It started out a little bit wishy washy, admittedly. Finally being brought to the UK, Parks & Recreation was initially seen as simply a clone of The Office US; a bunch of misfits in an office earnestly trying to go about their jobs while being filmed mockumentary style. Yet just like how The Office US’s first season was essentially a carbon copy of the UK Office, and suffered slightly as a result, Parks & Rec does too. Leslie Knope, the affable Deputy Director of the department, was just a female Michael Scott and the kind of stale, one-note storyline of trying to turn a pit into a park didn’t allow for any of the secondary characters to shine. But then, like The Office US, it found its own voice and blossomed from there.
What Parks & Recreation does so well is character progression. When it gives these characters the time to shine, which it fails to do in Season One, they really come into their own. “Practise Date” is the episode when it becomes less “The Leslie Knope Show” and more an ensemble comedy. As the gang dig up dirt on each other, the laughs just come thick and fast, particularly when Jerry (a constant source of fun poking) doesn’t want to play but has numerous dark secrets revealed. Watching these characters grow and grow to the point where they’re almost unrecognisable in earlier episodes is fascinating and exemplifies the strong writing this show has become known for. Ron Swanson in particular (who will become your new favourite TV character, I guarantee that) progresses from a brick wall of a man to a cuddly teddy bear yet still packs in so many one liners, you’ll have to pause the show to catch your breath.
Jokes aren’t entirely focused on the bureaucratic side of things either. From Aziz Ansari’s Tom Haverford setting up an entertainment business with the amazing (only ocassional) recurring character Jean Ralphio, to Andy’s adorable stupidity, none of the jokes are made with malice but are all absolutely hilarious.
Parks & Recreation is how comedy should be. It’s entirely uncynical and unpretentious. I liken it to The Muppet Show a lot because it’s a show about friendship and having fun, but with a bellyful of laughs along the way. Seriously, give this show a shot. If you don’t like Season One, please carry on anyway. Especially when Rob Lowe and Adam Scott are introduced, the show becomes something entirely unlike what it used to be, and it only gets better from there.
