There is no doubt that one of the main inspirations of this show was The Office - you will realise this in the first minute of the first episode. However, instead of trying to copy the main points of that show's success, Parks and Recreation has come up with its very own recipe. Amy Poehler is amazing as the lead actress, she plays an extremely enthusiastic city official in a department filled with bludgers and lazy bums.
What sounds a little lame actually becomes very endearing very quickly: all supporting characters have great story-lines, and grow quickly with a light yet sometimes strangely moving plot. The dialogue is fantastic, every show will make you laugh out loud plenty of times, and the roughly 20 minutes of each episode are over way too quickly.
I found myself re-watching the whole two seasons immediately after I had finished them for the first time, and the show holds up easily. Each character gets enough screen time to stay interesting, and very quickly, the show establishes a Simpsons-like range of in-jokes and extras who add even more depth to the story.
Before you know it, you wish your own city had such a department, and you will fall in love with Amy Poehler's stellar performance. An absolute must-watch!
Really Good Stuff
velocityboy-2
I'm surprised at how many people wrote negative reviews of this show despite it being my most-looked forward comedy of the week, followed by the Office, Curb, Sunny in Phily, and the Peep Show - a great British comedy.
The characters are unique and the comedy comes mostly from subtleties such as intonations, gestures, and camera glances. It's high-end comedic stuff in my opinion. Though Arrested Development was untouchable in this regard. Boy AD was good.
I suppose if you like trite predicable comedy, you wouldn't see it as funny, but the thing about this show is that's it's also fun to watch, the characters are very charismatic on screen, I think the casting was great. Is this 10 lines yet IMDb?
A really great show.
Better Each Time I Watch!
moooovieman
There was a lot of anticipation for Amy Poehler's new series, at least around here there was, and after eagerly tuning in to the pilot episode and every episode since then, I can honestly say that it has lived up to my expectations!
Parks and Recreation has a sort of dry humor, where the really funny parts are the awkward moments between Leslie (Amy's character) and other characters. It is truly Amy's strong point, as we saw during her (too short!) run on SNL and in movies like "Blades of Glory" and "Baby Mamma". Amy absolutely steals the show, but it might be just because that's how the show has been written; the supporting cast are all strong actors, and, with the right material, could all bring in huge laughs for the show.
It is obvious when watching "Parks and Recreation" that there has been a lot of effort put forth to put out a great show, and I believe they have pulled it off. The show leaves me not only laughing hysterically but also rooting for Leslie and her committee. The show is a welcome addition to my weekly TV schedule, and is worth checking out more than once.
Fantastic, A Classic In My Book
karyuu
There are always a few television shows that seem to "define" a genre every decade or so, and considering Parks and Recreation finished its final run several months ago, I feel it important to revisit the show and the impact it left. Many times it was spurned as "The Office Rip-Off" in its starting days, despite it being more of a brainchild of the writers than anything. It seems safe to say, that after more than seven years on the air, Parks and Recreation has carved its own spot amongst the quirky and well-loved comedies that are hard to come across today.
The show stars hard-working public servant Leslie Knope (played by the amazing Amy Poehler) and a cast of humorous and memorable characters that navigate through bureaucracy and red tape in the local city government to complete projects. The most notable--and perhaps most powerful--asset of this show is its lovable and unforgettable characters, some that will leave you rolling your eyes and chuckling while others will simply make you smile in the most joyous kind of way. The cast has obvious chemistry amongst one another, and this certainly breaks through into the characters in ways that will make a viewer grow more attached to them.
The humor of the show itself also sets Parks and Rec apart from other television shows. While it's apparent the first season struggled to differentiate itself from The Office's "awkward humor", Parks found its stride in the simple "cute humor", the kind that is so innocuous and dumb and simply "cute" that it becomes hard not to laugh at the bumbling antics of the Parks and Recreation branch of the city of Pawnee. The episodes are mixed with the right amount of comedy, wit, and actual drama and storytelling; each character is crafted with the perfect amount of depth, that really separates from other comedy shows that rely on cardboard characters with running jokes to spew the funny. Even in its heartfelt moments, there is always room for laughs, but it never pushes aside the rest of the characters or their development. If you find yourself immersed in Parks and Recreation, it is almost certain you will find yourself immersed with one, more, or maybe all characters.
The simple genius, the style and passion this show was borne of, really marks it as a one-of-a-kind show, one that may not have had all the high ratings or prime-time slots or huge important newspaper reviews, but it became its own, and that's really what mattered in the end. After struggling in the shadow of The Office, and finding its stride in later seasons, Parks and Recreation became its own kind of wonderful recipe, one that delivered its own style of warmth and humor not found in many television shows. It may even define the style of comedy itself; after all, both Parks and The Office made famous the "mockumentary", "talking heads" sort of humor that others are sure to try and replicate. What gave Parks and Recreation a "name" per say, is the fact that the characters were so much larger-than-life, the stories so innocuous and believable, that the avid viewer can begin to believe them too, and find that this show is as heartfelt, funny, and enjoyable as I found it.
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