I recently finished watching the Office (US and UK versions) and was told that I would love Parks and Recreation (P&R) seeing as I found the Office truly brilliant. I wasn't aware that it followed a similar format of a documentary-style comedy until I started episode 1. It soon became apparent that a new show would dethrone the current top- sitter of TV shows that make me laugh much as intravenous comedy could...
P&R is set in the small town of Pawnee and follows the local P&R department (go figure), with Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) as the main focus. Leslie, a work-a-holic, is surrounded by a team about as competent as tap-dancing monkeys. Ron Swanson is a man I feel embodies the true outdoor American, with an added sense of paranoia and hatred towards the government. His jokes and one-liners were so laugh out loud that I ended up watching a 45 minute compilation on Youtube from start to end. The other members of the team have their own unique features that provide another dimension to the show. In some cases, however, I felt that some of these quirks got annoying as they felt so over the top that they were detached from 'real-life' (even though I appreciate this is a TV show).
Each season had their own separate plot, with a few underlying core themes running throughout. Despite its negative press, I loved season 1. Of course, the show was still finding its feet and it felt slightly confused. However, since P&R grew to become such an incredibly different, refreshing and diverse comedy show, it is understandable that its beginnings aren't 10/10. I believe it set a great foundation for later seasons as the concept of Leslie fighting a storm of opposers became engrained in our minds and the character development was great.
Seasons 2-6 were genuinely comedy gold. I cannot think of 1 bad episode. I have seen people rank the seasons and I just do not see how one can rank seasons 2-6. They are just that good. Leslie's relentless nature, Tom's stupidity, Andy's idiocy, Ron's hatred of all things...the list goes on! Each element made every episode a true gem in their own right. Even thinking about some of the jokes makes me burst out laughing.
Following this, season 7 fell a bit flat for me. I felt as though an already over-the-top show became even more detached from reality. It made it hard to relate to much of what season 7 had to offer as they were just that wacky. I also did not understand why other relationship changes were included altogether as it just confused me. For example, the falling out of 2 key characters (I won't spoil anything for you). What I did feel this season did well was the finale. It tied up all loose ends in a satisfying manner, which is something I felt many shows fall flat on.
In summation, P&R is a brilliant piece of television. The characters were brilliantly conceived, the main plot of each season was great and each episode was a true pleasure to watch. Leslie Knope wore me down and I must concede. P&R is now my favourite TV show. Full stop!
P&R is set in the small town of Pawnee and follows the local P&R department (go figure), with Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) as the main focus. Leslie, a work-a-holic, is surrounded by a team about as competent as tap-dancing monkeys. Ron Swanson is a man I feel embodies the true outdoor American, with an added sense of paranoia and hatred towards the government. His jokes and one-liners were so laugh out loud that I ended up watching a 45 minute compilation on Youtube from start to end. The other members of the team have their own unique features that provide another dimension to the show. In some cases, however, I felt that some of these quirks got annoying as they felt so over the top that they were detached from 'real-life' (even though I appreciate this is a TV show).
Each season had their own separate plot, with a few underlying core themes running throughout. Despite its negative press, I loved season 1. Of course, the show was still finding its feet and it felt slightly confused. However, since P&R grew to become such an incredibly different, refreshing and diverse comedy show, it is understandable that its beginnings aren't 10/10. I believe it set a great foundation for later seasons as the concept of Leslie fighting a storm of opposers became engrained in our minds and the character development was great.
Seasons 2-6 were genuinely comedy gold. I cannot think of 1 bad episode. I have seen people rank the seasons and I just do not see how one can rank seasons 2-6. They are just that good. Leslie's relentless nature, Tom's stupidity, Andy's idiocy, Ron's hatred of all things...the list goes on! Each element made every episode a true gem in their own right. Even thinking about some of the jokes makes me burst out laughing.
Following this, season 7 fell a bit flat for me. I felt as though an already over-the-top show became even more detached from reality. It made it hard to relate to much of what season 7 had to offer as they were just that wacky. I also did not understand why other relationship changes were included altogether as it just confused me. For example, the falling out of 2 key characters (I won't spoil anything for you). What I did feel this season did well was the finale. It tied up all loose ends in a satisfying manner, which is something I felt many shows fall flat on.
In summation, P&R is a brilliant piece of television. The characters were brilliantly conceived, the main plot of each season was great and each episode was a true pleasure to watch. Leslie Knope wore me down and I must concede. P&R is now my favourite TV show. Full stop!