About The Show
Parks and
Recreation, also informally known as Parks
and Rec, is an American political comedy
television sitcom starring Amy Poehler as Leslie Knope,
a perky, mid-level bureaucrat in the parks department of
Pawnee, a fictional town in Indiana.
The series was created by Greg Daniels and Michael Scur,
and aired on NBC from April 9, 2009 to February 24, 2015
for 125 episodes over seven seasons. It uses the same
filming style used in The Office, with the same
implication of a documentary crew filming everyone. The
ensemble and supporting cast features Rashida Jones,
Aziz Ansari, Nick Offerman, Aubrey Plaza, Paul
Schneider, Chris Pratt, Adam Scott, Rob Lowe, Jim
O'Heir, Rett, and Billy Eichner.
The writers researched local California politics for the
show and consulted with urban planners and elected
officials. Poehler's character of Leslie Knope underwent
major changes after the first season in response to
audience feedback that she seemed unitelligent and
"ditzy." The writing staff incorporated current events
into their episodes, such as a government shutdown in
Pawnee inspired by the real-life global finance crisis.
Several guest stars such as Will Arnett, Sam Elliott,
Bill Murray, Louis C.K., and Paul Rudd, have been
featured in the show, and these characters often appear
in multiple episodes.
Parks and Recreation was part of NBC''s "Comedy
Night Done Right" programming during its Thursday night
prime-time block. The series received mixed reviews
during its first season, but, after a re-approach to its
tone and format, the second and subsequent seasons were
widely acclaimed. Throughout its run, Parks and
Recreation received several awards and
nominations, including two Primetime Emmy award
nominations for Outstanding Comedy Series, six Emmy
nominations, and a Golden Globe win for Poehler's
performance, and a nomination for the Golden Globe Award
for Best Television Series -- Musical or Comedy. In Time's
2012 year-end lists issue, Parks and Recreation
was named the number one television series of that year.
In 2013, after receiving four consecutive nominations in
the category, Parks and Recreation won the
Television Critics Association Award for Outstanding
Achievement in Comedy (Wikipedia).