Parks and Rec is in many regards a very flawed show. But it's also one of my favorites.
Leslie Knope is the overzealous, hypercompetent deputy director of the Parks and Rec department of Pawnee, Indiana, a small-minded city of people with no understanding of government.
Season 1 is rough. It tries to use the awkward mockumentary flavor of The Office but only by the end does it start to feel good. The characters feel undefined and far removed from who they'd become, but it's still worthwhile viewing if only for the contrast of how much it improved.
By Season 2 and 3, the show found its stride, shifting some characters around and making a great cast. Each character finds their own niche and each of them has their own lovable quirks. What really impresses me about the show is the way it explores pretty much every permutation of the cast dynamics, pairing off different characters and showing how they all manage to change each other for the better.
The plot of the show isn't exactly strong. Several ideas get brought up without follow-up due to the show's messy start, and the show ultimately does better work with its characters than its stories. There are still some good arcs of the show and the ending is a satisfying conclusion.
The political commentary of the show ages a bit sadly in its Obama-era optimism, since the show concluded before U.S. politics got a lot uglier, more polarized, and immature after 2016. The show portrays ugliness in Pawnee's setting, but the ultimate positivity it displays about government feels naive and bygone today. There are also some aspects of the comedy that age poorly. April is introduced in a relationship with a gay and bi man, only one of whom is attracted to her, which feels othering, Leslie starts off being culturally insensitive, and Tom Haverford's desperate flirting feels hard to stomach and his sympathetic elements land less strongly for it, especially after his actor fell into controversy for harassing behavior.
At the end, though, what leaves the biggest mark is the group of ten people at the heart of the story who are well explored and mostly lovable. This is a good comfort show.
One of my favorite TV casts.
Parks and Rec is in many regards a very flawed show. But it's also one of my favorites.
Leslie Knope is the overzealous, hypercompetent deputy director of the Parks and Rec department of Pawnee, Indiana, a small-minded city of people with no understanding of government.
Season 1 is rough. It tries to use the awkward mockumentary flavor of The Office but only by the end does it start to feel good. The characters feel undefined and far removed from who they'd become, but it's still worthwhile viewing if only for the contrast of how much it improved.
By Season 2 and 3, the show found its stride, shifting some characters around and making a great cast. Each character finds their own niche and each of them has their own lovable quirks. What really impresses me about the show is the way it explores pretty much every permutation of the cast dynamics, pairing off different characters and showing how they all manage to change each other for the better.
The plot of the show isn't exactly strong. Several ideas get brought up without follow-up due to the show's messy start, and the show ultimately does better work with its characters than its stories. There are still some good arcs of the show and the ending is a satisfying conclusion.
The political commentary of the show ages a bit sadly in its Obama-era optimism, since the show concluded before U.S. politics got a lot uglier, more polarized, and immature after 2016. The show portrays ugliness in Pawnee's setting, but the ultimate positivity it displays about government feels naive and bygone today. There are also some aspects of the comedy that age poorly. April is introduced in a relationship with a gay and bi man, only one of whom is attracted to her, which feels othering, Leslie starts off being culturally insensitive, and Tom Haverford's desperate flirting feels hard to stomach and his sympathetic elements land less strongly for it, especially after his actor fell into controversy for harassing behavior.
At the end, though, what leaves the biggest mark is the group of ten people at the heart of the story who are well explored and mostly lovable. This is a good comfort show.