Parks and Recreation

2008
4.7
2.53K reviews
TV-14
Rating
Eligible
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Season 1 episodes (6)

1 Pilot
4/9/09
From Emmy Award-winning executive producers of "The Office" comes a new mockumentary that looks at the exciting world of local government. The documentary cameras follow Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) a mid-level bureaucrat in the Parks and Recreation Department of Pawnee, Indiana. In an attempt to beautify her town Leslie takes on what should be a fairly simple project: help local nurse Ann Perkins (Rashida Jones) turn an abandoned construction pit into a community park. Leslie is alternately helped and undermined by her colleague, Tom Haverford (Aziz Ansari), who cheerfully exploits his government position for personal gain. She is also thwarted by her boss Ron Swanson (Nick Offerman) who is philosophically opposed to government in any form. Helping Leslie and Ann navigate the Pawnee bureaucracy is charismatic city planner Mark Brendanawicz (Paul Schneider), whose outlook has been soured by 15 years of public service. If they can pull it off, Leslie hopes that she also will have inspired her uninterested college intern April (Aubrey Plaza) and April's whole generation - all the while moving one step closer to her ultimate goal: becoming the first female president of the United States.
2 Canvassing
4/16/09
Leslie (Amy Poehler) and her committee go door-to-door to build support for her park project and recruit members for an upcoming town hall meeting, but their mission doesn't go as smoothly as Leslie hopes. Meanwhile, Tom (Aziz Ansari) strays from the group and uses more questionable recruiting tactics. Rashida Jones, Chris Pratt, Paul Schneider, Aubrey Plaza and Nick Offerman also star.
3 The Reporter
4/23/09
When Leslie (Amy Poehler) invites a reporter to do a story on her park project, she and her committee have trouble staying on message. Leslie calls in Mark (Paul Schneider) to help save the story, but he only makes the situation worse. Meanwhile, Tom (Aziz Ansari) kisses up to his boss (Nick Offerman). Rashida Jones and Aubrey Plaza also star.
4 Boy's Club
4/30/09
Leslie (Amy Poehler) tries to make her way into the old boys club of politics by going to a casual get-together, but she quickly faces a tough ethical choice. Meanwhile, Andy (Chris Pratt) has a secret plan to surprise Ann (Rashida Jones). Aziz Ansari, Paul Schneider, Aubrey Plaza and Nick Offerman also star.
5 The Banquet
5/7/09
Leslie (Amy Poehler) attends a banquet honoring her mother and discovers what it takes to get what you want in the political arena. Meanwhile, Tom (Aziz Ansari) and Mark (Paul Schneider) bail on the banquet to go to a bar and pick up some women. Rashida Jones, Aubrey Plaza and Nick Offerman also star.
6 Rock Show (Producers Cut)
5/14/09
Leslie (Amy Poehler) attends an important meeting with a local bigwig while her sub-committee members go to Andy's (Chris Pratt) first concert since breaking his legs. Rashida Jones, Aziz Ansari, Paul Schneider, Aubrey Plaza, and Nick Offerman also star.

About this show

From Emmy Award-winning executive producers Greg Daniels ("The Office," "King of the Hill") and Michael Schur ("The Office," "Saturday Night Live") comes a new mockumentary that looks at the exciting world of local government. Parks and Recreation will examine the mundane but necessary ways that people interact with their government, and ask why it's frequently so complicated -- as everyone knows from standing in line at the DMV, applying for home construction permits, or trying to get the city to fix a pothole.

Ratings and reviews

4.7
2.53K reviews
Christi Nash
April 13, 2015
I almost gave up on this show after watching the pilot, even though I liked the Office, and love shows with a parks and rec theme, it seemed to be mostly about boring beaucracy and park administration...but I randomly dove into season 2 bc I had read such good things about the show. I'm glad I gave it a chance, the characters are amazing and drive the episodes, no matter what is happening. Great archetypes, great cast. Treat yo self!
10 people found this review helpful
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A Google user
July 2, 2012
On which planet is the humor of this show, as well as 30 Rock, The Office, and Community, funny? The acting is stiff and forced. The handheld camerawork is annoying at best. And the scenes of the characters talking directly to the audience very boring. These shows apparently have a target audience of 13 to 20 year olds at most.
58 people found this review helpful
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Tyler
December 28, 2013
this show is nothing like it's so-called predecessors like the magnificent 30 Rock and Arrested Development. When the jokes do work, you laugh because it's just charming not really funny. Expecting more out of my already low hopes.
8 people found this review helpful
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