
in response to audience feedback that she seemed unintelligent and "ditzy". The writing staff tried to incorporate current events into their episodes, such as a government shutdown in Pawnee inspired by the real-life global financial crisis
Late-2000s financial crisis
The late-2000s financial crisis is considered by many economists to be the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression of the 1930s...
.
The Parks and Recreation staff tried to differentiate their show from The Office through subtle differences in their filming, like multiple camera angles during interviews and frequent use of jump cut
Jump cut
A jump cut is a cut in film editing and vloging in which two sequential shots of the same subject are taken from camera positions that vary only slightly. This type of edit causes the subject of the shots to appear to "jump" position in a discontinuous way...
techniques. Improvisation
Improvisation
Improvisation is the practice of acting, singing, talking and reacting, of making and creating, in the moment and in response to the stimulus of one's immediate environment and inner feelings. This can result in the invention of new thought patterns, new practices, new structures or symbols, and/or...
is encouraged among the cast, and dialogue made up by the actors often make the final cut of the episodes. Several guest stars have appeared on Parks and Recreation, including Megan Mullally
Megan Mullally
Megan Mullally is an American actress and singer.After working in the theatre in Chicago, Mullally moved to Los Angeles in 1985 and began to appear in supporting roles in film and television productions. She made her Broadway debut in Grease in 1994 and she has since appeared in several Broadway...
, Louis C.K.
Louis C.K.
Louis Szekely , known professionally as Louis C.K., is a stand-up comedian, television and film writer, actor, producer, and director...
, Will Arnett
Will Arnett
William Emerson "Will" Arnett is a Canadian actor and comedian best known for his role as George Oscar "G.O.B." Bluth II on the Fox comedy Arrested Development. He is also known for his role as Devon Banks on the NBC comedy 30 Rock. Since his success on Arrested Development, Arnett has landed major...
, Justin Theroux, John Larroquette
John Larroquette
John Edgar Bernard Larroquette, Jr. is an American film, television and Broadway actor. His roles include Dan Fielding on the series Night Court, Mike McBride in the Hallmark Channel series McBride, John Hemingway on The John Larroquette Show, and Carl Sack in Boston Legal.-Personal...
, Mo Collins
Mo Collins
Maureen "Mo" Ann Collins is an American actress and comedian. Collins is perhaps best known for being a member of the ensemble on FOX's sketch comedy series MADtv. She became well known for several characters during her tenure on the show...
, Parker Posey
Parker Posey
Parker Christian Posey is an American actress. She became known during the 1990s after a series of roles in several well-received independent films. As a result, she has often been referred to as the "Queen of the Indies"....
, Paula Pell, Dan Castellaneta
Dan Castellaneta
Daniel Louis "Dan" Castellaneta is an American actor, voice actor, comedian, singer and screenwriter. Noted for his long-running role as Homer Simpson on the animated television series The Simpsons, he voices many other characters on The Simpsons, including Abraham "Grampa" Simpson, Barney Gumble,...
, Andy Samberg
Andy Samberg
David Andrew "Andy" Samberg is an American actor, comedian, rapper and writer best known as a member of the comedy group The Lonely Island and as a cast member on Saturday Night Live...
, Will Forte
Will Forte
Orville Willis Forte IV, better known as Will Forte , is an American actor, voice actor, comedian and writer best known as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 2002–2010 and for starring in the SNL spin-off film MacGruber.-Early life:Forte was born in Alameda County, California, the son of...
, and Patricia Clarkson
Patricia Clarkson
Patricia Davies Clarkson is an American actress. After studying drama on the East Coast, Clarkson launched her acting career in 1985, and has worked steadily in both film and television. She twice won the Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actress in Six Feet Under...
.
Parks and Recreation received generally mixed to negative reviews during its first season, with many critics claiming it was too similar to The Office. However, reviews were much more positive in the second and third seasons, with several reviewers declaring it one of the best shows on television. The show has received several awards and nominations, including an Emmy Award
Primetime Emmy Award
The Primetime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American primetime television programming...
nomination for Outstanding Comedy Series
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series
The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series is an Emmy given to the best television comedy series of the year.-Winners and nominees:...
and two Emmy nominations for Poehler's performance. Despite the critical acclaim, Parks and Recreation has struggled in the Nielsen ratings
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
throughout its run on NBC.
Season one
Parks and Recreation revolves around Leslie KnopeLeslie Knope
Leslie Barbara Knope is a fictional character in the NBC comedy Parks and Recreation. She is portrayed by Amy Poehler. Poehler garnered two Emmy Award nominations for Best Lead Actress in Comedy Series for her role.-Background:...
(Amy Poehler
Amy Poehler
Amy Meredith Poehler is an American comedian, actress and voice actress. She was a cast member on the NBC television entertainment show Saturday Night Live from 2001 to 2008. In 2004, she starred in the film Mean Girls with Tina Fey, with whom she worked again in Baby Mama in 2008. She is...
), the deputy director of the parks and recreation department in the fictional Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
town of Pawnee. Local nurse Ann Perkins
Ann Perkins
Ann Meredith Perkins is a fictional character in the NBC comedy Parks and Recreation. She is a nurse and best friend of Leslie Knope. She is portrayed by Rashida Jones.-Season one:...
(Rashida Jones
Rashida Jones
Rashida Leah Jones is an American film and television actress, comic book author, screenwriter and occasional singer. She played Louisa Fenn on Boston Public and Karen Filippelli on The Office as well as roles in the films I Love You, Man and The Social Network...
) demands a construction pit next to her house be filled in after her boyfriend, Andy Dwyer
Andy Dwyer
Andrew Maxwell "Andy" Dwyer is a fictional character in the NBC comedy Parks and Recreation. He is Ann Perkins' ex-boyfriend, a talented-if-yet-unsuccessful musician, a shoe-shiner at Pawnee City Hall, and April Ludgate's husband. He is portrayed by Chris Pratt.-Background:At the start of the...
(Chris Pratt
Chris Pratt
Christopher Michael "Chris" Pratt is an American actor, best known for his roles as Harold Brighton "Bright" Abbott in the television series Everwood, the recurring character Winchester "Ché" Cook in season 4 of The OC, Andy Dwyer in the television series Parks and Recreation and for portraying...
), fell in and broke his legs. Leslie vows to turn the pit into a park, despite resistance from the parks director Ron Swanson
Ron Swanson
Ronald Ulysses "Ron" Swanson is a fictional character played by Nick Offerman in the American comedy television series Parks and Recreation on NBC. Ron is parks department director in the Indiana city of Pawnee and the immediate superior of protagonist Leslie Knope...
(Nick Offerman
Nick Offerman
Nick Offerman is an American actor best known for his role as Ron Swanson in the NBC sitcom Parks and Recreation. He is also a skilled woodworker.-Early life and career:...
), an anti-government Libertarian
Libertarianism
Libertarianism, in the strictest sense, is the political philosophy that holds individual liberty as the basic moral principle of society. In the broadest sense, it is any political philosophy which approximates this view...
. City planner Mark Brendanawicz
Mark Brendanawicz
Mark Brendanawicz is a fictional character in the NBC comedy Parks and Recreation. He is the city planner for Pawnee, Indiana, one of Ann Perkins's ex-boyfriends, and Leslie Knope's colleague. He is portrayed by Paul Schneider...
(Paul Schneider
Paul Schneider (actor)
Paul Andrew Schneider is an American film actor.-Early life and career:Schneider was born and raised in Asheville, North Carolina. He graduated from the North Carolina School of Arts...
) – for whom Leslie harbors romantic feelings – pragmatically insists the project is unrealistic due to government red tape
Red tape
Red tape is excessive regulation or rigid conformity to formal rules that is considered redundant or bureaucratic and hinders or prevents action or decision-making...
, but nevertheless secretly convinces Ron to approve the project. Leslie and her staff, including Tom Haverford
Tom Haverford
Thomas Montgomery "Tom" Haverford , born Darwish Sabir Ismael Gani, is a fictional character in the NBC comedy Parks and Recreation. He is a sarcastic, underachieving government official for the city of Pawnee who is revered for his high levels of swagger and unmatched entrepreneurial skills...
(Aziz Ansari
Aziz Ansari
Aziz Ansari is an American actor, writer, and stand-up comedian. He currently stars as Tom Haverford on the NBC show Parks and Recreation....
) and the uninterested summer intern April Ludgate
April Ludgate
April Roberta Ludgate is a fictional character in the NBC comedy Parks and Recreation. She is an apathetic college student employed by the Pawnee Department of Parks and Recreation as Ron Swanson's assistant. She is married to Andy Dwyer. She is portrayed by Aubrey Plaza...
(Aubrey Plaza), try encouraging community interest in the pit project, but meet resistance. Later, Ann becomes furious to learn Andy has faked the severity of his injuries so Ann would pamper him. Meanwhile, a drunken and lonely Mark takes Leslie to the pit and kisses her, but she rejects his advances, not wishing to move forward while Mark is drunk. An embarrassed Mark accidentally falls into the pit and injures himself.
Season two
Ann breaks up with Andy and begins dating Mark, with Leslie's approval. It is revealed that Tom's marriage to the attractive surgeon Wendy (Jama WilliamsonJama Williamson
Jama Williamson is an American actress. She was active in New York City theater throughout the early 2000s, during which she appeared in such shows as Avery Crozier's Eat the Runt, Hunt Holman's Spanish Girl, A. R. Gurney's Sylvia and Simon Mendes da Costa's Losing Louis...
) is actually a green card marriage
Green card marriage
Green card marriage is a neologism that refers to the phenomenon of a marriage of convenience between a legal resident of a country and a person who would be ineligible for residency but for being married to a resident.-Description:...
which, to his disappointment, eventually ends in divorce. Meanwhile, Ron is visited by his horrible ex-wife Tammy (Megan Mullally
Megan Mullally
Megan Mullally is an American actress and singer.After working in the theatre in Chicago, Mullally moved to Los Angeles in 1985 and began to appear in supporting roles in film and television productions. She made her Broadway debut in Grease in 1994 and she has since appeared in several Broadway...
), a librarian who unsuccessfully tries seducing him into turning the pit into a library branch. The pit is eventually filled in and converted to a multi-purpose lot. April becomes attracted to Andy, but he remains fixated on Ann. Just as Mark plans to propose to Ann, she reveals she no longer has feelings for him. They break up, and Mark leaves his city hall career for a private sector job. Meanwhile, a crippling budget deficit leads state auditors Chris Traeger
Chris Traeger
Christopher "Chris" Traeger is a fictional character played by Rob Lowe in the American comedy television series Parks and Recreation on NBC. He began on the show as an Indiana state auditor who visits the fictional city of Pawnee to help solve their crippling budget problems, and eventually...
(Rob Lowe
Rob Lowe
Robert Hepler "Rob" Lowe is an American actor. Lowe came to prominence after appearing in films such as The Outsiders, Oxford Blues, About Last Night..., St. Elmo's Fire, and Wayne's World. On television, Lowe is known for his role as Sam Seaborn on The West Wing and his role as Senator Robert...
) and Ben Wyatt
Ben Wyatt (Parks and Recreation)
Benjamin "Ben" Wyatt is a character in the TV series Parks and Recreation. The character guest starred in two episodes of season two and was upgraded to a regular in season three. Ben is a state auditor who comes into Pawnee with Chris Traeger to evaluate the town's funds at the end of the second...
(Adam Scott
Adam Scott (actor)
Adam Scott is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Henry Pollard in the Starz comedy series Party Down and as Ben Wyatt in the NBC comedy Parks and Recreation....
) to temporarily shut down the Pawnee government, much to Leslie's horror and Ron's delight. Meanwhile, Andy develops feelings for April, but she fears he is still hung up on Ann. Ann later kisses Andy due to conflicting emotions from her break-up with Mark, prompting April to angrily reject Andy. The season ends with Tom shockingly discovering that Ron is now dating his ex-wife, Wendy.
Season three
Leslie decides to bring back the defunct Pawnee harvest festival, the success or failure of which will determine the financial future of the department. After weeks of planning, the festival becomes a tremendous success through Leslie's efforts. Ann and Chris briefly date, but they break up after he returns to his old job in IndianapolisIndianapolis
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
. Later, however, Chris returns to become Pawnee's acting city manager, and Ben also takes a job in Pawnee. Jealous over Ron dating Wendy, Tom briefly dates Tammy to get even, but the two eventually reconcile. Andy wins April back and they start dating. Only a few weeks later, they marry in a surprise ceremony. Leslie and Ben begin dating, but keep it secret due to Chris's policy against workplace romances. Leslie is approached about possibly running for elected office, a life-long dream of hers, but when asked about potential scandals in her life she neglects to mention her relationship with Ben. Tom quits his city hall job to form an entertainment company with his friend, Jean-Ralphio
Jean-Ralphio Saperstein
Jean-Ralphio Saperstein is a fictional character played by Ben Schwartz in the American comedy television series Parks and Recreation. He is the cocky friend of Tom Haverford and, like Tom, believes himself to be a playboy and pickup artist, although he is looked upon with contempt by most people...
(Ben Schwartz
Ben Schwartz
Ben Schwartz is a writer, actor and comedian. His feature film credits include Peep World with Rainn Wilson, Michael C. Hall and Sarah Silverman as well as Everybody's Fine with Robert DeNiro...
). The season ends with a horrified Ron learning that his first ex-wife, also named Tammy, has come to see him; the actress who plays her is not revealed.
Season four
In March 2011, NBC announced Parks and Recreation had been renewed for a fourth season, which premiered September 22, 2011. Series co-creator Michael SchurMichael Schur
Michael Herbert Schur is an American television producer and writer, best known for his work on the NBC comedy series The Office and Parks and Recreation, the latter of which he co-created along with Greg Daniels...
said the season will deal in part with Leslie's dilemma over whether to continue her romance with Ben or pursue her dream of running for office, as well as Tom's efforts with his entertainment company. NBC also announced that Patricia Clarkson
Patricia Clarkson
Patricia Davies Clarkson is an American actress. After studying drama on the East Coast, Clarkson launched her acting career in 1985, and has worked steadily in both film and television. She twice won the Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actress in Six Feet Under...
had been cast as "Tammy One", Ron's first ex-wife, and that Paul Schneider would return as Mark in a story arc.
Crew
Deedle-Dee ProductionsDeedle-Dee Productions
Deedle-Dee Productions is a television production company owned by Greg Daniels. It is known for producing the long running series King of the Hill, The Office and their newest series, Parks and Recreation...
and Universal Media Studios produced Parks and Recreation starting with the first season, and the production companies Fremulon and 3 Arts Entertainment also became involved with the show starting with the second season. The series was created by Greg Daniels
Greg Daniels
Gregory Martin "Greg" Daniels is an American television comedy writer, producer, and director.-Life and career:...
and Michael Schur, who served as executive producers along with Howard Klein. Klein previously worked with Daniels and Schur on The Office, a half-hour NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
comedy Daniels adapted from the British comedy of the same name
The Office (UK TV series)
The Office is a British sitcom television series that was first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC Two on 9 July 2001. Created, written, and directed by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, the programme is about the day-to-day lives of office employees in the Slough branch of the fictitious...
, created by Ricky Gervais
Ricky Gervais
Ricky Dene Gervais is an English comedian, actor, director, radio presenter, producer, musician, and writer.Gervais achieved mainstream fame with his television series The Office and the subsequent series Extras, both of which he co-wrote and co-directed with friend and frequent collaborator...
. Schur served as the showrunner of Parks and Recreation, while Amy Poehler and Morgan Sackett worked as producers. Dean Holland
Dean Holland
Dean Holland is an Emmy Award-winning, American film editor, television director and producer best known for working on Entourage and the NBC comedy shows The Office and Parks and Recreation...
, an editor on The Office, also worked as an editor on Parks and Recreation. Mike Scully
Mike Scully
Mike Scully is an American television writer and producer. He is known for his work as executive producer and showrunner of the animated sitcom The Simpsons from 1997 to 2001. Scully grew up in West Springfield, Massachusetts and long had an interest in writing. He was an underachiever at school...
, a former executive producer and showrunner for The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
, joined Parks and Recreation as a consulting producer starting in the middle of the first season. Allison Jones
Allison Jones
Allison Jones is a popular casting director who is credited for helping to bring together realistic ensemble casts for such television shows as Freaks and Geeks , Curb Your Enthusiasm, United States of Tara, Parks and Recreation, Arrested Development , and the US version of The Office.She has...
, who worked as a casting director for The Office, served in the same capacity at the start of Parks and Recreation, along with Nancy Perkins, for whom the character Ann Perkins was named. Dorian Frankel became the casting director starting with the second season. Alan Yang
Alan Yang
Alan Yang is an American screenwriter for the NBC sitcom, Parks and Recreation.-Career:His previous credits include the Carson Daly's Late Night Show and South Park. In 2009, he was named by Variety magazine as one of "10 Screenwriters to Watch". He currently has three screenplays in development,"...
, Harris Wittels
Harris Wittels
Harris Wittels is a comedian, writer and musician. He is best known as a writer for The Sarah Silverman Program, Parks and Recreation and as a recurring guest on Comedy Bang Bang.-Life and career:...
and Katie Dippold, all of whom were Parks and Recreation screenwriters, also worked as executive story editors.
The pilot episode
Pilot (Parks and Recreation)
"Pilot" is the first episode of the first season of the American comedy television series Parks and Recreation. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on April 9, 2009. The episode was written by series co-creators Michael Schur and Greg Daniels, and directed by Daniels...
was written by Daniels and Schur, and directed by Daniels. Daniels also directed the second season episode "Hunting Trip
Hunting Trip
"Hunting Trip" is the tenth episode of the second season of American comedy television series Parks and Recreation, and the sixteenth overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on November 19, 2009...
", while Schur made his directorial debut with the first season finale "Rock Show
Rock Show (Parks and Recreation)
"Rock Show" is the sixth episode and season finale of the first season of the American comedy television series Parks and Recreation. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on May 14, 2009. It was written by Norm Hiscock and directed by Michael Schur...
", and wrote or directed several other episodes including "Sister City
Sister City (Parks and Recreation)
"Sister City" is the fifth episode of the second season of Parks and Recreation, and the eleventh overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on October 15, 2009...
", "The Master Plan
The Master Plan (Parks and Recreation)
The Master Plan is the 23rd and penultimate episode of the second season of the American comedy television series Parks and Recreation, and the 29th overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on May 13, 2010...
" and "Time Capsule
Time Capsule (Parks and Recreation)
"Time Capsule" is the third episode of the third season of the American comedy television series Parks and Recreation, and the 33rd overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on February 3, 2011. In the episode, Leslie tries to encourage civic pride through a...
". Poehler wrote two episodes: the second season episode "Telethon
Telethon (Parks and Recreation)
Telethon is the 22nd episode of the second season of the American comedy television series Parks and Recreation, and the 28th overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on May 6, 2010. In the episode, Leslie volunteers to host a charity telethon and is given the...
" and the third season's "The Fight
The Fight (Parks and Recreation)
"The Fight" is the thirteenth episode of the third season of the American comedy television series Parks and Recreation, and the 43rd overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on May 12, 2011. In the episode, the parks department employees become very...
". Holland also directed several episodes throughout the series, including "The Master Plan". Norm Hiscock
Norm Hiscock
Norm Hiscock is an Emmy Award winning screenwriter and producer. He is known for his work on Saturday Night Live, King of the Hill, The Kids in the Hall, Corner Gas and most recently Parks and Recreation...
, a consulting producer on the show, wrote a number of episodes including the first season finale "Rock Show" and second season premiere "Pawnee Zoo
Pawnee Zoo
"Pawnee Zoo" is the second season premiere of the American comedy television series Parks and Recreation, and the seventh overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on September 17, 2009...
". Other regular screenwriters included Katie Dippold, Daniel J. Goor
Daniel J. Goor
Daniel J. Goor is an Emmy award winning writer, who has written for several comedy talk shows including The Daily Show, Last Call with Carson Daly and Late Night with Conan O'Brien. He is currently serving as producer of the NBC primetime series Parks and Recreation. He writes for Power Rangers...
, Aisha Muharrar, Emily Spivey, Harris Wittels and Alan Yang. Frequent Parks and Recreation directors include Randall Einhorn
Randall Einhorn
Randall Einhorn is an American television director and cinematographer. He was born in Cincinnati, Ohio.Einhorn is best known for his work on The Office . He also directed The Accountants, a ten-part webisode spinoff of The Office which appeared online between the second and third seasons...
, Troy Miller
Troy Miller
Troy Miller is an American film producer, director and screenwriter. Miller is best known for his work in directing.- Stand-up comedy :Miller has produced and/or directed comedy shows and specials for a variety of comics including Robin Williams, Martin Short, Katt Williams, Jim Gaffigan, Brian...
, and Jason Woliner
Jason Woliner
Jason Woliner is an American comedy director, writer, editor and also a former child actor. He is the non-performing member of the comedy group "Human Giant" and has directed the bulk of their output. The group, which also consists of comedians Aziz Ansari, Rob Huebel, and Paul Scheer, produced an...
, with several others guest-directing one or two episodes such as Jeffrey Blitz
Jeffrey Blitz
Jeffrey Blitz is an American film director, producer and screenwriter from Ridgewood, New Jersey. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his 2002 documentary, Spellbound and he won the Dramatic Directing Prize at the Sundance Film Festival for his 2007 film, Rocket Science.Blitz won the 2009...
, Paul Feig
Paul Feig
Paul S. Feig is an American director, actor and author. Feig is known for playing Mr. Eugene Pool, Sabrina's science teacher, on the first season of Sabrina, the Teenage Witch as well as Tim a camp counselor on the hit kids movie Heavyweights...
, Tucker Gates
Tucker Gates
Tucker Gates is an American television director and producer. He has directed several episodes of the J. J. Abrams shows, Alias and Lost, including the very last episode of Alias...
, Seth Gordon
Seth Gordon
Seth Gordon is an American film director, producer, and film editor. He has produced and directed both film and TV for various film and television studios, including PBS, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the United Nations 1% For Development Fund...
, Nicole Holofcener
Nicole Holofcener
Nicole Holofcener is an American film and television director. She has directed four feature films, most recently Please Give.-Career:...
, Beth McCarthy Miller, Michael McCullers
Michael McCullers
Michael McCullers is an American comedy film screenwriter.-Biography:A native of Indian Springs Village, Alabama, McCullers is a former writer on Saturday Night Live and is best known for co-writing the script for two Austin Powers movies, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me and Austin Powers...
, and Charles McDougall
Charles McDougall
Charles McDougall is a British Emmy Award and BAFTA-winning director.-Biography:McDougall has directed for popular television series which include the pilot episode of ABC's Desperate Housewives . McDougall has also directed episodes of Queer as Folk on Channel 4 and Sex and the City on HBO...
.
Cast
The principal cast starting in season one included:- Amy PoehlerAmy PoehlerAmy Meredith Poehler is an American comedian, actress and voice actress. She was a cast member on the NBC television entertainment show Saturday Night Live from 2001 to 2008. In 2004, she starred in the film Mean Girls with Tina Fey, with whom she worked again in Baby Mama in 2008. She is...
as Leslie KnopeLeslie KnopeLeslie Barbara Knope is a fictional character in the NBC comedy Parks and Recreation. She is portrayed by Amy Poehler. Poehler garnered two Emmy Award nominations for Best Lead Actress in Comedy Series for her role.-Background:...
, a mid-level bureaucrat with a strong love of her home town of Pawnee, who has not let politics dampen her sense of optimism; her ultimate goal is to become President of the United StatesPresident of the United StatesThe President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
. Poehler departed from the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night LiveSaturday Night LiveSaturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
, where she was a cast member for nearly seven years, to star in Parks and Recreation. It was only after she was cast that Daniels and Schur established the general concept of the show and the script for the pilot was written. - Rashida JonesRashida JonesRashida Leah Jones is an American film and television actress, comic book author, screenwriter and occasional singer. She played Louisa Fenn on Boston Public and Karen Filippelli on The Office as well as roles in the films I Love You, Man and The Social Network...
as Ann PerkinsAnn PerkinsAnn Meredith Perkins is a fictional character in the NBC comedy Parks and Recreation. She is a nurse and best friend of Leslie Knope. She is portrayed by Rashida Jones.-Season one:...
, a nurse and political outsider who gradually becomes more involved in Pawnee government through her friendship with Leslie. Jones was among the first to be cast by Daniels and Schur in 2008, when the series was still being considered as a spin-off to The Office, where Jones had played Jim HalpertJim HalpertJames Duncan "Jim" Halpert is a fictional character in the United States version of the television sitcom The Office, played by John Krasinski. The character is based on Tim Canterbury from the original version of The Office...
's girlfriend Karen FilippelliKaren FilippelliKaren Filippelli is a fictional character from the U.S. television series The Office. She is played by Rashida Jones. She is loosely based on the character of Rachel from the original UK version of the show, in that she transferred during the merger of the two branches, and became romantically...
. - Aziz AnsariAziz AnsariAziz Ansari is an American actor, writer, and stand-up comedian. He currently stars as Tom Haverford on the NBC show Parks and Recreation....
as Tom HaverfordTom HaverfordThomas Montgomery "Tom" Haverford , born Darwish Sabir Ismael Gani, is a fictional character in the NBC comedy Parks and Recreation. He is a sarcastic, underachieving government official for the city of Pawnee who is revered for his high levels of swagger and unmatched entrepreneurial skills...
, Leslie's sarcastic and underachieving subordinate, who eventually begins to consider leaving his city hall job to pursue his own entrepreneurial interests. As with Jones, Daniels and Schur had intended to cast Ansari from the earliest stages of the development of Parks and Recreation. - Nick OffermanNick OffermanNick Offerman is an American actor best known for his role as Ron Swanson in the NBC sitcom Parks and Recreation. He is also a skilled woodworker.-Early life and career:...
as Ron SwansonRon SwansonRonald Ulysses "Ron" Swanson is a fictional character played by Nick Offerman in the American comedy television series Parks and Recreation on NBC. Ron is parks department director in the Indiana city of Pawnee and the immediate superior of protagonist Leslie Knope...
, the parks and recreation director who, as a Libertarian, believes in as small a government as possible. As such, Ron strives to make his department as ineffective as possible, and favors hiring employees who do not care about their jobs or are poor at them. Nevertheless, Ron consistently demonstrates that he secretly cares deeply about his fellow co-workers. - Aubrey Plaza as April LudgateApril LudgateApril Roberta Ludgate is a fictional character in the NBC comedy Parks and Recreation. She is an apathetic college student employed by the Pawnee Department of Parks and Recreation as Ron Swanson's assistant. She is married to Andy Dwyer. She is portrayed by Aubrey Plaza...
, a cynical and disinterested parks department intern who eventually becomes the perfect assistant for Ron. The role was written specifically for Plaza; after meeting her, casting director Allison Jones told Schur, "I just met the weirdest girl I've ever met in my life. You have to meet her and put her on your show." - Paul SchneiderPaul Schneider (actor)Paul Andrew Schneider is an American film actor.-Early life and career:Schneider was born and raised in Asheville, North Carolina. He graduated from the North Carolina School of Arts...
as Mark Brendanawicz, a city planner who entered the field with a sense of optimism, but has since become jaded and disillusioned. Schneider said early in the series he was insecure in the role because he was still trying to figure out the character's motivations. He left the cast after the second season to pursue his film career. - Chris PrattChris PrattChristopher Michael "Chris" Pratt is an American actor, best known for his roles as Harold Brighton "Bright" Abbott in the television series Everwood, the recurring character Winchester "Ché" Cook in season 4 of The OC, Andy Dwyer in the television series Parks and Recreation and for portraying...
as Andy DwyerAndy DwyerAndrew Maxwell "Andy" Dwyer is a fictional character in the NBC comedy Parks and Recreation. He is Ann Perkins' ex-boyfriend, a talented-if-yet-unsuccessful musician, a shoe-shiner at Pawnee City Hall, and April Ludgate's husband. He is portrayed by Chris Pratt.-Background:At the start of the...
, a goofy and dim-witted but lovable slacker. Pratt was originally intended to be a guest star and the character Andy was initially meant to appear only in the first season, but the producers liked Pratt so much that, almost immediately after casting him, they decided to make him a regular cast member starting with season two.
Two new cast members joined the show starting with the penultimate second season episode, "The Master Plan":
- Adam ScottAdam Scott (actor)Adam Scott is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Henry Pollard in the Starz comedy series Party Down and as Ben Wyatt in the NBC comedy Parks and Recreation....
as Ben WyattBen Wyatt (Parks and Recreation)Benjamin "Ben" Wyatt is a character in the TV series Parks and Recreation. The character guest starred in two episodes of season two and was upgraded to a regular in season three. Ben is a state auditor who comes into Pawnee with Chris Traeger to evaluate the town's funds at the end of the second...
, a competent but socially-awkward government official trying to redeem his past as a failed mayor in his youth. Scott left his starring role on the Starz comedy series Party DownParty DownParty Down is an American comedy television series created and primarily written by John Enbom, Rob Thomas, Dan Etheridge, and Paul Rudd that aired on the Starz network in the United States.-Conception:...
to join the show. - Rob LoweRob LoweRobert Hepler "Rob" Lowe is an American actor. Lowe came to prominence after appearing in films such as The Outsiders, Oxford Blues, About Last Night..., St. Elmo's Fire, and Wayne's World. On television, Lowe is known for his role as Sam Seaborn on The West Wing and his role as Senator Robert...
as Chris TraegerChris TraegerChristopher "Chris" Traeger is a fictional character played by Rob Lowe in the American comedy television series Parks and Recreation on NBC. He began on the show as an Indiana state auditor who visits the fictional city of Pawnee to help solve their crippling budget problems, and eventually...
, an excessively positive and extremely health-conscious government official. Unlike Scott, Lowe was originally expected to depart after a string of guest appearances, but later signed a multi-year contract to become a regular cast member.
Jim O'Heir
Jim O'Heir
Jim O'Heir is an American actor. He was active in the Chicago theater during the 1980s and 1990s as part of the theater group White Noise, and appeared in such plays as The Book of Blanche, Stumpy's Gang and Ad-Nauseam with the group...
and Retta made regular appearances as Jerry and Donna from the start of the show, but their personalities did not become developed until the second season. Schur said the Parks and Recreation staff liked the actors so decided to include them in the show and "figured we'd work it out later". A throwaway joke at Jerry's expense in the episode "Practice Date" led him to be established as the co-worker the rest of the department affectionately picks on. It was not until the third season they became considered regular cast members, although they still do not appear in the opening credits.
Several actors have made recurring guest appearances throughout the show, including Pamela Reed
Pamela Reed
Pamela Reed is an American actress. She is known for playing Ruth Powers in various episodes of TV's The Simpsons, as Arnold Schwarzenegger's hypoglycemic partner in the 1990 movie Kindergarten Cop and as the matriarch Gail Green in Jericho...
as Leslie's mother and fellow politician Marlene Griggs-Knope
Marlene Griggs-Knope
Marlene Griggs-Knope is a fictional character played by Pamela Reed in the American comedy television series Parks and Recreation. She is the mother of the show's protagonist, Leslie Knope, and an important political figure in the school system at the fictional Indiana town of Pawnee, where Leslie...
, Ben Schwartz
Ben Schwartz
Ben Schwartz is a writer, actor and comedian. His feature film credits include Peep World with Rainn Wilson, Michael C. Hall and Sarah Silverman as well as Everybody's Fine with Robert DeNiro...
as Tom's fast-talking friend Jean-Ralphio
Jean-Ralphio Saperstein
Jean-Ralphio Saperstein is a fictional character played by Ben Schwartz in the American comedy television series Parks and Recreation. He is the cocky friend of Tom Haverford and, like Tom, believes himself to be a playboy and pickup artist, although he is looked upon with contempt by most people...
, Jama Williamson
Jama Williamson
Jama Williamson is an American actress. She was active in New York City theater throughout the early 2000s, during which she appeared in such shows as Avery Crozier's Eat the Runt, Hunt Holman's Spanish Girl, A. R. Gurney's Sylvia and Simon Mendes da Costa's Losing Louis...
as Tom's ex-wife Wendy, Mo Collins
Mo Collins
Maureen "Mo" Ann Collins is an American actress and comedian. Collins is perhaps best known for being a member of the ensemble on FOX's sketch comedy series MADtv. She became well known for several characters during her tenure on the show...
as morning talk show host Joan Callamezzo, Jay Jackson as television broadcaster Perd Hapley, Alison Becker
Alison Becker
Alison Helene Becker is an American actress, comedian, writer, and TV personality. She is the previous host of VH1's Top 20 Video Countdown and currently the co-host/sidekick on the FuelTV panel talk-show The Daily Habit.-Early life:...
as newspaper reporter Shauna Malwae-Tweep, Darlene Hunt
Darlene Hunt
Darlene Hunt is an American actress and producer of television best known for creating and executive producing the Showtime series The Big C.- Career :...
as conservative activist Marcia Langman, and Andy Forrest as Andy's frequent shoeshine customer Kyle. Megan Mullally
Megan Mullally
Megan Mullally is an American actress and singer.After working in the theatre in Chicago, Mullally moved to Los Angeles in 1985 and began to appear in supporting roles in film and television productions. She made her Broadway debut in Grease in 1994 and she has since appeared in several Broadway...
, the real-life wife of Nick Offerman, portrayed Ron's ex-wife Tammy in the second season's "Ron and Tammy
Ron and Tammy
"Ron and Tammy" is the eighth episode of the second season of Parks and Recreation, and the fourteenth overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on November 5, 2009. In the episode, the library department tries to take control of a vacant lot where Leslie plans...
", a role she reprised in later episodes. The performance was well received, which made the Parks and Recreation producers feel more comfortable about using celebrity guest actors in later episodes. Other such celebrity guests included Fred Armisen
Fred Armisen
Fred Armisen is an American actor, comedian and musician best known for his work as a cast member on Saturday Night Live, and portraying off-color foreigners in various comedy films such as EuroTrip, Anchorman and Cop Out...
, Will Arnett
Will Arnett
William Emerson "Will" Arnett is a Canadian actor and comedian best known for his role as George Oscar "G.O.B." Bluth II on the Fox comedy Arrested Development. He is also known for his role as Devon Banks on the NBC comedy 30 Rock. Since his success on Arrested Development, Arnett has landed major...
, H. Jon Benjamin
H. Jon Benjamin
Henry Jon Benjamin , known professionally as H. Jon Benjamin and Jon Benjamin, is an American actor, comedian and writer best known for his voice-over roles as Jason and Coach McGuirk on Home Movies, Ben on Dr...
, Matt Besser
Matt Besser
Matthew Gregory "Matt" Besser is an American actor and comedian best known as one of the founding members of the Upright Citizens Brigade sketch comedy troupe who also had their own show on Comedy Central from 1998-2000....
, Louis C.K.
Louis C.K.
Louis Szekely , known professionally as Louis C.K., is a stand-up comedian, television and film writer, actor, producer, and director...
, Will Forte
Will Forte
Orville Willis Forte IV, better known as Will Forte , is an American actor, voice actor, comedian and writer best known as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 2002–2010 and for starring in the SNL spin-off film MacGruber.-Early life:Forte was born in Alameda County, California, the son of...
, Michael Gross
Michael Gross (actor)
Michael Gross is an American television, movie, and stage actor who plays both comedic and dramatic roles. His most notable roles are as the father Steven Keaton from Family Ties and the Graboid hunter Burt Gummer from the Tremors franchise.-Early life:Gross was born in Chicago, Illinois, the son...
, Nick Kroll
Nick Kroll
Nick Kroll is an American actor and comedian best known for appearing in television shows such as Best Week Ever, Cavemen and Sit Down, Shut Up. He co-stars in the shows The Life & Times of Tim and The League....
, John Larroquette
John Larroquette
John Edgar Bernard Larroquette, Jr. is an American film, television and Broadway actor. His roles include Dan Fielding on the series Night Court, Mike McBride in the Hallmark Channel series McBride, John Hemingway on The John Larroquette Show, and Carl Sack in Boston Legal.-Personal...
, Natalie Morales
Natalie Morales (actress)
Natalie Morales is an American actress of Cuban descent.Growing up, she attended St. Agatha Catholic School before going to Southwest High School, and participated in the University of Miami Dow Jones Minority High School Journalism Workshop...
, Parker Posey
Parker Posey
Parker Christian Posey is an American actress. She became known during the 1990s after a series of roles in several well-received independent films. As a result, she has often been referred to as the "Queen of the Indies"....
, Andy Samberg
Andy Samberg
David Andrew "Andy" Samberg is an American actor, comedian, rapper and writer best known as a member of the comedy group The Lonely Island and as a cast member on Saturday Night Live...
, Roy Hibbert
Roy Hibbert
Roy Denzil Hibbert is an American professional basketball player for the Indiana Pacers of the NBA. He plays at the center position, and graduated from Georgetown University in 2008. He was drafted 17th overall in the 2008 NBA Draft by the Toronto Raptors and was immediately traded to the Pacers...
, Detlef Schrempf
Detlef Schrempf
Detlef Schrempf is a retired German NBA basketball player.-High school and college career:...
, and Justin Theroux.
Conception
Immediately after Ben SilvermanBen Silverman
Benjamin Noah "Ben" Silverman is the founder and CEO of Electus, a next generation entertainment studio staked by IAC's Barry Diller....
was named co-chairman of NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
's entertainment division in 2007, he asked Greg Daniels to create a spin-off
Spin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...
of The Office. Daniels co-created Parks and Recreation with Michael Schur, who had been a writer on The Office. The two spent months considering ideas for the new series and debating whether to make it a stand-alone show rather than a spin-off. According to Daniels, they eventually abandoned the original spin-off plan because they "couldn't find the right fit". They considered a series about a local government official trying to rebuild a political career following a humiliating public spectacle. They ultimately abandoned the idea, although, it was ultimately incorporated into the backstory for Ben Wyatt late in the second season. After Amy Poehler agreed to play the lead, they decided the show would revolve around an optimistic bureaucrat in small-town government.
The idea was partly inspired by the portrayal of local politics on the HBO drama series The Wire
The WIRE
the WIRE is the student-run College radio station at the University of Oklahoma, broadcasting in a freeform format. The WIRE serves the University of Oklahoma and surrounding communities, and is staffed by student DJs. The WIRE broadcasts at 1710 kHz AM in Norman, Oklahoma...
, as well as the renewed interest in and optimism about politics stemming from the 2008 United States presidential election
United States presidential election, 2008
The United States presidential election of 2008 was the 56th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on November 4, 2008. Democrat Barack Obama, then the junior United States Senator from Illinois, defeated Republican John McCain, the senior U.S. Senator from Arizona. Obama received 365...
. The staff was also drawn to the idea of building a show around a female relationship, namely Leslie Knope and Ann Perkins. Reports that Daniels and Schur were developing a show together led to press speculation that it would, in fact, be a spin-off of The Office. The producers insisted their new series would be entirely independent. Nevertheless, their concept for it shared several elements with The Office, particularly the mockumentary
Mockumentary
A mockumentary , is a type of film or television show in which fictitious events are presented in documentary format. These productions are often used to analyze or comment on current events and issues by using a fictitious setting, or to parody the documentary form itself...
approach and the encouragement of improvisation
Improvisation
Improvisation is the practice of acting, singing, talking and reacting, of making and creating, in the moment and in response to the stimulus of one's immediate environment and inner feelings. This can result in the invention of new thought patterns, new practices, new structures or symbols, and/or...
among the cast, even though the episodes were scripted. The series was scheduled as a mid-season replacement, and was rushed into production to meet the premiere date of April 9, 2009. Before the title Parks and Recreation was chosen, the name Public Service was considered, but ultimately rejected because network officials did not want to be accused of mocking the idea.
Writing
The show's writers spent time researching local California politics and attending Los Angeles City CouncilLos Angeles City Council
The Los Angeles City Council is the governing body of the City of Los Angeles.The Council is composed of fifteen members elected from single-member districts for four-year terms. The president of the council and the president pro tempore are chosen by the Council at the first regular meeting after...
meetings. Schur said they observed that many community hearings were attended only by those opposed, often angrily, to the proposals under consideration. This became a major component of town hall meeting scenes in Parks and Recreation, and was the basis for the entire "Canvassing
Canvassing (Parks and Recreation)
"Canvassing" is the second episode of the first season of the American comedy television series Parks and Recreation. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on April 16, 2009. The episode was written by Rachel Axler and directed by Seth Gordon...
" episode. The writers consulted with real-life government officials such as urban planners and elected officials. Scott Albright, a California city planner, provided direct feedback for the Mark Brendanawicz character, and the inspiration for Ron Swanson's anti-government convictions came from a real-life encounter Schur had in Burbank
Burbank, California
Burbank is a city in Los Angeles County in Southern California, United States, north of downtown Los Angeles. The estimated population in 2010 was 103,340....
with a Libertarian government official who admitted, "I don't really believe in the mission of my job." The concept of turning a construction pit into a park was seen as a device to bring all the characters together working toward a common goal. The writers originally envisioned the pit becoming a park only in the series finale, although those plans were later changed and the pit was filled in during the second season. While researching whether such a project could realistically last several months or longer, Schur spoke to urban planners in Claremont, California
Claremont, California
Claremont is a small affluent college town in eastern Los Angeles County, California, United States, about east of downtown Los Angeles at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains. The population as of the 2010 census is 34,926. Claremont is known for its seven higher-education institutions, its...
who said it was entirely plausible because they had recently broken ground on a park that had been in various planning stages for 18 years.
Daniels and Schur wrote the script for the pilot episode in mid-2008. The original script portrayed Leslie and Mark as slightly less likable than they appeared in the final draft, and they were changed to be more appealing in response to feedback the episode received from focus groups and press tour screenings. Schur said the writing staff strove to avoid the type of cynical humor prevalent in most television comedies at the time, and wanted the characters to have genuine appreciation for each other. Schur said of this, "I've never liked mean-spirited comedy. The characters on our show make fun of each other, but not in a biting, angry way. And there’s no shortage of conflict in the world of government." The first season episodes were written and developed relatively quickly after each other, and Schur said the staff was treating the entire six-episode season as if it was one television pilot. Daniels felt due to pre-expectations from viewers familiar with The Office, the first season episodes were "just about trying to tell people what we weren't", and that the writers had a better understanding of the characters by season two and could better write to their strengths.
During the first season, the writing staff received audience feedback that Leslie Knope seemed unintelligent and "ditzy". Schur said the writers did not intend for Leslie to be stupid, but rather an overeager woman who "takes her job too seriously, so a particular effort was made to present that character as more intelligent and capable at her job starting in the second season. The staff also decided to end the construction pit story arc with the second season episode "Kaboom", in which it was filled and turned into a lot. Although it was originally conceived that the pit would only become a park in the series finale, but Schur said the plotline was accelerated because early episodes were too focused on the pit and had led viewers to believe the entire show was about filling it in, which was not the writers' intention. Also starting with the second season, the writers made an effort to be more topical and incorporate current events into their scripts. For example, the episode "Pawnee Zoo
Pawnee Zoo
"Pawnee Zoo" is the second season premiere of the American comedy television series Parks and Recreation, and the seventh overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on September 17, 2009...
" included social commentary about same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage is marriage between two persons of the same biological sex or social gender. Supporters of legal recognition for same-sex marriage typically refer to such recognition as marriage equality....
. "The Stakeout
The Stakeout (Parks and Recreation)
"The Stakeout" is the second episode of the second season of the American comedy television series Parks and Recreation, and the eighth overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on September 24, 2009...
" included a parody of the controversial arrest
Henry Louis Gates arrest controversy
On July 16, 2009, Harvard University professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr., was arrested at his Cambridge, Massachusetts home by a local police officer responding to a 911 caller’s report of men breaking and entering the residence...
of Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
professor Henry Louis Gates, and a sex scandal involving a Pawnee councilman in "Practice Date" mirrored the real-life 2009 scandal
Mark Sanford disappearance and extramarital affair
For six days in June 2009, South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford's whereabouts were unknown and there was media coverage of what was described as his disappearance. Subsequently the Governor reappeared and reported that he had been in Argentina with a woman with whom he was having an extramarital...
of South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
Governor
Governor of South Carolina
The Governor of the State of South Carolina is the head of state for the State of South Carolina. Under the South Carolina Constitution, the Governor is also the head of government, serving as the chief executive of the South Carolina executive branch. The Governor is the ex officio...
Mark Sanford
Mark Sanford
Marshall Clement "Mark" Sanford Jr. is an American politician from South Carolina, who was the 115th Governor of South Carolina from 2003 to 2011....
.
Starting in the middle of the second season, the writing staff began to draw inspirations from The Remains of the Day
The Remains of the Day (film)
The Remains of the Day is a 1993 Merchant Ivory film adapted by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala from the novel by Kazuo Ishiguro. It was directed by James Ivory and produced by Ismail Merchant, Mike Nichols and John Calley. It starred Anthony Hopkins as Stevens and Emma Thompson as Miss Kenton with James Fox,...
(1993) and The Contender (2000). Schur explained that The Remains of the Day was about two people who are forced not to convey their romantic feelings for each other due to a repressive social system, which Schur compared to modern-day government, and that The Contender was about a female politician trying to succeed amid intense scrutiny in a political arena dominated by men, which is similar to challenges Leslie Knope occasionally encounters. The financial difficulties Pawnee experiences during the late second season and third season episodes were reflective of the financial crisis
Late-2000s financial crisis
The late-2000s financial crisis is considered by many economists to be the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression of the 1930s...
facing the nation and much of the world when the episodes were produced. The introduction of Chris Traeger and Ben Wyatt as state auditors visiting Pawnee, and the subsequent government shutdown, were inspired by news reports at the time of a number of states considering a shut down of schools, parks and other services due to the global recession. The third season included a seven-episode story arc about the characters organizing a harvest festival, and staking the financial future of their department on its success. The festival served as a device united the characters much like the construction pit had earlier in the show. Schur said this was done because the first six episodes were written and filmed early, and the writing staff felt having one concise storyline to tie them together kept the writers focused and, in Schur's words, help "organize our tired, end-of-the-year brains".
Filming
Like The Office, Parks and Recreation is filmed with a single-camera setupSingle-camera setup
The single-camera setup, or single-camera mode of production, is a method of filmmaking and video production. A single camera—either motion picture camera or professional video camera—is employed on the set and each shot to make up a scene is taken individually...
in a cinéma vérité
Cinéma vérité
Cinéma vérité is a style of documentary filmmaking, combining naturalistic techniques with stylized cinematic devices of editing and camerawork, staged set-ups, and the use of the camera to provoke subjects. It is also known for taking a provocative stance toward its topics.There are subtle yet...
style simulating the look of an actual documentary, with no studio audience
Studio audience
A studio audience is an audience present for the taping of all or part of a television program. The primary purpose of the studio audience is to provide applause and/or laughter to the program's soundtrack . A studio audience can also provide volunteers, a visual backdrop and discussion participants...
or laugh track
Laugh track
A laugh track is a separate soundtrack invented by Charles "Charley" Douglass, with the artificial sound of audience laughter, made to be inserted into television programming of comedy shows and sitcoms.The term "laugh track" does not apply to the genuine audience laughter on shows that shoot in...
. Within the context of the show, the characters are being filmed by a documentary crew, the members of which are never seen or heard from on-screen. The actors occasionally look at and directly address the cameras, and in some scenes directly engage the cameras in one-on-one interviews with the documentary crew members. Although the episodes are scripted, improvisation is permitted and encouraged among the cast, and dialogue or performances that are made up by the actors during filming often make the final cut of the episodes. Schur said he believes the mockumentary style is particularly fitting for a show about city government because "it’s a device for showing the ways people act and behave differently when they're in public and private [and] the difference between what goes on behind closed doors and what people present to the public is a huge issue". The Parks and Recreation producers approach each episode as if they are filming a real documentary. They typically shoot enough for a 35- or 40-minute episode, then cut it down to 22 minutes, using the best material. Due to the improvisational acting and hand-held camerawork, a great deal of extra footage is shot that must be discarded for the final cut; for example, the original cut of the 22-minute pilot was 48 minutes long. The producers film about nine pages of the script each day, a large amount by U.S. television standards.
Despite the similarities in the mockumentary style with The Office, Daniels and Schur sought to establish a slightly different tone in the camerawork of the pilot episode. The one-on-one interviews, for example, sometimes feature two separate camera angles on the same person; the footage is intercut to create the final version of the scene. This technique was inspired by The Five Obstructions
The Five Obstructions
The Five Obstructions is a 2003 Danish film by Lars von Trier and Jørgen Leth. The film is a documentary, but incorporates lengthy sections of experimental films produced by the filmmakers. The premise is that Lars von Trier has created a challenge for his friend and mentor, Jørgen Leth, another...
, a 2003 experimental documentary directed by Lars Von Trier
Lars von Trier
Lars von Trier is a Danish film director and screenwriter. He is closely associated with the Dogme 95 collective, although his own films have taken a variety of different approaches, and have frequently received strongly divided critical opinion....
and Jørgen Leth
Jørgen Leth
Jørgen Leth is a Danish poet and film director who is considered a leading figure in experimental documentary film making. Most notable are his epic documentary A Sunday in Hell and his surrealistic short film The Perfect Human...
, which Daniels watched at the suggestion of actor Paul Schneider. Another distinction from The Office is that, while almost all footage from that show is filmed in a workplace setting, the documentary crew on Parks and Recreation regularly follows the characters into more intimate, non-work settings, such as on dates or at their homes. Parks and Recreation also makes frequent use of the jump cut
Jump cut
A jump cut is a cut in film editing and vloging in which two sequential shots of the same subject are taken from camera positions that vary only slightly. This type of edit causes the subject of the shots to appear to "jump" position in a discontinuous way...
technique. For instance, one scene in the pilot episode repeatedly jump cuts between brief clips in which Leslie seeks permission from Ron to pursue the pit project. Early in the season, editor Dean Holland
Dean Holland
Dean Holland is an Emmy Award-winning, American film editor, television director and producer best known for working on Entourage and the NBC comedy shows The Office and Parks and Recreation...
developed a technique that would be used throughout the series. During a scene in "The Reporter
The Reporter (Parks and Recreation)
"The Reporter" is the third episode of the first season of the American comedy television series Parks and Recreation. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on April 23, 2009. The episode was written by Daniel J. Goor and directed by Jeffrey Blitz...
" in which Leslie reacts to quotes read to her by the journalist, Poehler improvised a number of jokes, many of which were ultimately going to be cut from the episode. Holland thought they were all funny, so he created a brief montage intercutting several of the lines.
Pasadena, California
Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
City Hall. The parks and recreation department interiors, as well as the Town Hall courtyard, were filmed on a large studio set sound stage. The set's windows were outfitted with water systems to simulate falling rain, and the windowsills included fake pigeons. The set also includes four hallways that make up the hospital setting where Ann Perkins works as a nurse. The construction pit featured throughout the first and second seasons was dug by the episode's producers at an undeveloped property in Van Nuys
Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California
Van Nuys is a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California.-History:Look at the two photos of Van Nuys' first year—and then listen to what the Los Angeles Times wrote on February 23, 1911, the day after the Van Nuys town lot auction--"Between dawn and dusk, in the...
, a district of Los Angeles. The producers went door-to-door in the neighborhood, seeking residents' permission for the dig. The pit was guarded 24 hours a day. Scenes set in playgrounds and elsewhere outdoors were filmed on location in Los Angeles. Most scenes set in locations outside the usual Parks and Recreation settings are also filmed in Los Angeles-area locations. For example, public forum scenes in the pilot episode were filmed in one of the city's middle schools, and a town meeting scene in the episode "Eagleton
Eagleton (Parks and Recreation)
"Eagleton" is the twelfth episode of the third season of the American comedy television series Parks and Recreation, and the 42nd overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on May 5, 2011...
" was shot at the Toluca Lake Sports Center in the Toluca Lake district of Los Angeles. Elaborate festival setting and corn maze sets featured in "Harvest Festival
Harvest Festival (Parks and Recreation)
"Harvest Festival" is the seventh episode of the third season of the American comedy television series Parks and Recreation, and the 37th overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on March 17, 2011. In the episode, Leslie and her co-workers hold Pawnee's ...
" was filmed at a real-life festival setting in Los Angeles Pierce College
Los Angeles Pierce College
Los Angeles Pierce College, also known as Pierce College, Pierce, is a community college that serves more than 23,000 students in the northern Chalk Hills of Woodland Hills, a community within the San Fernando Valley region of the city of Los Angeles, California.The college began with 70 students...
, a community college in California. Schur said an aerial shot of the harvest festival at the end of the episode was the most expensive shot in the entire series.
Toward the end of production on the second season, Poehler became pregnant again and the producers of the show were forced to go into production on season three early and film an additional six episodes to accommodate not only Poehler's pregnancy, but also a projected September 2010 air date. However, after the episodes were already filmed, NBC opted not to put the show on the fall schedule and instead delayed the premiere of the third season until the beginning of 2011. This allowed for the network to run its new comedy, Outsourced
Outsourced (TV series)
Outsourced is an American television sitcom set in an Indian workplace. It was based on the John Jeffcoat film of the same name and adapted by Ken Kwapis and Universal Media Studios for NBC. The series originally ran from September 23, 2010 to May 12, 2011...
, in two-hour comedy schedule block rather than Parks and Recreation. The schedule change meant that all sixteen episodes from the third season will have been filmed before any of them is shown; the rest of the episodes, starting with the seventh, were filmed in the fall of 2010. NBC chief executive officer Jeff Gaspin
Jeff Gaspin
Jeffrey "Jeff" Gaspin is an American television executive and was most recently the Chairman of NBC Universal Television Entertainment. Gaspin resigned his position in late 2010, as a precursor to Comcast taking controlling ownership of the now newly rechristened NBCUniversal, which occurred on...
said this move was not a reflection on Parks and Recreation, and suggested the extended hiatus would not only have no negative effect on the show, but could actually build anticipation for its return. The move proved frustrating for the cast and crew of Parks and Recreation, although Poehler also pointed out it gave them additional time to go back and re-edit episodes or shoot and add new material.
Music
The show's musical theme was written by Gaby MorenoGaby Moreno
Gaby Moreno is originally from Guatemala City, Guatemala and is an award-winning singer, songwriter and guitarist. She now resides in Los Angeles, California.-Biography:...
and Vincent Jones. Michael Schur said in selecting a theme song, they wanted something that would immediately make the viewer associate the music with the series and the characters. He said of Moreno's and Jones' song: "It does a really good job of explaining what the town is like. (The) credits do a really good job of establishing it's just sort of a normal, every-day town in the middle of the country." Due to its realistic mockumentary-style cinematography technique, Parks and Recreation does not use composed background music. Several songs were written for the show to be performed by Andy Dwyer's character and his band within the show, "Mouse Rat". Chris Pratt, who plays Andy, sings and plays guitar in the band himself, while the drums are played by Mark Rivers, the guitar is played by Andrew Burlinson, and the bass guitar is played by Alan Yang, a screenwriter with the show.
Pratt and the other band members played live during filming of the episode, rather than pre-recorded and dubbed later. One song featured in "Rock Show" called "The Pit" is Andy's experience falling into a construction pit and breaking his legs. A ballad about Ann Perkins featured in the episode "Boys' Club
Boys' Club (Parks and Recreation)
"Boys' Club" is the fourth episode of the first season of the American comedy television series Parks and Recreation. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on April 30, 2009. It was written by Alan Yang and directed by Michael McCullers...
", called "Ann", was written by Pratt himself. The lyrics to a song featured in "The Master Plan" about April Ludgate, called "November", were written by Michael Schur. In the episode "Woman of the Year
Woman of the Year (Parks and Recreation)
"Woman of the Year" is the seventeenth episode of the second season of the American comedy television series Parks and Recreation, and the 23rd overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on March 4, 2010. In the episode, Ron is presented with a woman of the year...
", Andy claims every song he writes includes either the lyrics, "Spread your wings and fly" or "You deserve to be a champion." As a result of that joke, every "Mouse Rat" song featured in the series since then has included one of those two lyrics. In the episode "Telethon", Andy plays the song "Sex Hair", about how one can tell whether someone had sex because their hair is matted. In "Li'l Sebastian", Andy performs a tribute song called "5,000 Candles in the Wind", where he tries to write a song 5,000 times better than Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
's "Candle in the Wind
Candle in the Wind
"Candle in the Wind" is a song with music by Elton John and lyrics by Bernie Taupin. It was originally written in 1973, in honour of Marilyn Monroe, who had died 11 years earlier....
".
Broadcast
Parks and Recreation was broadcast in the 8:30 pm timeslot Thursdays on NBC in the United States during its first two seasons, as part of the network's Comedy Night Done RightMust See TV
"Must See TV" is an advertising slogan used by the NBC television network to brand its prime time blocks of sitcoms during the 1990s, and most often applied to the network's Thursday night lineup, which featured such popular sitcoms as The Cosby Show, Family Ties, Cheers, Night Court, A Different...
line-up. It was moved to a 9:30 pm timeslot during its third season, where it premiered as a mid-season replacement. In the fall of 2011, the show will return to its original 8:30 pm timeslot for the fourth season. In Canada, Parks and Recreation is simsubbed
Simultaneous substitution
Simultaneous substitution is a practice mandated by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission requiring Canadian cable, direct broadcast satellite and multichannel multipoint distribution service television distribution companies to substitute the signal of a foreign or...
in most areas on Citytv
Citytv
Citytv is a Canadian English language television system owned and operated by Rogers Communications under its Rogers Broadcasting Ltd. division...
. In the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, it airs on Jack TV
Jack TV
Jack TV is a Philippine cable TV network owned by Solar Entertainment Corporation, test launched on May 2005, officially debuting on July 12, 2005. It offers Western comedy, animation, sports entertainment, drama series and reality shows, such as Cartoon Network, USA Network, The CW, MyNetworkTV,...
every Friday at 9:30 pm, Wednesday at 2:30 am and 10:00 am. In Australia, the series will air on Channel Seven
Seven Network
The Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...
's digital channel, 7mate
7mate
7mate is an Australian free-to-air high definition digital television channel, which was launched by the Seven Network on 25 September 2010.The network stated that 7mate would contain sport and regular programs aimed primarily at a male audience, with programming drawn from a combination of new...
, on Mondays at 10:00 pm, after having aired Season 1 and five episodes of Season 2 on Seven
Seven Network
The Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...
at a late timeslot of 11:00 pm. In South Africa, the show airs on Pay-TV operator MNET
MNET
MNET Services Private Limited is a Pakistani operator of inter-bank connectivity platform for online financial transaction processing and offers a managed services portfolio that includes card personalization & management, mobile payment services and ATM & POS controller hosting.-External links:*...
. In Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, the show airs on Sony Entertainment Television
Sony Entertainment Television (Portugal)
Sony Entertainment Television in Portugal is a television channel operated by Sony Pictures Television International Networks Iberia. Its programming is basically focused on television series and movies. The channel was launched in Portugal on April 14, 2008, as part of the meo and Optimus Clix TV...
. In Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, it airs on TV4 Komedi
TV4 Komedi
TV4 Komedi is a sister subchannel of Swedish TV4, owned by TV4 AB. The channel focuses on comedy only with sitcoms, comedy shows and talk shows...
. In India, it airs on Zee Cafe. In Denmark the series airs in high definition
HD
HD may refer to:- Science and technology :* High-definition, reference to:** high-definition video** high-definition television ** Intel High Definition Audio** HD Voice...
on DR HD
DR HD
DR HD is a Danish high-definition television channel and Danmarks Radio's sixth licence-funded channel. The channel launched on 1 November 2009. All broadcasts on DR HD are in HD quality; no upscaled standard definition programmes are broadcasted. The channel broadcasts in 1280x720.-External links:*...
. In the Republic of Ireland, it airs on RTÉ TWO
RTÉ Two
RTÉ Two is a free-to-air general entertainment channel operated by Irish state broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann. RTÉ Two is available throughout the island of Ireland through digital terrestrial service Saorview, VHF and UHF bands, and is also available via satellite to Irish subscribers of...
.
In March 2011, Universal Media Studios announced their intentions to sell the syndication rights of Parks and Recreation. Comedy Central
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
, Spike and FX were all described as possible contenders to buy the syndication rights.
Reviews
The first season of Parks and Recreation started to receive criticism before the premiere episode aired. According to a March 18, 2009, report that was leaked to television journalist Nikki FinkeNikki Finke
Nikki Finke is an American journalist and blogger. She is Founder and Editor in chief and President of Deadline.com, a website with original content consisting of her and other veteran showbiz journalists' reporting and commentary on the business of the entertainment industry formerly known as...
, focus groups responded poorly to a rough-cut version of the pilot. Many focus group members felt the show was a "carbon copy" of The Office. Some found it predictable, slow paced and lacking in character development; others said the show lacked strong male characters, particularly a "datable" lead. Schur insisted the pilot had been completely re-edited at least four times since the focus groups described in the report were held. Nevertheless, the early feedback left many critics and industry observers skeptical about the show's chances of success. After it aired, the first season received generally mixed to negative reviews. Many critics said the series was too similar to The Office, and several commentators said Leslie Knope too closely resembled Michael Scott
Michael Scott (The Office)
Michael Gary Scott is a fictional character on NBC's The Office, portrayed by Steve Carell, and based on David Brent from the original British version. Michael, the central character of the series, was the manager of the Scranton branch of paper and printer distribution company Dunder Mifflin Inc...
, the well-intentioned but dimwitted protagonist of The Office. Some critics said the show's characters and overall tone were too mean-spirited in the early episodes, and although reviewers praised various cast members in individual episodes, some said the supporting characters in general needed to be more fully developed and provided with better material. However, the season finale "Rock Show
Rock Show (Parks and Recreation)
"Rock Show" is the sixth episode and season finale of the first season of the American comedy television series Parks and Recreation. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on May 14, 2009. It was written by Norm Hiscock and directed by Michael Schur...
" received far better reviews, with several commentators declared that Parks and Recreation had finally found the right tone both generally and for the Leslie Knope character in particular.
Season two was better received, with several publications declaring it among the best shows of 2009 including the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
, the Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
, Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
, Entertainment Weekly, GQ, New York magazine, The Star-Ledger
The Star-Ledger
The Star-Ledger is the largest circulated newspaper in the U.S. state of New Jersey and is based in Newark. It is a sister paper to The Jersey Journal of Jersey City, The Times of Trenton and the Staten Island Advance, all of which are owned by Advance Publications.The Newark Star-Ledgers daily...
, the San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Chronicle
thumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, also known simply as the "PG," is the largest daily newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.-Early history:...
, Paste
Paste (magazine)
Paste is a monthly music and entertainment digital magazine published in the United States by Wolfgang's Vault. Its tagline is "Signs of Life in Music, Film and Culture."-History:...
magazine, IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
, and TV Squad. Several reviewers called the second season one of the most impressive comebacks in television history. Some reviewers said the supporting cast was now working with better material and that Amy Poheler's character had improved and become less over-the-top and more human than in the first season. Others praised the decision to drop subplots from season one that risked becoming stale, like Leslie's long-standing crush on Mark, as well as the decision to fill in the pit during the second season, which some commentators said freed the show up for more stories and better scripts. The critical acclaim continued into the third season, which Time magazine writer James Poniewozik
James Poniewozik
James Poniewozik is an American journalist and television critic. He writes Times Tuned In column and has a blog with the same name.Originally from Monroe, MI, Poniewozik attended the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, graduating with a BA in English. He subsequently attended the graduate program...
called it "a fabulous season – the best thing on TV in 2011 so far", and which TV Squad writer Maureen Ryan, who previously criticized the series, called one of the ten best shows of 2011. Parks and Recreation was featured on the February 11, 2011 cover of Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
, where it was called "the smartest comedy on TV" and which included the article "The 101 Reasons We Love Parks and Recreation".
Amy Poehler said the first season struggled in part due to extremely high expectations from comparisons to The Office. After the first season ended, she said: "I think it was something we had to work through in the beginning, and I’m kind of hoping we’re on the other side of that and people will start to judge the show on its own, for what it is and realize it’s just a completely different world in a similar style." Likewise, Schur said he believed much of the early criticism stemmed from the fact that audiences were not yet familiar with the characters, and he believed viewers who revisited the episodes enjoyed them more because they had gotten to know the characters better as the series progressed. Poehler received wide praise for her performance from the beginning of the series; several reviewers, even those who did not enjoy the show, said her talent, timing and likability helped elevate the series above some of its flaws. Nick Offerman received particularly strong praise for his minimalist and understated performance as Ron Swanson, who many considered the show's breakout character. By the end of the second season, the character had taken on a cult status
Cult following
A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a specific area of pop culture. A film, book, band, or video game, among other things, will be said to have a cult following when it has a small but very passionate fan base...
; Jonah Weiner of Slate
Slate (magazine)
Slate is a US-based English language online current affairs and culture magazine created in 1996 by former New Republic editor Michael Kinsley, initially under the ownership of Microsoft as part of MSN. On 21 December 2004 it was purchased by the Washington Post Company...
magazine declared Swanson "Parks and Recreation
Ratings
| Season | Timeslot (EST) | Season Premiere | Season Finale | TV Season | Rank | Viewers (in millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Parks and Recreation (season 1) The first season of Parks and Recreation originally aired in the United States on the NBC television network between April 9 and May 14, 2009... |
Thursday 8:30/7:30c | April 9, 2009 | May 14, 2009 | 2008–2009 | #96 | 6.0 |
| 2 Parks and Recreation (season 2) The second season of Parks and Recreation originally aired in the United States on the NBC television network starting September 17, 2009, and ended on May 20, 2010. The season was produced by Deedle-Dee Productions and Universal Media Studios, and series co-creators Greg Daniels and Michael Schur... |
Thursday 8:30/7:30c | September 17, 2009 | May 20, 2010 | 2009–2010 2009–2010 United States network television schedule The following is the 2009–2010 network television schedule for the five major English-language commercial broadcast networks in the United States. The schedule covers primetime hours from September 2009 through May 2010. The schedule is followed by a list per network of returning series, new... |
#108 | 4.6 |
| 3 Parks and Recreation (season 3) The third season of Parks and Recreation originally aired in the United States on the NBC television network between January 20 and May 19, 2011. Like the previous seasons, it focused on Leslie Knope and her staff at the parks and recreation department of the fictional Indiana town of Pawnee... |
Thursday 9:30/8:30c | January 20, 2011 | May 19, 2011 | 2010–2011 | #116 | 5.1 |
| 4 Parks and Recreation (season 4) The fourth season of Parks and Recreation originally aired in the United States on the NBC television network, and began on September 22, 2011. Like the previous seasons, it focused on Leslie Knope and her staff at the parks and recreation department of the fictional Indiana town of... |
Thursday 8:30/7:30c | September 22, 2011 | Spring 2012 | 2011–2012 | TBA | TBA |
Parks and Recreation has struggled in the Nielsen ratings
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
throughout its entire run on NBC. The series premiere was seen in 6.77 million households, which media outlets described as a strong opening, comparable to the average Nielsen ratings
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
for 30 Rock
30 Rock
30 Rock is an American television comedy series created by Tina Fey that airs on NBC. The series is loosely based on Fey's experiences as head writer for Saturday Night Live...
, another Thursday-night show on NBC. However, viewership declined almost every week over the rest of the season, culminating in a season low of 4.25 million households for the final episode. Parks and Recreation ended the first season with an overall average rating of 5.97 million household viewers, ranking 94th in a list of 193 network shows for the 2008–09 television season
2008–09 United States network television schedule
The following is the 2008–2009 network television schedule for the six major English language broadcast networks in the United States. The schedule covers primetime hours from September 2008 through May 2009. The schedule is followed by a list per network of returning series, new series, and...
. The Office experienced similarly poor ratings during its first season and later became a success. However, the low viewership presented a greater challenge for Parks and Recreation because NBC now trailed CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
, ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
and Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
in the ratings, and the move of comedian Jay Leno
Jay Leno
James Douglas Muir "Jay" Leno is an American stand-up comedian and television host.From 1992 to 2009, Leno was the host of NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Beginning in September 2009, Leno started a primetime talk show, titled The Jay Leno Show, which aired weeknights at 10:00 p.m. ,...
from The Tonight Show
The Tonight Show
The Tonight Show is an American late-night talk show that has aired on NBC since 1954. It is the longest currently running regularly scheduled entertainment program in the United States, and the third longest-running show on NBC, after Meet the Press and Today.The Tonight Show has been hosted by...
to a variety show
The Jay Leno Show
The Jay Leno Show is an American comedy show created by and starring Jay Leno, that aired from September 14, 2009 to February 9, 2010 on NBC following the May 29, 2009 conclusion of Leno's first tenure as host of The Tonight Show...
in NBC's 10:00 pm weeknight slot left less room on the network's primetime schedule. At the end of the season, members of the cast and crew were stressed because they did not know whether the show would be renewed.
Although Parks and Recreation achieved critical success during the second season, the show continued to suffer in the ratings. By December 2009, the average episode viewership was 5.3 million households, which was lower than the average ratings other Thursday-night NBC comedy shows like Community
Community (TV series)
Community is an American television comedy series created by Dan Harmon that airs on NBC. The series is about a group of students at a community college in the fictional locale of Greendale, Colorado. The series heavily uses meta-humor and pop culture references, often parodying film and television...
30 Rock
30 Rock is an American television comedy series created by Tina Fey that airs on NBC. The series is loosely based on Fey's experiences as head writer for Saturday Night Live...
Awards
In 2010, Amy Poehler was nominated for a Primetime Emmy AwardPrimetime Emmy Award
The Primetime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American primetime television programming...
for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, based on her performance in the second season episode "Telethon". Also that year, the Parks and Recreation theme song by Gaby Moreno
Gaby Moreno
Gaby Moreno is originally from Guatemala City, Guatemala and is an award-winning singer, songwriter and guitarist. She now resides in Los Angeles, California.-Biography:...
and Vincent Jones was nominated for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Main Title Theme Music
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Main Title Theme Music
This is a list of the winning and nominated programs of the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Main Title Theme Music.-1980s:-1990s:-2000s:-2010s:...
. Parks and Recreation was also nominated for a 2010 Television Critics Association Award
TCA Awards
The TCA Awards are awards presented by the Television Critics Association in recognition of excellence in television excellence. There are eleven categories, which are presented every summer.-Categories:...
for Outstanding Achievement in Comedy, and Nick Offerman received a nomination for Individual Achievement in Comedy; The second season premiere episode, "Pawnee Zoo", won the GLAAD Media Award
GLAAD Media Awards
The GLAAD Media Award is an accolade bestowed by the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation to recognize and honor various branches of the media for their outstanding representations of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community and the issues that affect their lives...
for Outstanding Individual Episode. Also in 2010, Parks and Recreation received two nominations from Entertainment Weekly
In 2011, Parks and Recreation was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series
The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series is an Emmy given to the best television comedy series of the year.-Winners and nominees:...
, and Amy Poehler received her second Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. In June 2011, Parks and Recreation was nominated for three of the inaugural Critics’ Choice Television Awards. The show itself was nominated for "Best Comedy Series", Amy Poehler was nominated for "Best Actress in a Comedy Series" and Nick Offerman was nominated for "Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series". Also that month, Parks and Recreation was nominated for four TCA Awards: Program of the Year, Outstanding Achievement in Comedy and Individual Achievement in Comedy awards for Offerman and Poehler. Offerman will also host the TCA Awards ceremony this year.
DVD and streaming video
The first season of Parks and Recreation was released on DVD in region 1DVD region code
DVD region codes are a digital-rights management technique designed to allow film distributors to control aspects of a release, including content, release date, and price, according to the region...
on September 8, 2009. The DVD included all six episodes, as well as an "Extended Producer's Cut" of the season finale, "Rock Show". The disc also included cast and crew commentary tracks for each episode, as well as about 30 minutes of deleted scenes. The second season was released in a four-disc set in region 1 on November 30, 2010. They included extended episodes for "The Master Plan" and "Freddy Spaghetti", as well as two-and-a-half hours of deleted scenes, a third season preview and additional video clips. Audio commentaries were recorded for the episodes "Sister City", "Ron and Tammy", "Hunting Trip", "Woman of the Year", "The Master Plan" and "Freddy Spaghetti". Parks and Recreation can be viewed on the streaming video service Hulu
Hulu
Hulu is a website and over-the-top subscription service offering ad-supported on-demand streaming video of TV shows, movies, webisodes and other new media, trailers, clips, and behind-the-scenes footage from NBC, Fox, ABC, and Obstacle on October 20th 2011 Nickelodeon and CBS and many other...
, as well as the "Instant Watch" streaming feature of Netflix
Netflix
Netflix, Inc., is an American provider of on-demand internet streaming media in the United States, Canada, and Latin America and flat rate DVD-by-mail in the United States. The company was established in 1997 and is headquartered in Los Gatos, California...
. Individual episodes can also be purchased on the Apple Inc. digital media iTunes Store
ITunes Store
The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
and viewed on an NBC mobile browser on the iPhone
IPhone
The iPhone is a line of Internet and multimedia-enabled smartphones marketed by Apple Inc. The first iPhone was unveiled by Steve Jobs, then CEO of Apple, on January 9, 2007, and released on June 29, 2007...
and iPod Touch
IPod Touch
The iPod Touch is a portable media player, personal digital assistant, handheld game console, and Wi-Fi mobile device designed and marketed by Apple Inc. The iPod Touch adds the multi-touch graphical user interface to the iPod line...
.
External links
- Fictional city website
- Parks and Recreation Wiki