If you happened to be one of the 6.8 million people who watched the “Parks and Recreation” pilot episode on April 9, 2009, you would have seen a hodge-podge cast of B, C and D list actors and actresses in their first show on prime time television. Now, over halfway through its 5th season, “Parks and Recreation” has become a “who’s who” in the comedy world.
Amy Poehler plays Leslie Knope, the ineffable protagonist of “Parks and Recreation.” Knope, the Deputy Parks Director for the Pawnee, Ind., Parks and Recreation Department, leads her cast on satirical adventure after satirical adventure in the same way as its “mockumentary” sibling show, “The Office,” does.
With aspirations of one day achieving the ultimate goal of holding an elected office in the greatest city in America, the fictional Pawnee, Leslie Knope surrounds herself with friends and coworkers who compliment her spacey yet ever-optimistic personality.
Ron Swanson, played by Nick Offerman, is Leslie Knope’s anti-big-government boss who will ignore or insult anyone, as long as it is at the government’s expense. Ron’s strict adherence to slowing government down makes him the most uniquely lovable character in “Parks and Recreation.”
Along with Offerman, big-time stars in comedy such as Rashida Jones, Aziz Ansari, Chris Pratt and Aubrey Plaza work in the parks and recreation department in Pawnee, each bringing their own quirky and ironic sense of humor to the show. These four actors and actresses specifically have been able to achieve much success in their endeavors outside of “Parks and Recreation,” whether it be acting in blockbuster movies or going on cross-country comedy tours.
Adam Scott is another A-list comedian who decided to lend his talents to “Parks and Recreation” but not until after the show’s first season. Despite starring in his own Starz comedy series, “Party Down,” Scott decided to leave the show to join “Parks and Recreation” as Ben Wyatt, a state auditor, in order to work with the show’s all-star cast.
One of “Parks and Recreation”’s greatest qualities is its ability to continuously shuffle around and change the relationships between each of the show’s many characters.
Leslie Knope experiences several office flings throughout the series, including a brief stint with Tom Haverford (Aziz Ansari) because an online dating site paired them; however, ultimately Knope ends up engaged to Ben Wyatt, OK’d by Adam Scott.
Michael Schur and Greg Daniels, “Parks and Recreation”’s creators and executive producers, have the ability to recreate and rework their show’s dynamic, making it one of the most balanced and progressive shows on television. As is often the case in mockumentary TV shows, “Parks and Recreation” lays down the sarcasm and satire heavily, but, when you least expect it, will deliver some of the sweetest, most heart-warming scenes in all of television.
There are countless shows on television that try to play the funny-yet-sentimental card, but “Parks and Recreation” stands alone as the best mockumentary show on TV. With such talented actors and actresses delivering memorable scenes, both gut-busting and touching, in every episode, “Parks and Recreation” will only continue to be one of the best shows on TV.
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