Farewell to "Parks and Recreation," the quirky comedy that bet on its cast and won
10 years, 1 month ago

Farewell to "Parks and Recreation," the quirky comedy that bet on its cast and won

Salon  

If you look back at the first season of “Parks and Recreation” now, it really does feel like an entirely different show. Amy Poehler's Leslie Knope is brash and bumbling instead of lovable and self-assured, while the characters that orbit her feel like part of some bizarro alternate universe: Her love interest isn’t Adam Scott's goofy Ben Wyatt, it’s uptight city planner Mark Brendanawicz. Ann and Andy never made sense as a couple, while Mark didn't really fit into the future that the show was building towards — as Vulture’s Nate Jones puts it, “he doesn't make sense in the bright and zany Pawnee of latter-day Parks.” So "Parks" switched things up. It's this kind of positive growth that truly sets "Parks" apart: The characters actually change for the better over the course of the show.

Parks Cast Character Chris Scott Ben Donna Andy Ann Characters Ron Leslie Jerry Rob Lowe  leslie  recreation  really  shows  donna  chris  quirky  parks  comedy  characters  ann  andy  won  farewell  bet  cast  character

History of this topic

Parks and Recreation stars share touching reunion photo to mark ‘Galentine’s Day’
2 years, 1 month ago

Parks and Recreation stars share touching reunion photo to mark ‘Galentine’s Day’

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Several of the stars of …

How ‘Parks and Recreation’ gave Indy pros a shot at acting
4 years, 10 months ago

How ‘Parks and Recreation’ gave Indy pros a shot at acting

New York Times  

Detlef Schrempf had no acting experience and wasn’t looking to get into show business when he was presented with an opportunity. “I think that year they kind of struggled and they weren’t sure they were going to get picked up again for next year so the final episodes was a telethon,” Schrempf recalled. “And then once I get there, they …

A Parks and Recreation Special, review: A reunion that was impossible to dislike, if strangely melancholy
4 years, 10 months ago

A Parks and Recreation Special, review: A reunion that was impossible to dislike, if strangely melancholy

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. In hindsight, though, its relentless positivity was also slightly …

Parks and Recreation reunion: Fans are a ‘mess’ after ‘emotional’ quarantine special
4 years, 10 months ago

Parks and Recreation reunion: Fans are a ‘mess’ after ‘emotional’ quarantine special

The Independent  

Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter for all the latest entertainment news and reviews Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The cast of Parks and Recreation came together over video conference …

"A Parks and Recreation Special" was just the COVID-era reunion we needed
4 years, 10 months ago

"A Parks and Recreation Special" was just the COVID-era reunion we needed

Salon  

"This is not the way TV is be supposed to be made." Anything that can be done to lighten the amount of effort required to turn a joke into a laugh is crucial under these conditions, and the "Parks" team, god bless them, took every shortcut they possibly could — trusting that the nostalgic rush of being in Leslie's company …

Coronavirus, 'Parks and Rec' and the danger of nostalgia
4 years, 10 months ago

Coronavirus, 'Parks and Rec' and the danger of nostalgia

LA Times  

Like millions of Americans, our family laughed and cried its way through the “Parks and Recreation” reunion special Thursday night. Yes, the special expertly twanged our heartstrings and, perhaps more important, reminded us of the days when a show like “Parks and Rec” — a broadcast television weekly sitcom that debuted with a brief and bumpy first season and never …

The ‘Parks and Recreation’ cast reunites tonight. Here’s how to watch
4 years, 11 months ago

The ‘Parks and Recreation’ cast reunites tonight. Here’s how to watch

LA Times  

NBC and Universal Television’s highly anticipated “A Parks and Recreation Special” airs tonight, five years after the beloved TV show wrapped its seven-season run in 2015. Announced last week, the scripted, 30-minute special will benefit hunger-relief nonprofit Feeding America’s COVID-19 Response Fund and feature the series’ original cast. Television ‘Parks and Recreation’ is coming back to support coronavirus relief Beloved …

Review: 'Parks and Recreation' TV reunion was perfectly done
4 years, 11 months ago

Review: 'Parks and Recreation' TV reunion was perfectly done

LA Times  

The main cast and a nice slice of the supporting one reconvened after five years Thursday night on NBC for “A Parks and Recreation Special.” They came to raise money to feed those in need and to send good vibrations and embedded mental health PSAs to the world at large. This isn’t always the case, to be sure — we …

Parks and Recreation to return for scripted reunion in aid of coronavirus charity
4 years, 11 months ago

Parks and Recreation to return for scripted reunion in aid of coronavirus charity

The Independent  

Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter for all the latest entertainment news and reviews Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Beloved sitcom Parks and Recreation will return for a scripted special …

Coronavirus Outbreak: Parks and Recreation cast to reunite on 30 April for half-hour fundraising special at NBC
4 years, 11 months ago

Coronavirus Outbreak: Parks and Recreation cast to reunite on 30 April for half-hour fundraising special at NBC

Firstpost  

Parks and Recreation’s half-hour fundraising special will air at 8:30 pm EDT on 30 April, on NBC. Amy Poehler, Rashida Jones, Aziz Ansari, Nick Offerman and Adam Scott are among the sitcom’s stars to be featured in the half-hour special airing 8:30 p.m. EDT Thursday, 30 April, on NBC. https://t.co/YuyWBTYmrH pic.twitter.com/ZId6Lq3rkJ — Parks and Recreation April 23, 2020 The story …

5 Netflix Shows To Watch If You Like ‘Parks And Recreation’
6 years ago

5 Netflix Shows To Watch If You Like ‘Parks And Recreation’

Huff Post  

“Parks and Recreation” remains one of the most popular shows in the U.S., even though it ended in 2015. Over 2 percent of all Netflix streams were “Parks and Rec” episodes last year, making it the third most-watched show on Netflix. Trailer: “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” Eric Liebowitz/Netflix Jane Krakowski, Ellie Kemper and Titus Burgess in "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" on Netflix. …

Amy Poehler discusses potential reboot of popular sitcom, Parks and Recreations
6 years, 10 months ago

Amy Poehler discusses potential reboot of popular sitcom, Parks and Recreations

Firstpost  

Amy Poehler discussed a possible reboot of the popular NBC sitcom Parks and Recreations with talk show host Ellen DeGeneres. Amy Poehler, who became popular for playing Leslie Knope in the NBC sitcom Parks and Recreations, said even other cast members would like the series to return. The show was nominated for the Emmy for Outstanding Comedies twice and Poehler …

Parks and Recreation finale review: How it forgot what made this show so good.
10 years, 1 month ago

Parks and Recreation finale review: How it forgot what made this show so good.

Slate  

It’s fitting that, in the end, the perennially almost-canceled Parks and Recreation lasted for a respectable seven seasons on NBC: It’s very Leslie Knope of it. If, at the start, intense, ambitious, Hillary-admiring Leslie was a riff on Tracy Flick, as Parks came into its own and Leslie’s qualities were rendered in a more warm waffle-colored light, it became possible …

Critic’s Notebook: ‘Parks and Recreation’ finale: ‘Find your team’
10 years, 1 month ago

Critic’s Notebook: ‘Parks and Recreation’ finale: ‘Find your team’

LA Times  

A story about people who love one another made by people who clearly love one another, “Parks and Recreation” ended its seven-season, zigzag run through prime time Tuesday night on NBC. In the final shot, star Amy Poehler, as public servant Leslie Knope, faced the camera, all aglow, and addressed Leslie’s future and perhaps her own: “I’m ready,” she said. …

Review: Cast of ‘Parks and Rec’ off to greener pastures
10 years, 1 month ago

Review: Cast of ‘Parks and Rec’ off to greener pastures

LA Times  

Amy Poehler and Aubrey Plaza hug at the end of filming a scene on the set of “Parks and Recreation” in 2013. Co-creators Greg Daniels and Michael Schur miraculously recalibrated a rocky first season into a permanent critics’ darling, but low to middling ratings meant “Parks and Rec” faced cancellation for virtually each of its six years. Even as it …

The political evolution of Leslie Knope
12 years, 4 months ago

The political evolution of Leslie Knope

Salon  

There is a moment during "Parks and Recreation’s" second season when Leslie Knope, the department’s effervescent and overachieving deputy manager portrayed by Amy Poehler, breaks down and has a libertarian moment. In my next life, I am going into private industry, maybe strip mining.” Leslie’s foray into Ron Swanson’s ideological territory was brief — she later says, “The right thing …

"Parks and Recreation": One of the only sitcoms that knows how to portray love
12 years, 5 months ago

"Parks and Recreation": One of the only sitcoms that knows how to portray love

Salon  

Last night’s episode of “Parks and Recreation” was titled “Halloween Surprise,” but it overflowed with treats, not tricks. They started small and sweet — Donna’s art-imitates-life arc as a prolific tweeter, Ron trying out Solomonic wisdom on two little girls, Leslie’s Rosie-the-Riveter-Is-a-Total-Hottie costume, Tom trying to make fart attack happen, among others – and ended with the big tear-jerking sugar …

The politics of Parks and Recreation.
13 years, 11 months ago

The politics of Parks and Recreation.

Slate  

Perhaps you’ve come across a variant of the following saying: Liberals worry about the people they don’t know; conservatives worry about the people they do know. A staunch libertarian, Ron’s “idea of a perfect government is one guy who sits in a small room at a desk, and the only thing he’s allowed to decide is who to nuke.” Accordingly, …

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