Spring Break
NBC's 'Parks and Recreation' not very recreational
Ross Leonard
Issue date: 4/10/09 Section: Diversions
Last night, the creators of the hit TV show "The Office" embarked on their next sitcom, "Parks and Recreation." The Office-esque show follows the city officials of a fictional Indiana town as they get themselves into various situations that they are usually unable to handle. Amy Poehler headlines the cast as Leslie Knope, a 30-something who works for the state department doing various tasks that are asked of her. Her character tends to take pride in her career while the others she works with do not. The rest of the cast includes her sidekick Tom, a college intern named April, her boss Ron, and a past lover and current co-worker Mark.
I had impressions before the show even aired that it was just going to be an unfunny version of "The Office." And for the most part, my impressions were correct. I think the main thing that drives "The Office" is the comedic contribution from its entire cast - they all rely on each other to get a laugh. I felt "Parks and Recreation" gives Amy Poehler a little too much face time, and Amy Poehler is no Steve Carell. The show is basically Amy Poehler making bad jokes, and quite frankly, I think Aziz Ansari, Poehler's sidekick, is funnier.
I did not catch myself laughing out loud during the entire show. It drew a giggle at best, and only a couple of times. There is no real stand-out character that steals the show and makes you look forward to a scene with he or she in it. It just felt very blah and monotone. It didn't excite me, but then again I didn't hate it. There was a lack of one-liners or lines to hold on to and talk about at the water cooler the next day. If I wanted to watch something funny, I wouldn't switch to this show. I have never really been a huge fan of Amy Poehler and I tend to find her obnoxious, so maybe that's where the show lost my attention. If you like Amy Poehler's comedic style then maybe this show would pique your interest, but I just don't think it's the show for me.
The show isn't even really politically based, and seems to be just ridiculous assignments that Poehler will take on every week. At the end of the show I thought to myself, "Where's the ending?" They got the grant to build a park and then it was over. I didn't feel like anything substantial even happened. It seemed like it was just a warm up for the new "The Office" that was on afterward.
I had impressions before the show even aired that it was just going to be an unfunny version of "The Office." And for the most part, my impressions were correct. I think the main thing that drives "The Office" is the comedic contribution from its entire cast - they all rely on each other to get a laugh. I felt "Parks and Recreation" gives Amy Poehler a little too much face time, and Amy Poehler is no Steve Carell. The show is basically Amy Poehler making bad jokes, and quite frankly, I think Aziz Ansari, Poehler's sidekick, is funnier.
I did not catch myself laughing out loud during the entire show. It drew a giggle at best, and only a couple of times. There is no real stand-out character that steals the show and makes you look forward to a scene with he or she in it. It just felt very blah and monotone. It didn't excite me, but then again I didn't hate it. There was a lack of one-liners or lines to hold on to and talk about at the water cooler the next day. If I wanted to watch something funny, I wouldn't switch to this show. I have never really been a huge fan of Amy Poehler and I tend to find her obnoxious, so maybe that's where the show lost my attention. If you like Amy Poehler's comedic style then maybe this show would pique your interest, but I just don't think it's the show for me.
The show isn't even really politically based, and seems to be just ridiculous assignments that Poehler will take on every week. At the end of the show I thought to myself, "Where's the ending?" They got the grant to build a park and then it was over. I didn't feel like anything substantial even happened. It seemed like it was just a warm up for the new "The Office" that was on afterward.
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satcong
posted 4/16/09 @ 9:25 PM PST
I always wondered if there was some one out there that could make Steve Carell seem funny to me. Amy Pohler is so bad in this miserable little show that she does indeed make Steve Carell look funny. (Continued…)
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