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102-473: Film critic Nathan Rabin coined the term in 2007 in his review of the 2005 film Elizabethtown for The A.V. Club . In discussing Kirsten Dunst 's character, he said "Dunst embodies a character type I like to call The Manic Pixie Dream Girl", a character who "exists solely in the fevered imaginations of sensitive writer-directors to teach broodingly soulful young men to embrace life and its infinite mysteries and adventures." A year later, The A.V. Club ran

204-740: A Golden Globe Award win for Poehler's performance and a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy , and a Peabody Award . 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 . The first season focuses on Leslie Knope ,

306-462: A 2009 AV Club article about the 1996 baseball comedy film Ed , Rabin described himself as "a longtime Chicago White Sox super-fan", although in a 2021 blog post he confessed to having lost interest in following sports since his adolescence. In 2024, he announced that he had recently been diagnosed with autism , moderate ADHD and bipolar II disorder . Parks and Recreation Parks and Recreation (also known as Parks and Rec )

408-479: A campaign, she realizes she must break up with Ben to avoid scandal. Ben and Leslie restart their relationship and Ben sacrifices his job to save Leslie from losing hers, due to Chris' policy against romantic relationships in the workplace. The Parks Department volunteers to become her campaign staff, with Ben as Leslie's campaign manager. Leslie's campaign faces myriad setbacks against her main opponent, Bobby Newport, and his famous campaign manager Jennifer Barkley. In

510-480: A chapter about Rabin's unsuccessful audition to fill in for Roger Ebert as a guest critic on At the Movies . Scribner also published a book version of My Year of Flops (2010). On April 23, 2013, The A.V. Club announced that Rabin, Tasha Robinson, Genevieve Koski, and Noel Murray would be leaving to start a new web-based project with former staffers Scott Tobias and Keith Phipps. On May 30, 2013, this project

612-406: A character who would later kiss Jones at some point in the series; he was cast instead as Ron Swanson . Rob Lowe was introduced as Chris Traeger alongside Scott and was originally expected to depart after a string of guest appearances, but later signed a multi-year contract to become a regular cast member. He departed from the series in the season six episode, "Ann and Chris", returning in

714-500: A construction pit and breaking his legs. Pratt wrote "Ann", a ballad about Ann Perkins, featured in the episode " Boys' Club ". Schur wrote the lyrics to "November", a song featured in "The Master Plan" about April Ludgate. In the episode " Woman of the Year ", Andy claims every song he writes includes either the lyrics, "Spread your wings and fly", or "You deserve to be a champion." As a result of that joke, every Mouse Rat song featured in

816-519: A consulting producer starting in the middle of the first season. Allison Jones , who worked as a casting director for The Office , served in the same capacity at the start of Parks and Recreation , along with Nancy Perkins, for whom the character Ann Perkins was named. Dorian Frankel became the casting director starting with the second season. Alan Yang , Harris Wittels , and Katie Dippold, all of whom were Parks and Recreation screenwriters, also worked as executive story editors. The pilot episode

918-613: A deal with Chris and Ben to bring back the Pawnee Harvest Festival, but if the festival fails the Parks Department will be eliminated. After weeks of planning, the festival becomes a tremendous success through Leslie's efforts. Later, Chris returns from Indianapolis to become Pawnee's acting city manager, while Ben also takes a job in Pawnee. April and Andy start dating and, only a few weeks later, marry in

1020-546: A district of Los Angeles. The producers went door-to-door in the neighborhood, seeking residents' permission for the dig. The pit was guarded 24 hours a day. Scenes set in playgrounds and elsewhere outdoors were filmed on location in Los Angeles. Most scenes set in locations outside the usual Parks and Recreation settings were also filmed in Los Angeles-area locations. For example, public forum scenes in

1122-621: A fallacious notion of what we can actually have in our lives." The Manic Pixie Dream Boy trope has also been pointed out in sitcoms such as Parks and Recreation and 30 Rock . The female protagonists of these shows marry men ( Adam Scott 's Ben Wyatt and James Marsden 's Criss Chros , respectively), who, according to a 2012 Grantland article, "patiently [tamp] down her stubbornness and temper while appreciating her quirks, helping her to become her best possible self." Nathan Rabin Nathan Rabin ( / r ɑː ˈ b iː n / )

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1224-645: A freelance writer. In April 2017, Rabin announced that The AV Club had canceled his My World of Flops column, and that he was establishing his own Patreon -funded website, Nathan Rabin's Happy Place. Rabin grew up on the north side of Chicago. He coined the phrase " manic pixie dream girl " as a cinematic archetype in 2007. He was a panelist on the short-lived basic cable show Movie Club with John Ridley on American Movie Classics . In 2007, he began My Year of Flops on The A.V. Club , where he reevaluated films that were shunned by critics, ignored by audiences, or both, at their time of release. As of January 2008,

1326-518: A half-hour NBC comedy Daniels adapted from the British comedy of the same name , created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant . Schur served as the showrunner of Parks and Recreation , while Amy Poehler and Morgan Sackett worked as producers. Dean Holland , an editor on The Office , also worked as an editor on Parks and Recreation . Mike Scully , a former executive producer and showrunner for The Simpsons , joined Parks and Recreation as

1428-463: A large studio set sound stage. The set's windows were outfitted with water systems to simulate falling rain, and the windowsills included fake pigeons. The set also includes four hallways that make up the hospital setting where Ann Perkins works as a nurse. The construction pit featured throughout the first and second seasons was dug by the episode's producers at an undeveloped property in Van Nuys ,

1530-508: A member of the regular cast in the fourth episode of season seven. Deedle-Dee Productions and Universal Media Studios produced Parks and Recreation starting with the first season; the production companies Fremulon and 3 Arts Entertainment also became involved with the show starting with the second season. The series was created by Greg Daniels and Michael Schur , who served as executive producers along with Howard Klein. Klein previously worked with Daniels and Schur on The Office ,

1632-433: A pejorative way to deride unique women in fiction and reality". In July 2014, writing for Salon , Rabin stated that the term "Manic Pixie Dream Girl" had frequently been deployed in ways that are sexist and had become as much of a cliché as the trope itself. Rabin acknowledged that the phrase has its uses in specific, limited contexts, but overwhelming popularity had limited its effectiveness. Rabin concluded by saying that

1734-773: A piece listing 16 characters they deemed MPDGs, including Katharine Hepburn 's character in Bringing Up Baby ; Goldie Hawn 's character, Jill, in Butterflies Are Free ; and Winona Ryder 's character in Autumn in New York . Thereafter, the new term spread throughout other media, including National Public Radio and Jezebel . In an interview in New York about her 2012 film Ruby Sparks , actress and screenwriter Zoe Kazan expressed skepticism over

1836-410: A projected September 2010 air date. After the episodes were already filmed, NBC opted not to put the show on the fall schedule and instead delayed the premiere of the third season until the beginning of 2011. This allowed for the network to run its new comedy, Outsourced , in two-hour comedy schedule block rather than Parks and Recreation . The schedule change meant that all sixteen episodes from

1938-474: A real-life encounter Schur had in Burbank with a libertarian government official who admitted, "I don't really believe in the mission of my job." The concept of turning a construction pit into a park was seen as a device to bring all the characters together working toward a common goal. The writers originally envisioned the pit becoming a park only in the series finale, although those plans were later changed and

2040-428: A really good job of explaining what the town is like. (The) credits do a really good job of establishing it's just sort of a normal, every-day town in the middle of the country." Due to its realistic mockumentary-style cinematography technique, Parks and Recreation does not use composed background music. Several songs were written for the show to be performed by Chris Pratt's character, Andy Dwyer, and his band within

2142-564: A regular cast member starting with season two. Adam Scott left his starring role on the Starz comedy series Party Down to join the series as Ben Wyatt , starting with the penultimate second-season episode, "The Master Plan". Nick Offerman previously auditioned for the role of Michael Scott in The Office , which eventually went to Steve Carell . Offerman was originally considered for another role, but NBC felt that he wouldn't fit for

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2244-429: A seven-episode story arc about the characters organizing a harvest festival and staking the financial future of their department on its success. The festival served as a device to unite the characters, much like the construction pit had earlier in the show. Schur said this was done because the first six episodes were written and filmed early, and the writing staff felt having one concise storyline to tie them together kept

2346-534: A successful business named Rent-A-Swag that rents high-end clothing to teenagers. Leslie and Ben plan a fundraising event for the park, now called the Pawnee Commons, and decide to have an impromptu wedding that night in City Hall. Later, Leslie's changes to Pawnee lead to several locals petitioning for her to be recalled from office. The sixth season begins with the absorption of Eagleton by Pawnee after

2448-594: A surprise ceremony. Tom quits his city hall job to form an entertainment company called Entertainment 720 with his friend, Jean-Ralphio . The business cannot maintain its lavish spending and quickly runs out of money, leaving Tom to return to the Parks Department. Leslie and Ben show romantic interest in each other; however, Chris has implemented a rule that would prevent a superior (Ben) from dating his employee (Leslie). In spite of this rule, Leslie and Ben begin secretly dating. The fourth season deals with Leslie's campaign to run for city council. As Leslie begins preparing

2550-433: A technique that would be used throughout the series. During a scene in " The Reporter " in which Leslie reacts to quotes read to her by the journalist, Poehler improvised several jokes, many of which were ultimately going to be cut from the episode. Holland thought they were all funny, so he created a brief montage intercutting several of the lines. Principal photography began on February 18, 2009, less than two months before

2652-409: A technology company, Gryzzl, to bring free Wi-Fi to the city of Pawnee. Gryzzl engages in intense data mining , inducing Ron, whose new construction company, Very Good Building and Development Company, has been handling their construction needs, to reconnect with Leslie to correct the issue. The principal cast starting in season one included: Several cast members were introduced or developed after

2754-644: A way to garner public support for the unpopular merger, the Parks Department hold a Unity Concert. Later, Leslie reveals she is pregnant with triplets. Leslie takes the job as Regional Director for the National Park Service in Chicago, immediately submitting a proposal to bring the job to Pawnee. The seventh season , though it aired in 2015, takes place in 2017. Ron and Leslie are shown to be enemies due to Ron's company having torn down Ann's old house in order to build an apartment building. Ben convinces

2856-762: Is an American film and music critic. Rabin was the first head writer for The A.V. Club , a position he held until he left the Onion organization in 2013. In 2013, Rabin became a staff writer for The Dissolve , a film website operated by Pitchfork Media . Two of his featured columns at The Dissolve were "Forgotbusters" (looking back at films that were among the top 25 box office earners in their release years but had not had cultural or popular endurance) and "Streaming University" (reviewing documentaries that were available through sites such as Netflix and Hulu ). On April 29, 2015, Rabin announced he had parted ways with The Dissolve . He later returned to The A.V. Club as

2958-905: Is an American political satire mockumentary television sitcom created by Greg Daniels and Michael Schur . The series aired on NBC from April 9, 2009, to February 24, 2015, for 125 episodes, over seven seasons. A special reunion episode aired on April 30, 2020. The series stars Amy Poehler as Leslie Knope , a perky, mid-level bureaucrat in the Parks Department of the fictional town of Pawnee , Indiana . The ensemble and supporting cast features Rashida Jones as Ann Perkins , Aziz Ansari as Tom Haverford , Nick Offerman as Ron Swanson , Aubrey Plaza as April Ludgate , Chris Pratt as Andy Dwyer , Adam Scott as Ben Wyatt , Paul Schneider as Mark Brendanawicz , Rob Lowe as Chris Traeger , Jim O'Heir as Garry "Jerry" Gergich , Retta as Donna Meagle , and Billy Eichner as Craig Middlebrooks . The writers researched local California politics for

3060-536: The COVID-19 pandemic , NBC announced they would air a new, special episode of the series, centered on Leslie trying to stay connected with the other current and former residents of Pawnee during social distancing. The series' cast returned for the special, which benefited Feeding America 's COVID-19 response. The special episode aired on April 30, 2020. According to Schur, the special took about three weeks to complete. Morgan Sackett, who previously directed episodes of

3162-473: The fifth season , Leslie begins working as a City Councillor but finds opposition from angry locals and her fellow councilmen. Ben is at his new job on a congressional campaign in Washington DC, alongside April whom he brought along as an intern. Ron begins a romantic relationship with a woman named Diane. Ben returns to Pawnee and proposes to Leslie. They get married midway through the season. Tom starts

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3264-400: The financial crisis facing the nation and much of the world when the episodes were produced. The introduction of Chris Traeger and Ben Wyatt as state auditors visiting Pawnee, and the subsequent government shutdown, were inspired by news reports at a time when a number of states considered a shutdown of schools, parks, and other services due to the global recession. The third season included

3366-641: The City Council race, and returned for two episodes in the final season. The series has had cameos by several real-life political figures, including then Vice President Joe Biden , Senator Barbara Boxer , former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich , Senator John McCain , Michelle Obama , former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright , and Senators Olympia Snowe , Cory Booker , and Orrin Hatch . Immediately after Ben Silverman

3468-603: The Highway Strip by The Magnetic Fields and other pop culture items as a springboard to discuss its author's tragi-comic adolescence as a guest of a mental hospital, a foster family whose patience and generosity he jokes "knew only strict, unyielding boundaries" and the Jewish Children's Bureau group home system, as well as his career with The A.V. Club and the short-lived film review show Movie Club With John Ridley on which he appeared. The book ends with

3570-575: The MPDG may have become more common than the archetype itself," suggesting that filmmakers had been forced to become "self-aware about such characters" and that the trope had largely disappeared from film. In July 2013, Kat Stoeffel, for New York , argued that the term has its uses, but that it has sometimes been deployed in ways that are sexist. For example, she noted that "it was levied, criminally, at Diane Keaton in Annie Hall and Zooey Deschanel ,

3672-608: The Manic Pixie Dream Boy or Manic Pixie Dream Guy, was found in Augustus Waters from the film version of The Fault in Our Stars (2014); he was given this title in a 2014 Vulture article, in which Matt Patches stated, "he's a bad boy, he's a sweetheart, he's a dumb jock, he's a nerd, he's a philosopher, he's a poet, he's a victim, he's a survivor, he's everything everyone wants in their lives, and he's

3774-510: The actual person. How could a real person's defining trait be a lack of interior life? " Similar sentiments were expressed by Monika Bartyzel for The Week in April 2013, who wrote "this once-useful piece of critical shorthand has devolved into laziness and sexism". Bartyzel argues that "'Manic Pixie Dream Girl' was useful when it commented on the superficiality of female characterizations in male-dominated journeys, but it has since devolved into

3876-482: The cameras in one-on-one interviews with the documentary crew members. The episodes were scripted, but the production encouraged the cast to improvise, and dialogue or performances the actors made up during filming often made the final cut of the episodes. Schur said he believes the mockumentary style is particularly fitting for a show about city government because "It's a device for showing the ways people act and behave differently when they're in public and private [and]

3978-404: The cast and crew of Parks and Recreation , although Poehler also pointed out it gave them additional time to go back and re-edit episodes or shoot and add new material. The producers hired BMI as music consultants to find a theme song. With less than three weeks until the show first aired, BMI sent out a mass e-mail to a slew of composers, giving them five days to submit an entry. According to

4080-483: The department only for college credit and does not care about the job, which Plaza thought would be an interesting, comedic contrast with Poehler's character. They liked the concept for the character and created April Ludgate . Chris Pratt was originally intended to be a guest star, with his character Andy Dwyer initially meant to appear only in the first season, but the producers liked Pratt so much that, almost immediately after casting him, they decided to make him

4182-586: The deputy director of the Parks and Recreation Department in the fictional town of Pawnee , Indiana . Local nurse Ann Perkins demands the construction pit beside her house created by an abandoned condo development be filled in after her boyfriend, Andy Dwyer , fell in and broke both legs. Leslie promises to turn the pit into a park, despite resistance from the parks director Ron Swanson , an anti-government libertarian . City planner Mark Brendanawicz – for whom Leslie harbors romantic feelings – pragmatically insists

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4284-415: The difference between what goes on behind closed doors and what people present to the public is a huge issue." The Parks and Recreation producers approached each episode as if filming a real documentary. They typically shot enough for a 35 or 40-minute episode, then cut it down to 22 minutes, using the best material. Due to the improvisational acting and hand-held camerawork, a great deal of extra footage

4386-440: The documentary crew on Parks and Recreation regularly follows the characters into more intimate, non-work settings, such as on dates or at their homes. Parks and Recreation also makes frequent use of the jump cut technique. For instance, one scene in the pilot episode repeatedly jump cuts between brief clips in which Leslie seeks permission from Ron to pursue the pit project. Early in the season, editor Dean Holland developed

4488-473: The earliest stages of the development of Parks and Recreation . While Aubrey Plaza was in Los Angeles for a film, casting director Allison Jones, who cast the film Plaza was working on, asked her if she wanted to attend a meeting with a showrunner of The Office who was developing a pilot. A fan of The Office , Plaza agreed. According to Schur, Jones said to him, "I just met the weirdest, funniest girl I've ever met in my life, you should meet with her." At

4590-473: The encouragement of improvisation among the cast, even though the episodes were scripted. The series was scheduled as a mid-season replacement, and was rushed to meet the premiere date of April 9, 2009. Before the title Parks and Recreation was chosen, the name Public Service was considered, but ultimately rejected because network officials did not want to be accused of mocking the idea. Schur said at PaleyFest that he and Daniels approached casting with

4692-403: The episode " Pawnee Zoo " included social commentary about same-sex marriage . " The Stakeout " included a parody of the controversial arrest of Harvard University professor Henry Louis Gates , and a sex scandal involving a Pawnee councilman in " Practice Date " mirrored the real-life 2009 scandal of South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford . Starting in the middle of the second season,

4794-470: The episode " Practice Date " led him to be established as the inept co-worker the rest of the department callously picks on. Donna was developed as a sassy hedonist whose mysterious life is occasionally hinted at. It was not until the third season they became considered regular cast members, and were added to the opening credits during the sixth season. Billy Eichner was a recurring cast member as Craig Middlebrooks during season 6, and began being billed as

4896-585: The fifth season moved back to 9:30 pm on Thursdays. In Australia, Parks and Recreation aired on Channel Seven 's digital channel, 7mate . In Canada, the series was simsubbed in most areas on City . In India, it airs on Zee Café . In the Philippines, it airs on Jack TV . In South Africa, the show airs on Pay-TV operator M-Net . In the UK, the show began airing on BBC Four in 2013. The first three seasons aired on this channel before moving to Dave in

4998-461: The final draft, and they were changed to be more appealing in response to feedback the episode received from focus groups and press tour screenings. For example, while an early draft of the pilot script had Mark saying he didn't care about Leslie or the pit but would support her plan because he liked Ann Perkins and wanted an excuse to spend more time with her, the finished pilot had Mark backing Leslie because he admired her passion and drive. Schur said

5100-545: The first official broadcast of FX sister network, FXX , when it launched on September 2, 2013, followed by an all-day marathon, marking the first time the NBC comedy appeared off-network. The series debuted on Comedy Central in the United States on January 21, 2019, and select episodes were available to stream on their website and app. Comedy Central has the rights to air Parks and Recreation through 2024. In June 2020,

5202-652: The first season: Numerous actors have made recurring guest appearances throughout the series, including Pamela Reed as Leslie's mother and fellow politician Marlene Griggs-Knope , Ben Schwartz as Tom's fast-talking friend Jean-Ralphio and Jenny Slate as his twin sister Mona-Lisa, Jama Williamson as Tom's ex-wife Wendy , Mo Collins as morning talk show host Joan Callamezzo , Jay Jackson as television broadcaster Perd Hapley , Alison Becker as newspaper reporter Shauna Malwae-Tweep , Darlene Hunt as conservative activist Marcia Langman, and Andy Forrest as Andy's frequent shoeshine customer Kyle . Megan Mullally ,

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5304-406: The former town declares bankruptcy. As the governments merge, Leslie loses the recall vote and returns to the Parks Department full-time, while Ben is voted in as the next City Manager. Tom sells Rent-A-Swag to Jean-Ralphio's father, Dr. Saperstein, in a cash settlement and opens a restaurant called "Tom's Bistro". Ann and Chris, now in a relationship and expecting a baby, leave Pawnee for Michigan. As

5406-429: The idea of building a show around a female relationship, namely Leslie Knope and Ann Perkins. Reports that Daniels and Schur were developing a show together led to press speculation it would, in fact, be a spin-off of The Office . The producers insisted their new series would be entirely independent. Nevertheless, their concept for it shared several elements with The Office , particularly the mockumentary approach and

5508-513: The idea of finding "the funniest people and we'll tailor the roles to them". Poehler departed from the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live , where she was a cast member for nearly seven years, to star in Parks and Recreation as Leslie Knope . It was only after she was cast that Daniels and Schur established the series' general concept and the script for the pilot was written. Rashida Jones

5610-400: The meeting, Daniels asked Plaza about life and what she thought happens when people died and the two had a discussion on the topic. Plaza said that Schur likely found the conversation odd. They told her the idea for the show's pilot and that they were considering giving Poehler's character an assistant that was a doltish blonde. Plaza pitched them instead the character of a smart intern who is at

5712-454: The middle of the election. The economy hadn't collapsed yet, but we got the general sense that the government was going to be playing a more significant role in years to come. We had no idea how right we were. – Michael Schur The writers spent time researching local California politics and attending Los Angeles City Council meetings. Schur said they observed many community hearings were attended only by those opposed, often angrily, to

5814-403: The original spin-off plan because they "couldn't find the right fit". They considered a series about a local government official trying to rebuild a political career following a humiliating public spectacle. They eventually abandoned the idea, though it did end up being incorporated into the backstory for Ben Wyatt late in the second season. After Amy Poehler agreed to play the lead, they decided

5916-664: The pilot episode were filmed in one of the city's middle schools, and a town meeting scene in the episode " Eagleton " was shot at the Toluca Lake Sports Center in the Toluca Lake district of Los Angeles. Other Eagleton scenes were also shot at the Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens, located in San Marino . Elaborate festival setting and corn maze sets featured in " Harvest Festival "

6018-560: The pit was filled in during the second season. While researching whether such a project could realistically last several months or longer, Schur spoke to urban planners in Claremont, California who said it was entirely plausible because they had recently broken ground on a park that had been in various planning stages for 18 years. Daniels and Schur wrote the script for the pilot episode in mid-2008. The original script portrayed Leslie and Mark as slightly less likable than they appeared in

6120-441: The project is unrealistic due to government red tape , but nevertheless secretly convinces Ron to approve the project. Leslie and her staff, including her assistant Tom Haverford and intern April Ludgate , try encouraging community interest in the pit project, but meet resistance. In the second season , the pit is eventually filled in because Leslie takes it upon herself to fill in the pit without permission, not realizing Andy

6222-497: The proposals under consideration. This fact became a major component of town hall scenes and was the basis for the " Canvassing " episode. The writers consulted with real-life government officials such as urban planners and elected officials. Scott Albright, a California city planner, provided direct feedback for the Mark Brendanawicz character, and the inspiration for Ron Swanson's anti-government convictions came from

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6324-403: The real-life wife of Nick Offerman, portrayed Ron's ex-wife Tammy in the second season's " Ron and Tammy ", a role she reprised in later episodes. Lucy Lawless and Jon Glaser have recurring roles in the fifth and sixth seasons. Lucy Lawless plays Ron's love interest and later wife Diane Lewis. Jon Glaser plays Leslie's arch enemy on the city council Jeremy Jamm. Mullally's performance

6426-401: The same person; the footage is intercut to create the final version of the scene. This technique was inspired by The Five Obstructions , a 2003 experimental documentary directed by Lars von Trier and Jørgen Leth , which Daniels watched at the suggestion of actor Paul Schneider. Another distinction from The Office is while almost all footage from that show is filmed in a workplace setting,

6528-471: The season 3 episode, " Andy and April's Fancy Party "). The album features guest vocals from Nick Offerman as Ron Swanson and Jeff Tweedy as Scott Tanner. Pratt stated on Rob Lowe's podcast Parks and Recollection that he was not involved with the project or its promotion. On the weekly Billboard charts , The Awesome Album debuted at number 2 on Comedy Albums , number 11 on Heatseekers Albums , and number 17 on Top Album Sales . Parks and Recreation

6630-495: The season. Jones returned in the series finale, along with the COVID-19 pandemic special. Paul Schneider was cast as Mark Brendanawicz . He said early in the series he was insecure in the role because he was still trying to figure out the character's motivations. Schneider left the cast after the second season and the character is not referenced at any point during the remainder of the series' run. Similarly with Jones, Daniels and Schur had intended to cast Aziz Ansari from

6732-424: The second season were to build more of the show around the relationship between Leslie Knope and Ron Swanson; transforming Chris Pratt's Andy from the villain of the show to a lovable man-child; and "letting Tom and April be intimidated by Leslie rather than scornful of her." The staff also decided to move on from the construction pit story arc, having the pit filled in the second-season episode "Kaboom". Although it

6834-529: The series and consulted with urban planners and elected officials. Leslie Knope underwent major changes after the first season , in response to audience feedback that the character seemed unintelligent and "ditzy". The writing staff incorporated current events into the episodes, such as a government shutdown in Pawnee inspired by the real-life global financial crisis of 2007–08 . Real-life political figures, including John McCain , Michelle Obama , and Joe Biden , have cameos in later episodes. Parks and Recreation

6936-431: The series finale and the 2020 special. Jim O'Heir and Retta made regular appearances respectively as Garry "Jerry" Gergich and Donna Meagle since the first season, but their personalities did not become developed until the second season. Schur said the Parks and Recreation staff liked the actors so he decided to include them in the show and "figured we'd work it out later". A throwaway joke at Jerry's expense in

7038-469: The series since then has included one of those two lyrics. In the episode "Telethon", Andy plays the song "Sex Hair", about how one can tell whether someone has had sex because their hair is matted. In "Li'l Sebastian", Andy performs a tribute song called "5,000 Candles in the Wind", so-called because Leslie asks him to write a song like " Candle in the Wind " by Elton John , only 5,000 times better. The song

7140-452: The series would revolve around an optimistic bureaucrat in small-town government. Production was delayed to accommodate Poehler's pregnancy. The idea was partly inspired by the portrayal of local politics on the HBO drama series The Wire , as well as the renewed interest in and optimism about politics stemming from the 2008 United States presidential election . The staff was also drawn to

7242-418: The series, was asked to direct, and many of the original writers on the series (including Megan Amram, Dave King, Joe Mande, Aisha Muharrar, Matt Murray, and Jen Statsky) created the script in three days. The cast members were sent camera rigs and iPhones to record their parts, taking four days to do so. The visual effects team from the series The Good Place (also created by Schur) provided visual effects on

7344-684: The series. Norm Hiscock , a consulting producer, wrote a number of episodes, including the first-season finale "Rock Show" and second-season premiere " Pawnee Zoo ". Other regular screenwriters included Katie Dippold , Dan Goor , Aisha Muharrar , Harris Wittels , and Alan Yang . Frequent Parks and Recreation directors include Dean Holland , Randall Einhorn , Troy Miller , and Jason Woliner , with several others guest-directing one or two episodes such as Jeffrey Blitz , Paul Feig , Tucker Gates , Seth Gordon , Nicole Holofcener , Beth McCarthy-Miller , Michael McCullers , and Charles McDougall . When we were talking about this, we were in

7446-479: The show also began airing on IFC in the United States, which they had the rights to until 2024. By 2018, Parks and Recreation was available for streaming on Hulu , Netflix , and Amazon Prime Video . Viewership on Hulu increased by 32% in 2017 over the previous year. According to Nielsen data, Parks and Recreation was one of the ten most-streamed shows on Netflix in 2018 based on time spent watching. Analytics from Jumpshot measured Parks and Recreation as

7548-497: The show premiered. The show faced early production delays because Poehler was pregnant when she signed on, and filming had to be postponed until she gave birth. The show was filmed in Southern California. The exterior of the Pawnee government building, and several of the hallway scenes, were shot at Pasadena City Hall . The parks and recreation department interiors, as well as the City Hall courtyard, were filmed on

7650-532: The show with the third most views for 2018. In September 2019, it was announced that Parks and Recreation would leave those services for Peacock , NBCUniversal's then-forthcoming streaming service, in October 2020. Variety reported the streaming deal was worth nine figures. A limited number of rotating episodes were also available through the Comedy Central app and website. In April 2020, amidst

7752-493: The show, Mouse Rat. Pratt sings and plays guitar in the band himself, while the drums are played by Mark Rivers, the guitar by Andrew Burlinson, and the bass guitar by Alan Yang, a screenwriter with the show. Rivers also wrote most of the music performed by Mouse Rat. Pratt and the other band members played live during filming of the episode, rather than being pre-recorded and dubbed later. One song featured in "Rock Show", called "The Pit", chronicles Andy's experience falling into

7854-409: The staff was treating the entire six-episode season as if it were a single television pilot. Daniels felt due to pre-expectations from viewers familiar with The Office , the first-season episodes were "just about trying to tell people what we weren't ", and that the writers had a better understanding of the characters by season two and could better write to their strengths. During the first season,

7956-478: The summer of 2015, starting with season 4. In March 2011, Universal Media Studios announced its intentions to sell the syndication rights to Parks and Recreation . Comedy Central , FX , and Spike were all described as possible contenders to buy the syndication rights. Syndicated episodes have aired on multiple cable networks including NBCUniversal owned Esquire Network (after relaunching from Style ) and WGN America . The pilot episode also served as

8058-439: The term should be "put to rest." In 2022, actress Zooey Deschanel rejected the label's application to her, saying "I don't feel it's accurate. I'm not a girl. I'm a woman. It doesn't hurt my feelings, but it's a way of making a woman one-dimensional and I'm not one-dimensional." According to Variety , the label had followed her throughout her career since her appearance in 500 Days of Summer . A male version of this trope,

8160-446: The terms of the submission request, the only compensated composer would be the winner, who would receive $ 7,500 in exchange for the release of all rights to NBC. The winning entry was written by Gaby Moreno and Vincent Jones . Michael Schur said this theme song was chosen because producers wanted something that would immediately make the viewer associate the music with the series and the characters. He said Moreno and Jones' song "does

8262-426: The third season were filmed before any of them were shown; the rest of the episodes, starting with the seventh, were filmed in the fall of 2010. NBC chief executive officer Jeff Gaspin said this move was not a reflection on Parks and Recreation , and suggested the extended hiatus would not only have no negative effect on the show, but could actually build anticipation for its return. The move proved frustrating for

8364-621: The use of the term, noting that its use could be reductive, diminutive , and misogynistic . She disagreed that Hepburn's character in Bringing Up Baby is a MPDG: "I think that to lump together all individual, original quirky women under that rubric is to erase all difference." In a December 2012 video, AllMovie critic Cammila Collar embraced the term, noting that its pejorative use is mainly directed at writers who do not give these female characters more to do. In December 2012, Slate ' s Aisha Harris posited that "critiques of

8466-545: The writers focused and, in Schur's words, helped "organize our tired, end-of-the-year brains". For the romance arc between Leslie and Ben in seasons three and four, The Remains of the Day was used as an inspiration, as a story about two people who are forced not to convey their romantic feelings for each other due to a repressive social system, which Schur compared to modern-day government. Like The Office , Parks and Recreation

8568-421: The writing staff began to draw inspiration from the premise of The Contender (2000). Schur explained The Contender was about a female politician trying to succeed amid intense scrutiny in a political arena dominated by men, which is similar to challenges Leslie Knope occasionally encounters. The financial difficulties Pawnee experiences during the late second-season and third-season episodes were reflective of

8670-430: The writing staff received audience feedback that Leslie Knope seemed unintelligent and "ditzy". Schur said the writers did not intend for Leslie to be stupid, but rather an overeager woman who "takes her job too seriously," so a particular effort was made to present that character as more intelligent and capable at her job starting in the second season. As critic Alan Sepinwall observed, three other significant changes for

8772-496: The writing staff strove to avoid the type of cynical humor prevalent in most television comedies at the time and wanted the characters to have a genuine appreciation for each other. Schur said of this, "I've never liked mean-spirited comedy. The characters on our show make fun of each other, but not in a biting, angry way. And there's no shortage of conflict in the world of government." The first-season episodes were written and developed relatively quickly after each other, and Schur said

8874-542: The year was finished, but he continued the project as a bimonthly feature. Other ongoing features Rabin wrote for The A.V. Club include Dispatches From Direct-To-DVD Purgatory, a tongue-in-cheek look at DVD premieres; reviews for TV shows like Louie ; Silly Little Show-Biz Book Club, a humorous exploration of trashy books about entertainment, and Ephemereview, which offers critiques of sub-reviewable pop-culture detritus. Rabin released his memoir in 2009, The Big Rewind: A Memoir Brought To You By Pop Culture , (2009) which

8976-535: Was among the first to be cast by Daniels and Schur in 2008, when the series was still being considered as a spin-off to The Office , where Jones had played Jim Halpert 's girlfriend Karen Filippelli , who formerly worked at the Stamford Branch but was soon transferred to the Scranton Branch in the third season. She departed in the middle of season six, and returned for a guest appearance later in

9078-399: Was broadcast in the 8:30 pm timeslot Thursdays on NBC, in the United States, during its first two seasons, as part of the network's Comedy Night Done Right line-up. It was moved to a 9:30 pm timeslot during its third season, where it premiered as a mid-season replacement . In September 2011, the show returned to its original 8:30 pm timeslot for the fourth season. In 2012,

9180-600: Was filmed at a real-life festival setting at Los Angeles Pierce College , a community college in the Woodland Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles. Schur said an aerial shot of the harvest festival at the end of the episode was the most expensive shot in the entire series. Toward the end of production on the second season, Poehler became pregnant again and the producers of the show were forced to go into production on season three early and film an additional six episodes to accommodate not only Poehler's pregnancy, but also

9282-407: Was filmed with a single-camera setup in a cinéma vérité style simulating the look of an actual documentary , with no studio audience or laugh track . Within the context of the show, the characters are being filmed by a documentary crew, the members of which are never seen or heard from on-screen. The actors occasionally look at and directly address the cameras, and in some scenes directly engage

9384-470: Was in the pit. Andy became injured and works with Leslie to threaten to sue the city of Pawnee unless the pit was filled. Mark leaves his city hall career for a private sector job. Meanwhile, a crippling budget deficit leads state auditors Chris Traeger and Ben Wyatt to shut down the Pawnee government temporarily. The third season opens with the Pawnee government reopened, but with budget cuts frustrating Leslie's attempts to provide services. Leslie makes

9486-406: Was named co-chairman of NBC 's entertainment division in 2007, he asked Greg Daniels to create a spin-off of The Office . Daniels co-created Parks and Recreation with Michael Schur, who had been a writer on The Office . The two spent months considering ideas for the new series and debating whether to make it a stand-alone rather than a spin-off. According to Daniels, they eventually abandoned

9588-627: Was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series ). She also co-wrote "Second Chunce" in season 6, the series' 100th episode, and "One Last Ride", the series finale, with Schur. Poehler also directed three episodes, "The Debate" in season 4, "Article Two" in season 5, and "Gryzzlbox" in season 7. Other cast members that wrote or directed episodes include Nick Offerman , who wrote "Lucky" in season 4, and directed season 5's "Correspondents' Lunch" and season 6's "Flu Season 2"; while Adam Scott directed season 6's "Farmers Market". Holland also directed about thirty episodes of

9690-431: Was originally conceived the pit would only become a park in the series finale, Schur said the plotline was accelerated because early episodes were too focused on the pit and had led viewers to believe the entire show was about filling it in, which was not the writers' intention. Also starting with the second season, the writers made an effort to be more topical and incorporate current events into their scripts. For example,

9792-526: 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 (including comparisons to The Office , a sitcom also produced by Daniels and Schur), 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 14 Primetime Emmy Award nominations (two for Outstanding Comedy Series ),

9894-437: Was performed by the show's cast in the 2020 reunion special. A Mouse Rat album, The Awesome Album , was released by Dualtone Records and Entertainment 720 (a fictional company within the show, created by Tom Haverford) on vinyl, CD, cassette, and digital download on August 27, 2021. The album was announced with the release of two singles: "The Pit" (from the season 1 finale, " Rock Show ") and "Two Birds Holding Hands" (from

9996-404: Was published by Scribner . The Washington Post gave the book a negative review, calling it a "...failed project brought to you by pop culture." while The New York Times wrote, "[Rabin] has packed [The Big Rewind] like a cannon, full of caustic wit and bruised feelings" in its more positive review. The book uses novels such as The Great Gatsby , musical recordings such as The Charm of

10098-650: Was revealed to be The Dissolve . In addition to criticism for The Dissolve , Rabin also wrote the biweekly feature Forgotbusters, a reexamination of now-culturally obscure Hollywood films whose box office grosses were among the top 25 of any film released in their year. He has also written books on the Insane Clown Posse , Phish , and "Weird Al" Yankovic . Rabin is Jewish . He is married to Atlanta native Danya Maloon; they have two sons together. He lives in Marietta, Georgia with his family. In

10200-501: Was shot that had to be discarded for the final cut; for example, the original cut of the 22-minute pilot was 48 minutes long. The producers filmed about nine pages of the script each day, a large amount by U.S. television standards. Despite the similarities in the mockumentary style with The Office , Daniels and Schur sought to establish a slightly different tone in the camerawork of the pilot episode. The one-on-one interviews, for example, sometimes feature two separate camera angles on

10302-844: Was well received, which made the Parks and Recreation producers feel more comfortable about using celebrity guest actors in later episodes. Other such celebrity guests included: Blake Anderson , Fred Armisen , Will Arnett , Kristen Bell , H. Jon Benjamin , Matt Besser , Chris Bosh , Louis C.K. , The Decemberists , Sam Elliott , Will Forte , Ginuwine , Michael Gross , Jon Hamm , Nick Kroll , John Larroquette , Andrew Luck , Letters to Cleo , Natalie Morales , Parker Posey , Kathryn Hahn , Andy Samberg , J. K. Simmons , Roy Hibbert , Detlef Schrempf , Justin Theroux , Wilco , Henry Winkler , Peter Serafinowicz , and Yo La Tengo . Paul Rudd appeared in several season four episodes as Bobby Newport, Leslie's opponent in

10404-457: Was written by Daniels and Schur, and directed by Daniels. Daniels also directed the second-season episode " Hunting Trip ", while Schur made his directorial debut with the first-season finale " Rock Show ", and wrote or directed several other episodes including " Sister City ", " The Master Plan ", and " Time Capsule ". Poehler wrote three episodes: " Telethon " in season 2, " The Fight " in season 3, and " The Debate " in season 4 (for which she

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