Parks and Recreation

Back in the day, I was a fan of the Office.  Now, I will still watch it, but it doesn't pull me in like it used to.  I have Parks and Recreation for that!  Following a cast of characters that work in local government overseeing the parks and recreation department, Parks and Recreation is a great show featuring great performances and intelligent comedy that isn't afraid to be sweet on occasion.

I watched the second season before the first, as the second was available to me at the time.  Immediately after finishing season two, I obtained season one via Netflix.  As they weren't streaming it then, I had to wait for the discs.  I gotta say...I don't like waiting.  Immediate gratification is king.  Now, Mark and I watch the show week to week via the on demand feature.  While the show was good before, it keeps getting better.  When Rob Lowe and Adam Scott joined the cast, the show got even better.

At this point, the characters are pretty well fleshed out, even the ones that were initially just background and the butts of jokes.  Each character fills an important role, supporting the show with great acting.  Between the writing and performances, Parks and Recreation is one of the best comedies on television right now.

I was going to talk about my favorite characters currently on the show, when I realized that I don't dislike a single one.  Removing any of them would seem weird.  It's like working with a group of people.  You get used to having them around and having one of them quit impacts your job in small ways.  Removing any of the characters from Parks and Recreation would impact  the show in a myriad of small ways, all of them terrible!  The writers have done a great job, as have the actors.

Some television watchers have avoided Parks and Recreation, believing it to be an Office clone, and that's not a fair assessment.  In its first season, the show had not found itself, but once reaching season two, the show came into its own.  I suggest you check it out.  I wouldn't start with the current season, as you will have missed a lot of character development.  If you want to start with season two and backtrack to season one after you decide you like the show, I'm okay with that.  It's how I did it, and I'm happy with the show.