Parks and Recreation

Great characters and often-brilliant writing helped this show stand out from its more cynical peers. Plus, Ron F***ing Swanson.

An unfortunate influence of Seinfeld -- through no fault of its own -- was every sitcom being awful people doing awful things to slightly less awful people. Parks and Rec is unashamedly positive, upbeat and idealistic in a world where such attitudes are mocked by a world drowning in irony. The show itself is its own Leslie Knope: a force for good trying to spread joy, despite idiot masses not knowing what's best for them. Skip the first season, or plow through it. It's worth it.

Although the first season is an obvious attempt to piggy-back on the Office, unique and memorable characters start to shine in seasons 2 and 3. Ron Swanson and Andy Dwyer are the two who make the most of their screen time, though everyone is pretty hilarious. Rob Lowe rekindles his career with a tightly performed role and Leslie and Ben are genuinely sweet - if not occasionally over-the-top. You have to get this kind of off-beat humor to enjoy it, but if you do it's a rewarding experience.

In a world of TV shows that seem to think apathetic, cynical jerks are the epitome of comedy, Parks and Rec's sweet optimism, as embodied by Leslie Knope, really stands out. It's endearing and funny, and it's quickly become my favorite bit of feel-good media.

First off, I will say that season 3 is one of the greatest sitcom seasons out there (I picked it as the #4 show of the year the year it aired, and stand by that). Warm, funny, bighearted, well-plotted. By the end of the show's run though, the endlessly fucking upbeat tone and Leslie Knope herself began to grate on me. The series finale was like an unintentional parody of itself; it reminded me of the "mega happy ending" from Wayne's World. Still though. Seasons 2 and 3; great TV.

Full of great characters, I like Poehler too and she leads the whole series superbly. It borrows influence from a fair few places, but ends up as something uniquely positive and of its own being. Ron Swanson is a creation of comic genius, and Plaza is glorious to look at which helps also.

Starts slow and painful during the first season, gets much better, stays consistently good for 6 seasons - that's quite an accomplishment. I didn't watch it for a long time because I was majorly turned off by clips of Ron Swanson, and I thought this character could only belong in a terribly unfunny show. I was wrong. They don't overdo his stuff, and he's actually an interesting character. I regret waiting so long to get on the Parks & Recs train. That show was good.

First season was tough because Leslie was way too earnest. Toward the end this show was great since everyone was so nice and not cynical like other shows. Fav scenes: mentions of atrocities against native Americans in Pawnee's history; city hall murals.

Final season was completely unnecessary and overindulgent, first season is a bit of a slog, otherwise excellent. Aziz Ansari is extremely irritating but works well as a foil in an ensemble, how he killed it as a standup is incomprehensible to me.

I didn't give this much of a chance originally as it was on right after The Office and it felt too similar with the camera crew following for no reason etc., but on rewatch, it is it's own kind of humor and has an amazingly talented cast.

It is always a good sign for me when I cannot pick a favorite character from a long running television show, and that's exactly what happened as I made my way through Parks and Recreation. The writing is a giant part of what makes the show so funny, but I can't help but attribute part of my love to the chemistry between actors and actresses such as Amy Poehler (Leslie), Aziz Ansari (Tom), Adam Scott (Ben), Nick Offerman (Ron), and Aubrey Plaza (April) among others in the cast.

I promised the love of my life I wouldn't watch an episode unless she watches it with me. This score is just a place holder. She hasn't spoken to me in months, but I will keep waiting. I told her I would. I still am, my sleepy girl.

Better than The Office.... fight me

God bless Ron Swanson

This is one where I can't even argue when people tell me its good. I'm sure it is, but just not for me. I don't like Amy Poehler. Aziz is annoying about 40% of the time. And Aubrey Plaza's character is just a vapid hole of entertainment. It tried to hard to capture the magic we got from the first few seasons of the Office. And I could be objectively wrong in my opinion on this show, but I still don't want to watch more of it.

Seen through which season?

Watched up to S05E22 - dropped.

The mockumentary thing never made any sense and seeing characters get dumber every season grated but , somehow, it's fun.

I think as someone who comes from Indiana, that enhances my enjoyment of this show, but regardless of that, it's just an absolutely hilarious show. Stellar cast, although I'd have to say my favorites are Nick Offerman, Aubrey Plaza, and Chris Pratt.

Parks and Rec is interesting in that its characters are often unlikeable (except for O'Heir's Jerry/Garry/Terry/Larry) but still frequently manage to be endearing. There are two main aspects to the show; the mildly amusing personal lives of the main characters and the hilarious attempts at implementing public policy and interacting with the public. The jokes and bits are consistently funny. Offerman's Ron Swanson is my pick for MVP, but the entire cast is great.

even with ample warnings i wasn't prepared for how bad S1 is lmao. really didn't expect to like tom or ron and eventually loved them. i didn't think i'd like donna or jerry cuz they seemed like randos, but they became favs then donna became meh for a long ass time. Amy really steals the show from April and Andy whose show it actually is. Chris some + but mostly fine. Ben not much +. Louis was cool. Rashida finally starts being attractive and a great character then leaves lool. Tammy 2

Aziz Ansari is a pain, but the show is good. Once upon a time when all shows were goody-goody, a show with nasty characters came as a breath of fresh air. But now it's the opposite. Every other show is filled with nasty characters, so P & R comes as a decent change.

I feel like I either really love or absolutely hate all of the characters. Both the idea and the execution of a staunchly anti-government libertarian bureaucrat was excellent. Aziz was still funny. Chris Pratt played lovable loser as well as anybody. And hot damn, the last season completely went off the rails. I almost feel like we need an updated version of "jumped the shark" based on one of the horrible storylines from season 7.

There are definite high points to this show, and I used to enjoy it immensely, but the rewatch didn’t hold up.

S1: 85, S2: 85, S3: 80, S4: 82, S5: 85, S6: 80, S7: 82

It's like soup, it's hearty, sweet/sour, it makes me warm and happy inside, and I can't get enough after one bowl/episode. I miss it, the episodes were all so well-paced with no lulls and lots of cuts jumping between different story-lines neatly wrapped up in 22 minutes. It was inspirational too.

Once it finds its footing this show becomes much funnier and enjoyable.

temporadas 2 a 4 perfeitas. elenco dos sonhos. última temporada estranha. uma série que te faz acreditar mais nas coisas

If you compare my score of this to that of The Office, you might think this is the better show; however, this is only the more *consistent* of the two. Parks & Rec can never quite reach the highs of The Office, but it still has its good seasons in the middle. Its sixth season begins to show signs of age, but its final season really brings it back into form with some of the most interesting storylines of its run.

Loved Rob Lowe and Nick Offerman's characters and it made the show worth watching for me. The Ben/Leslie relationship is one of the most awkward, horrible love stories ever put on TV. Obviously the entire feel from the show is ripped off straight from The Office but it's done well most of the time, you just wish there was a better main character. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VK4kQF6Zu6w

The multimedia equivalent of a bathtub full of bacon mac and cheese.

P&R starts with the format from The Office and builds upon it. The first two seasons are below average, but the rest of the show evolved into one of my favorites. The side characters are amazing, led by the show stealing Nick Offerman.

A light and wispy delight with occasional laugh out loud moments. Unfortunately, the show develops an unhealthy infatuation with all its characters in the later seasons yielding a kind of saccharine fan-fiction that goes for sit-com audiences' AWWWs as opposed to the genuine laughs. It's okay, at first, but then the campy sentimentality starts eating away at the very things that made the show enjoyable in the first place. The only thing that's left is teenage romances involving 30-40 year olds.

very nice series

One of my all-time favorite shows. What started as a clear attempt to capitalize on the format of The Office (and it originally aired right after) becomes an inspiring, emotional, and hilarious show about friendship, government, and trying to achieve your dreams against all odds. The entire cast is brilliant here and I would be willing to bet most of the best jokes weren't scripted. It can be subversive and sweet simultaneously. Amy Poehler's career achivement.

Yes! Leslie Knope! Yes!

simply. amazing.

Despite being a pretty apparent U.S. The Office ripoff, it does do several things right and some even better than the aforementioned show. It has a more well-rounded cast of characters but lacks the emotional core of Jim and Pam. It never quite reaches the heights of The Office but it sustains itself for much longer and never feels unnecessary.

After a less-than-stellar first season, it gets quite good. The final season was pretty bad too, veering off into cheap sentimentality which The Office also abused in its finale, and I truly don't care for that. It's a good show overall.

there are just enough clips on youtube now that i don't have to watch anything else ever again