Parks and Recreation (season 2)
Encyclopedia
The second season of Parks and Recreation
originally aired in the United States on the NBC
television network starting September 17, 2009, and ended on May 20, 2010. The season was produced by Deedle-Dee Productions
and Universal Media Studios, and series co-creators Greg Daniels
and Michael Schur
served as executive producers. Like the first season
, it focused on Leslie Knope
(Amy Poehler
) and her staff on the parks and recreation department of the fictional Indiana
town of Pawnee. The episodes were approximately 22 minutes long each, all of which aired at 8:30 p.m. on Thursdays.
All of the members of the original principal cast were retained and Chris Pratt
, who made guest appearances throughout the previous season, joined the permanent cast in the second season. It also featured guest appearances by Louis C.K.
, Megan Mullally
, Fred Armisen
, Will Arnett
, Justin Theroux and John Larroquette
. The writing staff made changes based on feedback from the first season and attempted to be more topical, with episodes touching on such topics as same-sex marriage
, the arrest of Henry Louis Gates
and the sex scandal of South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford
.
Although the first season received generally mixed to negative reviews, the second season was critically acclaimed, with some reviewers declaring it one of the best comedies of the television season. Nevertheless, Parks and Recreation continued to struggle in the Nielsen ratings
and averaged about 4.68 million household viewers per week, lower than Thursday night NBC shows Community
, 30 Rock
and The Office. Amy Poehler was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award
for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, and both the series and actor Nick Offerman received Television Critics Association Award
nominations.
{|class="wikitable" style="width:100%"
|-style="color:white"
!style="background-color: #660055;" |№
!style="background-color: #660055;" |#
!style="background-color: #660055;" |Title
!style="background-color: #660055;" |Directed by
!style="background-color: #660055;" |Written by
!style="background-color: #660055;" |Original air date
!style="background-color: #660055;" |U.S. viewers
(million)
|-
|}
was produced by Deedle-Dee Productions
, Universal Media Studios, Fremulon and 3 Arts Entertainment. Series creators Greg Daniels
and Michael Schur
were executive producers along with David Miner
, who previously worked on the NBC
comedy series 30 Rock
, and Howard Klein, who worked on The Office, another NBC comedy created by Daniels. Schur served as the showrunner of Parks and Recreation. Amy Poehler
and Morgan Sackett were producers, while Daniel J. Goor
was supervising producer, and Norm Hiscock
and Emily Kapnek
worked as consulting producers, David Hyman and Dean Holland
were co-producers, and Holland also worked as an editor along with Michael Trim, who doubled as director of photography. Dorian Frankel was the casting director, Ian Phillips was the production designer, Kirston Mann was the costume designer, and Alan Yang
, Harris Wittels
and Katie Dippold worked as executive story editors. Tucker Cawley
, who had been a consulting producer during first season
of Parks and Recreation, did not return and instead created the short-lived ABC
sitcom Hank
, starring Kelsey Grammer
.
, Aziz Ansari
, Nick Offerman
, Aubrey Plaza and Paul Schneider
. Chris Pratt
, who was billed as a guest star throughout the first season despite appearing in every episode, was promoted to the main cast in season two. Andy Dwyer
, Pratt's character, was originally supposed to appear only in the first season, but the producers liked Pratt so much that almost immediately after casting him, they decided to make Andy a regular character. Schneider left the cast after the second season to focus on his film career. Schur said when Schneider's character Mark Brendanawicz
was conceived, it was anticipated he would eventually become a less frequent character who switched back and forth between government and private sector jobs. Both Schur and Schneider said they would like the character to make guest appearances in future episodes.
Rob Lowe
and Adam Scott
joined the Parks and Recreation cast starting in the penultimate second season episode, "The Master Plan
". Scott left his starring role on the Starz comedy series Party Down
to join Parks and Recreation, and Lowe had recently departed from the ABC
drama series Brothers & Sisters. From the beginning, Scott was expected to become a regular cast member and, during the third season
, eventual love interest for Leslie Knope
, while Lowe was originally only intended to make a string of guest appearances in the third season and then depart the series. However, Lowe later signed a multi-year contract to become a regular cast member. Schur said even when the character Ben Wyatt
was conceived, Adam Scott was considered the "dream scenario" casting choice.
Jim O'Heir
and Retta, who made regular appearances as parks employees Jerry Gergich and Donna Meagle
in the first season, continued to appear in season two. Although still considered guest actors, their characters started to become more fully developed and play larger roles in the episodes. Several other actors played regular supporting roles throughout the second season. Jama Williamson
continued her recurring role as Wendy, Tom Haverford
's ex-wife who becomes a romantic interest for Ron Swanson
. Mo Collins
and Jay Jackson made repeated appearances as Pawnee journalists Joan Callamezzo and Perd Hapley. Both actors were originally expected to appear only in one episode, but both returned for subsequent episodes because the writing staff enjoyed their performances. Alison Becker
played another Pawnee reporter, Shauna Malwae-Tweep, a character she also played in the first season. Ben Schwartz
played Jean-Ralphio
, an arrogant and fast-talking playboy friend of Tom, in several episodes. Pamela Reed
reprised his recurring role as Leslie's mother, Marlene
, in several second season episodes.
The second season also included several prominent guest appearances, something that distinguished Parks and Recreation from Greg Daniels' other comedy series, The Office. Schur said high-profile guests on The Office would be too distracting because most episodes are confined to one setting, while he said Parks and Recreation was "a little bit more bright and colorful than The Office". Megan Mullally
, the real-life wife of Nick Offerman, appeared as Ron's ex-wife Tammy in the episode "Ron and Tammy
". Schur said Mullally's appearance was well-received and not overly distracting to viewers, which made the Parks and Recreation producers feel more comfortable about using future guest actors. Stand-up comedian Louis C.K.
appeared in several episodes as Dave Sanderson, a Pawnee police officer and romantic interest to Leslie Knope. Although typically known for his raunchy and caustic comedy style, Louis C.K. adopted a far more deadpan sense of humor and technical tone of voice for Sanderson.
Two of Amy Poehler's previous cast members from Saturday Night Live appeared in Parks and Recreation episodes: Fred Armisen
played the vice director of a Venezuela
n parks department in "Sister City
", and Andy Samberg
portrayed the head of security for Pawnee's parks in "Park Safety
". Will Arnett
, the real-life husband of Amy Poehler, made a guest appearance as an MRI
technician in "The Set Up
". In that same episode, Justin Theroux started a string of a guest appearances as Justin Anderson, a friend of Ann and love interest for Leslie. John Larroquette
appeared in "Galentine's Day
" as the long-lost former love of Leslie's mother. Kevin Symons
appeared in two episodes as Bill Dexhart, a Pawnee councilman prone to sexual affairs and political scandals. Paul Scheer
, who appeared in the MTV
sketch comedy show Human Giant
with Aziz Ansari, played a charity leader in "Kaboom
". In that same episode, comedian and voice actor H. Jon Benjamin
played a Pawnee lawyer. Michael Gross
, best known for his role as Steven Keaton from Family Ties
, appeared in "Summer Catalog
" as a former parks department director who loves marijuana. Detlef Schrempf, a retired basketball player who played for the Indiana Pacers
, portrayed himself in "Telethon
". Natalie Morales
appeared in the last two episodes of the season as Lucy, a bartender who becomes Tom's girlfriend.
" included social commentary about same-sex marriage
. Likewise, "The Stakeout" included a parody of the arrest of Henry Louis Gates, a black Harvard University
professor who was arrested
after police mistakenly thought he was breaking into his own home in Cambridge
, Massachusetts
, and a sex scandal involving a Pawnee councilman in "Practice Date" mirrored the real-life 2009 scandal
of South Carolina
Governor
Mark Sanford
, who publicly admitted to a long-term extramarital affair with an Argentinian
woman.
The writers made several other changes going from season one to season two, including making the scripts more focused around the entire cast rather than just Leslie. They also tried to make Leslie appear more intelligent in the second season after receiving audience feedback that she appeared "ditzy", which Michael Schur said was never their intention. Schur said, "In the end, we just felt that Amy is an enormously likable presence on screen, so as the season went on we just tried to create situations where that would shine through." During the episode "Kaboom
", a major subplot was resolved when the large construction pit that Leslie had long sought to turn into a park was filled with dirt and turned into a lot. The pit was first established in the premiere episode
and had been a focal point of the series since the show began. Schur said while the pit project was originally conceived as a device to bring all the characters together working toward a common goal, and it was expected to only become a park during the series finale. However, Schur said he felt the early episodes were too focused on the pit and had led viewers to believe the entire show was about filling the pit, which was not the writers' intention, so they accelerated the resolution of that story arc. The idea of Ben and Chris, two state auditors who come in from outside Pawnee to help the town deal with budget problems, was conceived from news reports at the time of a number of states considering shutting down schools, parks and other services due to the global recession.
Poehler became pregnant during the latter half of the season, with her baby due in the summer or early fall of 2010. The Parks and Recreation producers decided not to write the pregnancy into the show, so they decided to enter into a continuous production after the season ended to bank episodes for the third season. Six season three episodes were filmed in this fashion. However, in May 2010, NBC announced the third season of Parks and Recreation was being moved to an undisclosed midseason premiere date to allow the network's new comedy, Outsourced
, to run in the Thursday two-hour comedy schedule block. 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 effect on the show's momentum, but could actually build anticipation for its eventual return. In November 2010, it was announced Parks and Recreation would return to a 9:30 p.m. Thursday timeslot effective January 20, 2011.
, a well-intentioned but dimwitted protagonist manager of a paper company sales office. However, most critics declared the second season a vast improvement over the first, with some even claiming it had surpassed The Office and 30 Rock
as the best comedy of NBC's Thursday line-up. It was declared the best comedy of the television season by Entertainment Weekly
writer Henning Fog and The Star-Ledger
television columnist Alan Sepinwall. Entertainment Weekly writer Michael Ausiello
, who was critical of the first season, called it the "most improved" show of the season. Time
magazine writer James Poniewozik
included Parks and Recreation in his list of the 10 best television shows of 2009, and IGN
declared it the best comedy series of 2009. Several reviewers called the second season one of the most impressive comebacks in television history.
Amy Poehler said the first season struggled in part due to extremely high expectations from comparisons to The Office. Parks and Recreation staff also felt part of the reason for the improvement was that the characters have become better developed, and viewers have become to like and care more about them. Likewise, Michael Schur believed much of the early criticism stemmed from the fact that audiences were not yet familiar with the characters, and he believed viewers liked the second season better because they had gotten to know the characters better as the series progressed. Commentators said the supporting cast was now working with better material and that Amy Poheler's character had improved and become less over-the-top and more human than in the first season, and more distinct from Michael Scott. Several reviewers praised the decision to drop season one subplots that risked becoming stale, like whether Andy and Ann would keep dating, and Leslie's long-standing crush on Mark. Others complimented the decision to fill in the pit during the second season, which they said freed the show up for more stories and better scripts. Despite the vast change in critical reception, Parks and Recreation staff said they felt only a few minor changes were made to the show itself. Michael Schur said, "I don't think magical fairy dust was sprinkled over the show. I just think we're getting better at it." NBC officials compared the late rush of critical acclaim for Parks and Recreation to that of The Office, which received mixed reviews during its first season
before most critics agreed it found its rhythm in the second season
.
Nick Offerman received considerable praise for his performance as Ron Swanson during the second season. Many reviewers praised Offerman's subtle and understated style of comedy, and said he was often the funniest part of the scenes he was in. Jonah Weiner of Slate
magazine declared Swanson "Parks and Recreation' s secret weapon" and "vital to the show's improvement". Aziz Ansari, who was particularly acclaimed during the first season for his role as Tom Haverford, received similar praise in the second season as well. Many reviewers were critical of the pairing of Mark and Ann, feeling the couple lacked chemistry and were often the least funniest parts of the individual episodes. Entertainment Weekly writer Margaret Lyons called Mark and Ann the show's "Achilles' heel
", and Sandra Gonzalez, also from Entertainment Weekly, wrote, "No matter what they do with these two, I can’t help but be bored."
. By December 2009, the average episode viewership was 5.3 million households. The average was lower than the other NBC comedy shows that aired Thursday night along with Parks and Recreation: Community
drew an average 6.5 million households, 30 Rock an average 7.3 million, and The Office an average 10.1 million. By February 2010, ratings had begun to improve all of NBC's Thursday comedy shows, especially Parks and Recreation, but the network remained in fourth place among the major networks in Nielsen ratings. By the end of the season, the average viewership for the 24 episodes of season two was 4.68 million, lower than season one's average of 5.45 million households.
for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. The episode "Telethon
", in which Leslie frantically stays awake for 36 hours to volunteer for a charity telethon, was her performance submitted for Emmy award consideration. This marked Poehler's third Primetime Emmy nomination, having previously received twice for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series during her time on Saturday Night Live. Poehler ultimately lost to Edie Falco
for her performance on the Showtime comedy series Nurse Jackie
. Also that year, the Parks and Recreation theme song by Gaby Moreno
and Vincent Jones was for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Main Title Theme Music
, but the award again went to Nurse Jackie.
Parks and Recreation was also nominated for a Television Critics Association Award
for Outstanding Achievement in Comedy, and Nick Offerman received a nomination for Individual Achievement in Comedy; the awards ultimately were awarded, respectively, to the comedy series Modern Family
and to Jane Lynch
for her performance in the musical comedy-drama Glee
. The second season premiere episode, "Pawnee Zoo", won the GLAAD Media Award
for Outstanding Individual Episode. It was nominated alongside the ABC
drama series Private Practice, the NBC supernatural drama The Listener
and the CW
drama/horror series Supernatural
in the category. Aubrey Plaza received a Best Supporting Actress in Television nomination from the Imagen Awards, which honors positive portrayals of Latinos in entertainment, but the award went to María Canals Barrera
for her role in Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie
(2009). Also in 2010, Parks and Recreation received two nominations from Entertainment Weekly' s Ewwy Awards: one for Best Comedy Series, and one for Nick Offerman as Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy.
Parks and Recreation
Parks and Recreation is an American comedy television series on NBC that focuses on Leslie Knope , a mid-level bureaucrat in the parks department of Pawnee, a fictional town in Indiana. Created by Greg Daniels and Michael Schur, the series debuted on April 9, 2009; it has run for three seasons and...
originally aired in the United States on the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
television network starting September 17, 2009, and ended on May 20, 2010. The season was produced by Deedle-Dee Productions
Deedle-Dee Productions
Deedle-Dee Productions is a television production company owned by Greg Daniels. It is known for producing the long running series King of the Hill, The Office and their newest series, Parks and Recreation...
and Universal Media Studios, and series co-creators Greg Daniels
Greg Daniels
Gregory Martin "Greg" Daniels is an American television comedy writer, producer, and director.-Life and career:...
and Michael Schur
Michael Schur
Michael Herbert Schur is an American television producer and writer, best known for his work on the NBC comedy series The Office and Parks and Recreation, the latter of which he co-created along with Greg Daniels...
served as executive producers. Like the first season
Parks and Recreation (season 1)
The first season of Parks and Recreation originally aired in the United States on the NBC television network between April 9 and May 14, 2009...
, it focused on Leslie Knope
Leslie Knope
Leslie Barbara Knope is a fictional character in the NBC comedy Parks and Recreation. She is portrayed by Amy Poehler. Poehler garnered two Emmy Award nominations for Best Lead Actress in Comedy Series for her role.-Background:...
(Amy Poehler
Amy Poehler
Amy Meredith Poehler is an American comedian, actress and voice actress. She was a cast member on the NBC television entertainment show Saturday Night Live from 2001 to 2008. In 2004, she starred in the film Mean Girls with Tina Fey, with whom she worked again in Baby Mama in 2008. She is...
) and her staff on the parks and recreation department of the fictional Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
town of Pawnee. The episodes were approximately 22 minutes long each, all of which aired at 8:30 p.m. on Thursdays.
All of the members of the original principal cast were retained and Chris Pratt
Chris Pratt
Christopher Michael "Chris" Pratt is an American actor, best known for his roles as Harold Brighton "Bright" Abbott in the television series Everwood, the recurring character Winchester "Ché" Cook in season 4 of The OC, Andy Dwyer in the television series Parks and Recreation and for portraying...
, who made guest appearances throughout the previous season, joined the permanent cast in the second season. It also featured guest appearances by Louis C.K.
Louis C.K.
Louis Szekely , known professionally as Louis C.K., is a stand-up comedian, television and film writer, actor, producer, and director...
, Megan Mullally
Megan Mullally
Megan Mullally is an American actress and singer.After working in the theatre in Chicago, Mullally moved to Los Angeles in 1985 and began to appear in supporting roles in film and television productions. She made her Broadway debut in Grease in 1994 and she has since appeared in several Broadway...
, Fred Armisen
Fred Armisen
Fred Armisen is an American actor, comedian and musician best known for his work as a cast member on Saturday Night Live, and portraying off-color foreigners in various comedy films such as EuroTrip, Anchorman and Cop Out...
, Will Arnett
Will Arnett
William Emerson "Will" Arnett is a Canadian actor and comedian best known for his role as George Oscar "G.O.B." Bluth II on the Fox comedy Arrested Development. He is also known for his role as Devon Banks on the NBC comedy 30 Rock. Since his success on Arrested Development, Arnett has landed major...
, Justin Theroux and John Larroquette
John Larroquette
John Edgar Bernard Larroquette, Jr. is an American film, television and Broadway actor. His roles include Dan Fielding on the series Night Court, Mike McBride in the Hallmark Channel series McBride, John Hemingway on The John Larroquette Show, and Carl Sack in Boston Legal.-Personal...
. The writing staff made changes based on feedback from the first season and attempted to be more topical, with episodes touching on such topics as same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage is marriage between two persons of the same biological sex or social gender. Supporters of legal recognition for same-sex marriage typically refer to such recognition as marriage equality....
, the arrest of Henry Louis Gates
Henry Louis Gates arrest controversy
On July 16, 2009, Harvard University professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr., was arrested at his Cambridge, Massachusetts home by a local police officer responding to a 911 caller’s report of men breaking and entering the residence...
and the sex scandal of South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford
Mark Sanford disappearance and extramarital affair
For six days in June 2009, South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford's whereabouts were unknown and there was media coverage of what was described as his disappearance. Subsequently the Governor reappeared and reported that he had been in Argentina with a woman with whom he was having an extramarital...
.
Although the first season received generally mixed to negative reviews, the second season was critically acclaimed, with some reviewers declaring it one of the best comedies of the television season. Nevertheless, Parks and Recreation continued to struggle in the Nielsen ratings
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
and averaged about 4.68 million household viewers per week, lower than Thursday night NBC shows Community
Community (TV series)
Community is an American television comedy series created by Dan Harmon that airs on NBC. The series is about a group of students at a community college in the fictional locale of Greendale, Colorado. The series heavily uses meta-humor and pop culture references, often parodying film and television...
, 30 Rock
30 Rock
30 Rock is an American television comedy series created by Tina Fey that airs on NBC. The series is loosely based on Fey's experiences as head writer for Saturday Night Live...
and The Office. Amy Poehler was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award
Primetime Emmy Award
The Primetime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American primetime television programming...
for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, and both the series and actor Nick Offerman received Television Critics Association Award
TCA Awards
The TCA Awards are awards presented by the Television Critics Association in recognition of excellence in television excellence. There are eleven categories, which are presented every summer.-Categories:...
nominations.
Episodes
|-style="color:white"
!style="background-color: #660055;" |№
!style="background-color: #660055;" |#
!style="background-color: #660055;" |Title
!style="background-color: #660055;" |Directed by
!style="background-color: #660055;" |Written by
!style="background-color: #660055;" |Original air date
!style="background-color: #660055;" |U.S. viewers
(million)
|-
|}
Crew
The second season of Parks and RecreationParks and Recreation
Parks and Recreation is an American comedy television series on NBC that focuses on Leslie Knope , a mid-level bureaucrat in the parks department of Pawnee, a fictional town in Indiana. Created by Greg Daniels and Michael Schur, the series debuted on April 9, 2009; it has run for three seasons and...
was produced by Deedle-Dee Productions
Deedle-Dee Productions
Deedle-Dee Productions is a television production company owned by Greg Daniels. It is known for producing the long running series King of the Hill, The Office and their newest series, Parks and Recreation...
, Universal Media Studios, Fremulon and 3 Arts Entertainment. Series creators Greg Daniels
Greg Daniels
Gregory Martin "Greg" Daniels is an American television comedy writer, producer, and director.-Life and career:...
and Michael Schur
Michael Schur
Michael Herbert Schur is an American television producer and writer, best known for his work on the NBC comedy series The Office and Parks and Recreation, the latter of which he co-created along with Greg Daniels...
were executive producers along with David Miner
David Miner (television producer)
David Miner is an Emmy Award-winning American film and television producer who is best known for his work as an executive producer on NBC's 30 Rock and MTV's Human Giant. Miner is the manager of Tina Fey, 30 Rock's star and creator.-External links:...
, who previously worked on the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
comedy series 30 Rock
30 Rock
30 Rock is an American television comedy series created by Tina Fey that airs on NBC. The series is loosely based on Fey's experiences as head writer for Saturday Night Live...
, and Howard Klein, who worked on The Office, another NBC comedy created by Daniels. Schur served as the showrunner of Parks and Recreation. Amy Poehler
Amy Poehler
Amy Meredith Poehler is an American comedian, actress and voice actress. She was a cast member on the NBC television entertainment show Saturday Night Live from 2001 to 2008. In 2004, she starred in the film Mean Girls with Tina Fey, with whom she worked again in Baby Mama in 2008. She is...
and Morgan Sackett were producers, while Daniel J. Goor
Daniel J. Goor
Daniel J. Goor is an Emmy award winning writer, who has written for several comedy talk shows including The Daily Show, Last Call with Carson Daly and Late Night with Conan O'Brien. He is currently serving as producer of the NBC primetime series Parks and Recreation. He writes for Power Rangers...
was supervising producer, and Norm Hiscock
Norm Hiscock
Norm Hiscock is an Emmy Award winning screenwriter and producer. He is known for his work on Saturday Night Live, King of the Hill, The Kids in the Hall, Corner Gas and most recently Parks and Recreation...
and Emily Kapnek
Emily Kapnek
Emily Kapnek is an actress, television producer and three time Emmy Award nominated writer. She created the animated program As Told by Ginger and executive produced the short-lived television series Emily's Reasons Why Not...
worked as consulting producers, David Hyman and Dean Holland
Dean Holland
Dean Holland is an Emmy Award-winning, American film editor, television director and producer best known for working on Entourage and the NBC comedy shows The Office and Parks and Recreation...
were co-producers, and Holland also worked as an editor along with Michael Trim, who doubled as director of photography. Dorian Frankel was the casting director, Ian Phillips was the production designer, Kirston Mann was the costume designer, and Alan Yang
Alan Yang
Alan Yang is an American screenwriter for the NBC sitcom, Parks and Recreation.-Career:His previous credits include the Carson Daly's Late Night Show and South Park. In 2009, he was named by Variety magazine as one of "10 Screenwriters to Watch". He currently has three screenplays in development,"...
, Harris Wittels
Harris Wittels
Harris Wittels is a comedian, writer and musician. He is best known as a writer for The Sarah Silverman Program, Parks and Recreation and as a recurring guest on Comedy Bang Bang.-Life and career:...
and Katie Dippold worked as executive story editors. Tucker Cawley
Tucker Cawley
Tucker Cawley is an American television comedy writer and producer, best known for writing episodes for Everybody Loves Raymond. He has also written for Men of a Certain Age, and created the ill-fated Kelsey Grammer sitcom Hank.-Career:...
, who had been a consulting producer during first season
Parks and Recreation (season 1)
The first season of Parks and Recreation originally aired in the United States on the NBC television network between April 9 and May 14, 2009...
of Parks and Recreation, did not return and instead created the short-lived ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
sitcom Hank
Hank (2009 TV series)
Hank is a comedy television series which ran on ABC from September 30, 2009, to November 4, 2009. The series was created by Tucker Cawley and is about a Wall Street executive who loses his job and reconnects with his small-town family...
, starring Kelsey Grammer
Kelsey Grammer
Allen Kelsey Grammer is an American actor and comedian. He is most widely known for his two-decade portrayal of psychiatrist Dr. Frasier Crane on the sitcoms Cheers and Frasier...
.
Cast
All principal cast members from the first season returned for the second, including Amy Poehler, Rashida JonesRashida Jones
Rashida Leah Jones is an American film and television actress, comic book author, screenwriter and occasional singer. She played Louisa Fenn on Boston Public and Karen Filippelli on The Office as well as roles in the films I Love You, Man and The Social Network...
, Aziz Ansari
Aziz Ansari
Aziz Ansari is an American actor, writer, and stand-up comedian. He currently stars as Tom Haverford on the NBC show Parks and Recreation....
, Nick Offerman
Nick Offerman
Nick Offerman is an American actor best known for his role as Ron Swanson in the NBC sitcom Parks and Recreation. He is also a skilled woodworker.-Early life and career:...
, Aubrey Plaza and Paul Schneider
Paul Schneider (actor)
Paul Andrew Schneider is an American film actor.-Early life and career:Schneider was born and raised in Asheville, North Carolina. He graduated from the North Carolina School of Arts...
. Chris Pratt
Chris Pratt
Christopher Michael "Chris" Pratt is an American actor, best known for his roles as Harold Brighton "Bright" Abbott in the television series Everwood, the recurring character Winchester "Ché" Cook in season 4 of The OC, Andy Dwyer in the television series Parks and Recreation and for portraying...
, who was billed as a guest star throughout the first season despite appearing in every episode, was promoted to the main cast in season two. Andy Dwyer
Andy Dwyer
Andrew Maxwell "Andy" Dwyer is a fictional character in the NBC comedy Parks and Recreation. He is Ann Perkins' ex-boyfriend, a talented-if-yet-unsuccessful musician, a shoe-shiner at Pawnee City Hall, and April Ludgate's husband. He is portrayed by Chris Pratt.-Background:At the start of the...
, Pratt's character, was originally supposed to appear only in the first season, but the producers liked Pratt so much that almost immediately after casting him, they decided to make Andy a regular character. Schneider left the cast after the second season to focus on his film career. Schur said when Schneider's character Mark Brendanawicz
Mark Brendanawicz
Mark Brendanawicz is a fictional character in the NBC comedy Parks and Recreation. He is the city planner for Pawnee, Indiana, one of Ann Perkins's ex-boyfriends, and Leslie Knope's colleague. He is portrayed by Paul Schneider...
was conceived, it was anticipated he would eventually become a less frequent character who switched back and forth between government and private sector jobs. Both Schur and Schneider said they would like the character to make guest appearances in future episodes.
Rob Lowe
Rob Lowe
Robert Hepler "Rob" Lowe is an American actor. Lowe came to prominence after appearing in films such as The Outsiders, Oxford Blues, About Last Night..., St. Elmo's Fire, and Wayne's World. On television, Lowe is known for his role as Sam Seaborn on The West Wing and his role as Senator Robert...
and Adam Scott
Adam Scott (actor)
Adam Scott is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Henry Pollard in the Starz comedy series Party Down and as Ben Wyatt in the NBC comedy Parks and Recreation....
joined the Parks and Recreation cast starting in the penultimate second season episode, "The Master Plan
The Master Plan (Parks and Recreation)
The Master Plan is the 23rd and penultimate episode of the second season of the American comedy television series Parks and Recreation, and the 29th overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on May 13, 2010...
". Scott left his starring role on the Starz comedy series Party Down
Party Down
Party Down is an American comedy television series created and primarily written by John Enbom, Rob Thomas, Dan Etheridge, and Paul Rudd that aired on the Starz network in the United States.-Conception:...
to join Parks and Recreation, and Lowe had recently departed from the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
drama series Brothers & Sisters. From the beginning, Scott was expected to become a regular cast member and, during the third season
Parks and Recreation (season 3)
The third season of Parks and Recreation originally aired in the United States on the NBC television network between January 20 and May 19, 2011. Like the previous seasons, it focused on Leslie Knope and her staff at the parks and recreation department of the fictional Indiana town of Pawnee...
, eventual love interest for Leslie Knope
Leslie Knope
Leslie Barbara Knope is a fictional character in the NBC comedy Parks and Recreation. She is portrayed by Amy Poehler. Poehler garnered two Emmy Award nominations for Best Lead Actress in Comedy Series for her role.-Background:...
, while Lowe was originally only intended to make a string of guest appearances in the third season and then depart the series. However, Lowe later signed a multi-year contract to become a regular cast member. Schur said even when the character Ben Wyatt
Ben Wyatt
Benjamin Sana Wyatt is an Indigenous Australian politician. He has been an Australian Labor Party member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly since March 2006, representing the electorate of Victoria Park.-Early life and education:...
was conceived, Adam Scott was considered the "dream scenario" casting choice.
Jim O'Heir
Jim O'Heir
Jim O'Heir is an American actor. He was active in the Chicago theater during the 1980s and 1990s as part of the theater group White Noise, and appeared in such plays as The Book of Blanche, Stumpy's Gang and Ad-Nauseam with the group...
and Retta, who made regular appearances as parks employees Jerry Gergich and Donna Meagle
Donna Meagle
Donna Meagle is a fictional character in the NBC comedy Parks and Recreation. She is portrayed by Retta Sirleaf and has appeared in the show since the pilot. For the first two seasons of the show she appeared as a recurring character; she became a regular in the third season.-Background:Donna is...
in the first season, continued to appear in season two. Although still considered guest actors, their characters started to become more fully developed and play larger roles in the episodes. Several other actors played regular supporting roles throughout the second season. Jama Williamson
Jama Williamson
Jama Williamson is an American actress. She was active in New York City theater throughout the early 2000s, during which she appeared in such shows as Avery Crozier's Eat the Runt, Hunt Holman's Spanish Girl, A. R. Gurney's Sylvia and Simon Mendes da Costa's Losing Louis...
continued her recurring role as Wendy, Tom Haverford
Tom Haverford
Thomas Montgomery "Tom" Haverford , born Darwish Sabir Ismael Gani, is a fictional character in the NBC comedy Parks and Recreation. He is a sarcastic, underachieving government official for the city of Pawnee who is revered for his high levels of swagger and unmatched entrepreneurial skills...
's ex-wife who becomes a romantic interest for Ron Swanson
Ron Swanson
Ronald Ulysses "Ron" Swanson is a fictional character played by Nick Offerman in the American comedy television series Parks and Recreation on NBC. Ron is parks department director in the Indiana city of Pawnee and the immediate superior of protagonist Leslie Knope...
. Mo Collins
Mo Collins
Maureen "Mo" Ann Collins is an American actress and comedian. Collins is perhaps best known for being a member of the ensemble on FOX's sketch comedy series MADtv. She became well known for several characters during her tenure on the show...
and Jay Jackson made repeated appearances as Pawnee journalists Joan Callamezzo and Perd Hapley. Both actors were originally expected to appear only in one episode, but both returned for subsequent episodes because the writing staff enjoyed their performances. Alison Becker
Alison Becker
Alison Helene Becker is an American actress, comedian, writer, and TV personality. She is the previous host of VH1's Top 20 Video Countdown and currently the co-host/sidekick on the FuelTV panel talk-show The Daily Habit.-Early life:...
played another Pawnee reporter, Shauna Malwae-Tweep, a character she also played in the first season. Ben Schwartz
Ben Schwartz
Ben Schwartz is a writer, actor and comedian. His feature film credits include Peep World with Rainn Wilson, Michael C. Hall and Sarah Silverman as well as Everybody's Fine with Robert DeNiro...
played Jean-Ralphio
Jean-Ralphio Saperstein
Jean-Ralphio Saperstein is a fictional character played by Ben Schwartz in the American comedy television series Parks and Recreation. He is the cocky friend of Tom Haverford and, like Tom, believes himself to be a playboy and pickup artist, although he is looked upon with contempt by most people...
, an arrogant and fast-talking playboy friend of Tom, in several episodes. Pamela Reed
Pamela Reed
Pamela Reed is an American actress. She is known for playing Ruth Powers in various episodes of TV's The Simpsons, as Arnold Schwarzenegger's hypoglycemic partner in the 1990 movie Kindergarten Cop and as the matriarch Gail Green in Jericho...
reprised his recurring role as Leslie's mother, Marlene
Marlene Griggs-Knope
Marlene Griggs-Knope is a fictional character played by Pamela Reed in the American comedy television series Parks and Recreation. She is the mother of the show's protagonist, Leslie Knope, and an important political figure in the school system at the fictional Indiana town of Pawnee, where Leslie...
, in several second season episodes.
The second season also included several prominent guest appearances, something that distinguished Parks and Recreation from Greg Daniels' other comedy series, The Office. Schur said high-profile guests on The Office would be too distracting because most episodes are confined to one setting, while he said Parks and Recreation was "a little bit more bright and colorful than The Office". Megan Mullally
Megan Mullally
Megan Mullally is an American actress and singer.After working in the theatre in Chicago, Mullally moved to Los Angeles in 1985 and began to appear in supporting roles in film and television productions. She made her Broadway debut in Grease in 1994 and she has since appeared in several Broadway...
, the real-life wife of Nick Offerman, appeared as Ron's ex-wife Tammy in the episode "Ron and Tammy
Ron and Tammy
"Ron and Tammy" is the eighth episode of the second season of Parks and Recreation, and the fourteenth overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on November 5, 2009. In the episode, the library department tries to take control of a vacant lot where Leslie plans...
". Schur said Mullally's appearance was well-received and not overly distracting to viewers, which made the Parks and Recreation producers feel more comfortable about using future guest actors. Stand-up comedian Louis C.K.
Louis C.K.
Louis Szekely , known professionally as Louis C.K., is a stand-up comedian, television and film writer, actor, producer, and director...
appeared in several episodes as Dave Sanderson, a Pawnee police officer and romantic interest to Leslie Knope. Although typically known for his raunchy and caustic comedy style, Louis C.K. adopted a far more deadpan sense of humor and technical tone of voice for Sanderson.
Two of Amy Poehler's previous cast members from Saturday Night Live appeared in Parks and Recreation episodes: Fred Armisen
Fred Armisen
Fred Armisen is an American actor, comedian and musician best known for his work as a cast member on Saturday Night Live, and portraying off-color foreigners in various comedy films such as EuroTrip, Anchorman and Cop Out...
played the vice director of a Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
n parks department in "Sister City
Sister City (Parks and Recreation)
"Sister City" is the fifth episode of the second season of Parks and Recreation, and the eleventh overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on October 15, 2009...
", and Andy Samberg
Andy Samberg
David Andrew "Andy" Samberg is an American actor, comedian, rapper and writer best known as a member of the comedy group The Lonely Island and as a cast member on Saturday Night Live...
portrayed the head of security for Pawnee's parks in "Park Safety
Park Safety
"Park Safety" is the nineteenth episode of the second season of the American comedy television series Parks and Recreation, and the 25th overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on March 18, 2010...
". Will Arnett
Will Arnett
William Emerson "Will" Arnett is a Canadian actor and comedian best known for his role as George Oscar "G.O.B." Bluth II on the Fox comedy Arrested Development. He is also known for his role as Devon Banks on the NBC comedy 30 Rock. Since his success on Arrested Development, Arnett has landed major...
, the real-life husband of Amy Poehler, made a guest appearance as an MRI
Magnetic resonance imaging
Magnetic resonance imaging , nuclear magnetic resonance imaging , or magnetic resonance tomography is a medical imaging technique used in radiology to visualize detailed internal structures...
technician in "The Set Up
The Set Up (Parks and Recreation)
"The Set Up" is the thirteenth episode of the second season of the American comedy television series Parks and Recreation, and the nineteenth overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on January 14, 2010...
". In that same episode, Justin Theroux started a string of a guest appearances as Justin Anderson, a friend of Ann and love interest for Leslie. John Larroquette
John Larroquette
John Edgar Bernard Larroquette, Jr. is an American film, television and Broadway actor. His roles include Dan Fielding on the series Night Court, Mike McBride in the Hallmark Channel series McBride, John Hemingway on The John Larroquette Show, and Carl Sack in Boston Legal.-Personal...
appeared in "Galentine's Day
Galentine's Day
"Galentine's Day" is the sixteenth episode of the second season of the American comedy television series Parks and Recreation, and the 22nd overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on February 11, 2010. In the episode, Leslie and her boyfriend Justin seek to...
" as the long-lost former love of Leslie's mother. Kevin Symons
Kevin Symons
Kevin Symons is an American actor, who is best known for role as Dr. Kevin Adams in the television series Darcy's Wild Life. His other television credits include Joan of Arcadia, iCarly, Medium, Models, Inc., Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, Veronica Mars, The West Wing and Parks and Recreation...
appeared in two episodes as Bill Dexhart, a Pawnee councilman prone to sexual affairs and political scandals. Paul Scheer
Paul Scheer
Paul Christian Scheer is an American comedian, actor, writer, and producer. He co-created and starred in MTV's sketch comedy series Human Giant and currently co-stars as Andre on the FX comedy The League. He also currently stars as Trent Hauser on the Adult Swim show NTSF:SD:SUV:: which he created...
, who appeared in the MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
sketch comedy show Human Giant
Human Giant
Human Giant is a sketch comedy show on MTV, starring writer/performers Aziz Ansari, Rob Huebel, Paul Scheer and directed primarily by Jason Woliner.The show has completed two seasons. The status of a third season is unknown...
with Aziz Ansari, played a charity leader in "Kaboom
Kaboom (Parks and Recreation)
"Kaboom" is the sixth episode of the second season of Parks and Recreation, and the twelfth overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on October 22, 2009...
". In that same episode, comedian and voice actor H. Jon Benjamin
H. Jon Benjamin
Henry Jon Benjamin , known professionally as H. Jon Benjamin and Jon Benjamin, is an American actor, comedian and writer best known for his voice-over roles as Jason and Coach McGuirk on Home Movies, Ben on Dr...
played a Pawnee lawyer. Michael Gross
Michael Gross (actor)
Michael Gross is an American television, movie, and stage actor who plays both comedic and dramatic roles. His most notable roles are as the father Steven Keaton from Family Ties and the Graboid hunter Burt Gummer from the Tremors franchise.-Early life:Gross was born in Chicago, Illinois, the son...
, best known for his role as Steven Keaton from Family Ties
Family Ties
Family Ties is an American sitcom that aired on NBC for seven seasons, from 1982 to 1989. The sitcom reflected the move in the United States from the cultural liberalism of the 1960s and 1970s to the conservatism of the 1980s. This was particularly expressed through the relationship between young...
, appeared in "Summer Catalog
Summer Catalog
Summer Catalog is the 20th episode of the second season of the American comedy television series Parks and Recreation, and the 26th overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on March 25, 2010. In the episode, Leslie reunited a reunion with the last four Pawnee...
" as a former parks department director who loves marijuana. Detlef Schrempf, a retired basketball player who played for the Indiana Pacers
Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers are a professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They are members of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association...
, portrayed himself in "Telethon
Telethon (Parks and Recreation)
Telethon is the 22nd episode of the second season of the American comedy television series Parks and Recreation, and the 28th overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on May 6, 2010. In the episode, Leslie volunteers to host a charity telethon and is given the...
". Natalie Morales
Natalie Morales (actress)
Natalie Morales is an American actress of Cuban descent.Growing up, she attended St. Agatha Catholic School before going to Southwest High School, and participated in the University of Miami Dow Jones Minority High School Journalism Workshop...
appeared in the last two episodes of the season as Lucy, a bartender who becomes Tom's girlfriend.
Writing and filming
Following season one, Parks and Recreation was originally renewed for a half season-worth of episodes, but was picked up for a full season in late October 2009. Greg Daniels said since the Parks and Recreation characters had now been established in the second season, the writers were able to write more specifically for the actors. Daniels said he believed this allowed the characters to become more balanced, rather than simply an accumulation of flaws, as they sometimes appeared in the first season. The writing staff also made an effort to be more topical with the second season episodes. For example, the episode "Pawnee ZooPawnee Zoo
"Pawnee Zoo" is the second season premiere of the American comedy television series Parks and Recreation, and the seventh overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on September 17, 2009...
" included social commentary about same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage is marriage between two persons of the same biological sex or social gender. Supporters of legal recognition for same-sex marriage typically refer to such recognition as marriage equality....
. Likewise, "The Stakeout" included a parody of the arrest of Henry Louis Gates, a black Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
professor who was arrested
Henry Louis Gates arrest controversy
On July 16, 2009, Harvard University professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr., was arrested at his Cambridge, Massachusetts home by a local police officer responding to a 911 caller’s report of men breaking and entering the residence...
after police mistakenly thought he was breaking into his own home in Cambridge
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, and a sex scandal involving a Pawnee councilman in "Practice Date" mirrored the real-life 2009 scandal
Mark Sanford disappearance and extramarital affair
For six days in June 2009, South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford's whereabouts were unknown and there was media coverage of what was described as his disappearance. Subsequently the Governor reappeared and reported that he had been in Argentina with a woman with whom he was having an extramarital...
of South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
Governor
Governor of South Carolina
The Governor of the State of South Carolina is the head of state for the State of South Carolina. Under the South Carolina Constitution, the Governor is also the head of government, serving as the chief executive of the South Carolina executive branch. The Governor is the ex officio...
Mark Sanford
Mark Sanford
Marshall Clement "Mark" Sanford Jr. is an American politician from South Carolina, who was the 115th Governor of South Carolina from 2003 to 2011....
, who publicly admitted to a long-term extramarital affair with an Argentinian
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
woman.
The writers made several other changes going from season one to season two, including making the scripts more focused around the entire cast rather than just Leslie. They also tried to make Leslie appear more intelligent in the second season after receiving audience feedback that she appeared "ditzy", which Michael Schur said was never their intention. Schur said, "In the end, we just felt that Amy is an enormously likable presence on screen, so as the season went on we just tried to create situations where that would shine through." During the episode "Kaboom
Kaboom (Parks and Recreation)
"Kaboom" is the sixth episode of the second season of Parks and Recreation, and the twelfth overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on October 22, 2009...
", a major subplot was resolved when the large construction pit that Leslie had long sought to turn into a park was filled with dirt and turned into a lot. The pit was first established in the premiere episode
Pilot (Parks and Recreation)
"Pilot" is the first episode of the first season of the American comedy television series Parks and Recreation. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on April 9, 2009. The episode was written by series co-creators Michael Schur and Greg Daniels, and directed by Daniels...
and had been a focal point of the series since the show began. Schur said while the pit project was originally conceived as a device to bring all the characters together working toward a common goal, and it was expected to only become a park during the series finale. However, Schur said he felt the early episodes were too focused on the pit and had led viewers to believe the entire show was about filling the pit, which was not the writers' intention, so they accelerated the resolution of that story arc. The idea of Ben and Chris, two state auditors who come in from outside Pawnee to help the town deal with budget problems, was conceived from news reports at the time of a number of states considering shutting down schools, parks and other services due to the global recession.
Poehler became pregnant during the latter half of the season, with her baby due in the summer or early fall of 2010. The Parks and Recreation producers decided not to write the pregnancy into the show, so they decided to enter into a continuous production after the season ended to bank episodes for the third season. Six season three episodes were filmed in this fashion. However, in May 2010, NBC announced the third season of Parks and Recreation was being moved to an undisclosed midseason premiere date to allow the network's new comedy, Outsourced
Outsourced (TV series)
Outsourced is an American television sitcom set in an Indian workplace. It was based on the John Jeffcoat film of the same name and adapted by Ken Kwapis and Universal Media Studios for NBC. The series originally ran from September 23, 2010 to May 12, 2011...
, to run in the Thursday two-hour comedy schedule block. NBC chief executive officer Jeff Gaspin
Jeff Gaspin
Jeffrey "Jeff" Gaspin is an American television executive and was most recently the Chairman of NBC Universal Television Entertainment. Gaspin resigned his position in late 2010, as a precursor to Comcast taking controlling ownership of the now newly rechristened NBCUniversal, which occurred on...
said this move was not a reflection on Parks and Recreation, and suggested the extended hiatus would not only have no effect on the show's momentum, but could actually build anticipation for its eventual return. In November 2010, it was announced Parks and Recreation would return to a 9:30 p.m. Thursday timeslot effective January 20, 2011.
Reviews
The first season of Parks and Recreation received mixed to negative reviews, with many critics deeming it too similar to The Office, which shared the same mock documentary style as Parks and Recreation. In particular, several commentators said the naive and well-meaning Leslie Knope character too closely resembled The Office protagonist Michael ScottMichael Scott (The Office)
Michael Gary Scott is a fictional character on NBC's The Office, portrayed by Steve Carell, and based on David Brent from the original British version. Michael, the central character of the series, was the manager of the Scranton branch of paper and printer distribution company Dunder Mifflin Inc...
, a well-intentioned but dimwitted protagonist manager of a paper company sales office. However, most critics declared the second season a vast improvement over the first, with some even claiming it had surpassed The Office and 30 Rock
30 Rock
30 Rock is an American television comedy series created by Tina Fey that airs on NBC. The series is loosely based on Fey's experiences as head writer for Saturday Night Live...
as the best comedy of NBC's Thursday line-up. It was declared the best comedy of the television season by Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
writer Henning Fog and The Star-Ledger
The Star-Ledger
The Star-Ledger is the largest circulated newspaper in the U.S. state of New Jersey and is based in Newark. It is a sister paper to The Jersey Journal of Jersey City, The Times of Trenton and the Staten Island Advance, all of which are owned by Advance Publications.The Newark Star-Ledgers daily...
television columnist Alan Sepinwall. Entertainment Weekly writer Michael Ausiello
Michael Ausiello
Michael Ausiello is an American television industry journalist and actor. He was a Senior Writer at TV Guide and its companion website, TVGuide.com. On May 28, 2008, Ausiello left TV Guide for Entertainment Weekly and posted his first blog for Entertainment Weekly on July 2, 2008...
, who was critical of the first season, called it the "most improved" show of the season. Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
magazine writer James Poniewozik
James Poniewozik
James Poniewozik is an American journalist and television critic. He writes Times Tuned In column and has a blog with the same name.Originally from Monroe, MI, Poniewozik attended the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, graduating with a BA in English. He subsequently attended the graduate program...
included Parks and Recreation in his list of the 10 best television shows of 2009, and IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
declared it the best comedy series of 2009. Several reviewers called the second season one of the most impressive comebacks in television history.
Amy Poehler said the first season struggled in part due to extremely high expectations from comparisons to The Office. Parks and Recreation staff also felt part of the reason for the improvement was that the characters have become better developed, and viewers have become to like and care more about them. Likewise, Michael Schur believed much of the early criticism stemmed from the fact that audiences were not yet familiar with the characters, and he believed viewers liked the second season better because they had gotten to know the characters better as the series progressed. Commentators said the supporting cast was now working with better material and that Amy Poheler's character had improved and become less over-the-top and more human than in the first season, and more distinct from Michael Scott. Several reviewers praised the decision to drop season one subplots that risked becoming stale, like whether Andy and Ann would keep dating, and Leslie's long-standing crush on Mark. Others complimented the decision to fill in the pit during the second season, which they said freed the show up for more stories and better scripts. Despite the vast change in critical reception, Parks and Recreation staff said they felt only a few minor changes were made to the show itself. Michael Schur said, "I don't think magical fairy dust was sprinkled over the show. I just think we're getting better at it." NBC officials compared the late rush of critical acclaim for Parks and Recreation to that of The Office, which received mixed reviews during its first season
The Office (U.S. TV series) season 1
The first season of the American television comedy The Office premiered in the United States on NBC on March 24, 2005, concluded on April 26, 2005, and consists of six episodes...
before most critics agreed it found its rhythm in the second season
The Office (U.S. TV series) season 2
The second season of the American situation comedy television series, The Office, premiered in the United States on NBC on September 20, 2005, and ended on May 11, 2006. The season had 22 episodes, including its first 40-minute "super-sized" episode...
.
Nick Offerman received considerable praise for his performance as Ron Swanson during the second season. Many reviewers praised Offerman's subtle and understated style of comedy, and said he was often the funniest part of the scenes he was in. Jonah Weiner of Slate
Slate (magazine)
Slate is a US-based English language online current affairs and culture magazine created in 1996 by former New Republic editor Michael Kinsley, initially under the ownership of Microsoft as part of MSN. On 21 December 2004 it was purchased by the Washington Post Company...
magazine declared Swanson "Parks and Recreation
Achilles' heel
An Achilles’ heel is a deadly weakness in spite of overall strength, that can actually or potentially lead to downfall. While the mythological origin refers to a physical vulnerability, metaphorical references to other attributes or qualities that can lead to downfall are common.- Origin :In Greek...
", and Sandra Gonzalez, also from Entertainment Weekly, wrote, "No matter what they do with these two, I can’t help but be bored."
Ratings
Despite the critical success, the second season of Parks and Recreation continued to suffer in the Nielsen ratingsNielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
. By December 2009, the average episode viewership was 5.3 million households. The average was lower than the other NBC comedy shows that aired Thursday night along with Parks and Recreation: Community
Community (TV series)
Community is an American television comedy series created by Dan Harmon that airs on NBC. The series is about a group of students at a community college in the fictional locale of Greendale, Colorado. The series heavily uses meta-humor and pop culture references, often parodying film and television...
drew an average 6.5 million households, 30 Rock an average 7.3 million, and The Office an average 10.1 million. By February 2010, ratings had begun to improve all of NBC's Thursday comedy shows, especially Parks and Recreation, but the network remained in fourth place among the major networks in Nielsen ratings. By the end of the season, the average viewership for the 24 episodes of season two was 4.68 million, lower than season one's average of 5.45 million households.
Awards
Amy Poehler was nominated for a Primetime Emmy AwardPrimetime Emmy Award
The Primetime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American primetime television programming...
for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. The episode "Telethon
Telethon (Parks and Recreation)
Telethon is the 22nd episode of the second season of the American comedy television series Parks and Recreation, and the 28th overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on May 6, 2010. In the episode, Leslie volunteers to host a charity telethon and is given the...
", in which Leslie frantically stays awake for 36 hours to volunteer for a charity telethon, was her performance submitted for Emmy award consideration. This marked Poehler's third Primetime Emmy nomination, having previously received twice for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series during her time on Saturday Night Live. Poehler ultimately lost to Edie Falco
Edie Falco
Edith "Edie" Falco is an American television, film and stage actress, known for her roles in Oz as Diane Wittlesey, as Carmela Soprano on the HBO series The Sopranos, and as the titular character on the Showtime series Nurse Jackie...
for her performance on the Showtime comedy series Nurse Jackie
Nurse Jackie
Nurse Jackie is an American series that premiered on June 8, 2009, on Showtime, Movie Central and The Movie Network.The series stars Edie Falco as the title character Jackie Peyton, an emergency room nurse at All Saints' Hospital in New York City...
. Also that year, the Parks and Recreation theme song by Gaby Moreno
Gaby Moreno
Gaby Moreno is originally from Guatemala City, Guatemala and is an award-winning singer, songwriter and guitarist. She now resides in Los Angeles, California.-Biography:...
and Vincent Jones was for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Main Title Theme Music
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Main Title Theme Music
This is a list of the winning and nominated programs of the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Main Title Theme Music.-1980s:-1990s:-2000s:-2010s:...
, but the award again went to Nurse Jackie.
Parks and Recreation was also nominated for a Television Critics Association Award
TCA Awards
The TCA Awards are awards presented by the Television Critics Association in recognition of excellence in television excellence. There are eleven categories, which are presented every summer.-Categories:...
for Outstanding Achievement in Comedy, and Nick Offerman received a nomination for Individual Achievement in Comedy; the awards ultimately were awarded, respectively, to the comedy series Modern Family
Modern Family
Modern Family is an American television comedy series created by Christopher Lloyd and Steven Levitan, which debuted on ABC on September 23, 2009. Lloyd and Levitan serve as showrunner and executive producers, under their Levitan-Lloyd Productions label...
and to Jane Lynch
Jane Lynch
Jane Marie Lynch is an American comedian, actress and singer. She gained fame in Christopher Guest's improv mockumentary pictures such as Best in Show and is currently best known for playing the role of Sue Sylvester in the television series Glee...
for her performance in the musical comedy-drama Glee
Glee (TV series)
Glee is an American musical comedy-drama television series that airs on Fox in the United States, and on GlobalTV in Canada. It focuses on the high school glee club New Directions competing on the show choir competition circuit, while its members deal with relationships, sexuality and social issues...
. The second season premiere episode, "Pawnee Zoo", won the GLAAD Media Award
GLAAD Media Awards
The GLAAD Media Award is an accolade bestowed by the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation to recognize and honor various branches of the media for their outstanding representations of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community and the issues that affect their lives...
for Outstanding Individual Episode. It was nominated alongside the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
drama series Private Practice, the NBC supernatural drama The Listener
The Listener (TV series)
The Listener is a Canadian science fiction drama set in Toronto about a young paramedic named Toby Logan with the ability to listen to people's minds. The series premiered on Fox International Channels beginning with the Arabic-speaking area of northern Africa and south-western Asia on March 1, 2009...
and the CW
The CW Television Network
The CW Television Network is a television network in the United States launched at the beginning of the 2006–2007 television season. It is a joint venture between CBS Corporation, the former owners of United Paramount Network , and Time Warner's Warner Bros., former majority owner of The WB...
drama/horror series Supernatural
Supernatural (TV series)
Supernatural is an American supernatural and horror television series created by Eric Kripke, which debuted on September 13, 2005 on The WB, and is now part of The CW's lineup. Starring Jared Padalecki as Sam Winchester and Jensen Ackles as Dean Winchester, the series follows the brothers as they...
in the category. Aubrey Plaza received a Best Supporting Actress in Television nomination from the Imagen Awards, which honors positive portrayals of Latinos in entertainment, but the award went to María Canals Barrera
Maria Canals Barrera
María Canals Barrera is an American actress, voice actress and singer. She is best known for her roles as Theresa Russo in Wizards of Waverly Place, Connie Torres in Camp Rock and Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam, and as the voice of Shayera Hol/Hawkgirl in Justice League and Justice League...
for her role in Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie
Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie
Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie is a 2009 American made-for-television comedy-drama fantasy film based on the Disney Channel Original Series Wizards of Waverly Place. Filmed primarily in San Juan, Puerto Rico in February and March 2009, the Disney Channel Original Movie premiered on August 28,...
(2009). Also in 2010, Parks and Recreation received two nominations from Entertainment Weekly
External links
- Official Parks and Recreation site at NBC.comNBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...