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SPECIAL COMMENTARY: An Appreciation of "Parks and Recreation"













Parks and Recreation ends tonight after seven seasons and 125 episodes. The friendly folks of Pawnee, Indiana never found a mass audience but had a very loyal audience of people who adored the show - myself included.

Parks and Recreation premiered in spring 2009 and was immediately dismissed by many (including me) as a less funny version of The Office. Amy Poehler's Leslie Knope seemed like an obvious ripoff of Michael Scott and the show couldn't really find its footing. After a short first season, it came back with a vengeance in season two and had a much better vision of the show it wanted to be. And it just got better from there.

So what made Parks and Rec so great? Well, first and foremost was the sunny optimism of the show led by a truly great lead character in Leslie Knope. In today's sitcom world, most sitcoms are cynical, sarcastic, or even dark at times. Many of my favorite sitcoms including The Office and Modern Family fit into at least one of these categories. But Parks was always a "glass half full" type of show. It always saw the best in people because it saw the world through the eyes of Leslie Knope. A government-loving, binder-making, super-organized woman, she could have easily been an annoying character but Poehler brought so much warmth and humanity to the role. There was nothing ironic about her character: no dark side, no sinister motives. Just sheer optimism.

But this was far from just a star vehicle. From the series regulars to the wacky guest stars, the show had one of the deepest rosters I have ever seen. There was one Ron Swanson (Nick Offerman), a truly great character who never wavered from his convictions. He was the anti-Leslie Knope and yet they were the best of pals. There was Andy Dwyer, the biggest goofball with the biggest heart. There was April Ludgate (Aubrey Plaza), the darkest member of the crew who somehow fell in love with Andy's buffoonery. There was Chris Traeger (Rob Lowe), whose optimism even eclipsed Leslie's as he was "literally" the happiest person ever. There was Jerry/Larry/Gary (Jim O'Heir), the office punchline. There was Tom Haverford (Aziz Ansari), the most entreprenuing entrepreneur there ever was. There were siblings Jean-Ralphio and Mona Lisa (Ben Schwartz and Jenny Slate), who were my favorite recurring characters ever with their delightful weirdness. There was helpless newsman Perd Hapley (Jay Jackson), Ron's evil ex-wife, Tammy (Megan Mullally), and a hilarious guest arc by Paul Rudd as the dim-witted Bobby Newport. And that's just naming a few of the colorful characters.

If The West Wing showed us what we wish our national government would be like, Parks and Recreation showed us what we wish local government could be like. With Leslie Knope and her team, anything was possible. I'll miss all the characters of Pawnee and the sharp writing. Most of all, I'll miss having new episodes to watch of the happiest show on TV.
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