Parks and Recreation is a comedy series created by writer and director Greg Daniels and producer Michael Schur.
The show's stories are told as a documentary film, and the characters appear to give their opinions on the subject matter discussed.
The story follows Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler), a mid-level bureaucrat in the Indiana Department of Parks and Recreation, who helps nurse Ann Perkins (Rashida Jones) transform an abandoned plot of land into a community park to boost her career and beautify her town.
However, what was supposed to be a relatively simple project turns into the constant frustration of dumb bureaucrats, selfish neighbours, government paperwork, and endless challenges.
Thus, the series follows the daily lives of the employees of the Pawnee Parks Department, which Ron Swanson (Nick Offerman), an anti-government bureaucrat, runs.
Leslie has as plenty of allies including Ann, her best friend, and Ben Wyatt (Adam Scott, Loot), her great partner.
Tom Haverford (Aziz Ansari), who exploits her position for personal advantage, can undermine her efforts or help her, and April Ludgate (Aubrey Plaza), Andy Dwyer (Chris Pratt, The Terminal List), Jerry Gergich (Jim O'Heir), Donna Meagle (Retta) and Chris Traeger (Rob Lowe) complete the group.
With plenty of misadventures and lots of humour, you will love the list of 8 shows like Parks and Recreation that we have put together for you.
Check out our list of workplace comedies, and we're sure you'll quickly find your new favourite series.
OUR LIST OF SHOWS LIKE PARKS AND RECREATION
Great News
Great News follows a segment producer on The Breakdown who's mother gets a job on the show as an intern. A funny and heartwarming workplace comedy.
The IT Crowd
Clever sitcom about the confusion and lack of respect that goes into the office IT department from comedy writer Graham Linehan. With a perfect blend of cast and characters, the IT Crowd is tv gold.
Abbott Elementary
Janine Teagues is a second grade teacher in the underfunded Abbott Elementary school in Philly. Facing the issues that so many teachers do every day, this mockumentary-style sitcom highlights just how hard it is to run a school when you're in an uphi...[Read More]
Loot
Loot is a comedy that follows Molly Novak, a woman who seemingly has it all but when her husband cheats she quickly realises that money doesn't buy you happiness and so she throws herself into charity work with mixed but funny results.
The Good Place
Eleanor Shellstrop has died and has mistakenly found herself in an afterlife known as The Good Place, despite her dubiously immoral existence on earth. But can she mend her ways and stay there in this brilliantly funny comedy?
Inside Job
For employees of the Deep State, conspiracies aren't just theories they're facts. And keeping them a secret is a full-time job on the very funny animated Inside Job.
Brooklyn Nine Nine
Brooklyn Nine-Nine is a fast-talking sit-com which blends smart wordplay with dumb gags, against a backdrop of the ever so slightly ridiculous. Starring an incredibly funny cast, all four seasons on Netflix are impeccably and consistently high on qua...[Read More]
Superstore
A really funny comedy set inside a Superstore, with quirky likeable characters and plenty of jokes making it so easy to watch. Clever and along the lines of Parks And Recreation or The office.
How Many Seasons Of Parks and Recreation?
This American television series premiered in 2009 and quickly gained the public's attention.
With a total of 7 seasons and 125 episodes, the series ended in February 2015. Some even considered that the series ended rather too abruptly.
Parks and Recreation was a terrific show but the producers felt it was the right time to end it.
According to Schur and Poehler, Leslie's story had reached its natural conclusion so Parks & Recreation ended after seven seasons.
Is Parks and Recreation worth watching?
Parks and Recreation is a fantastic and realistic series where, just like your office, each character is unique with their own stories, eccentricities, annoying habits and excellent qualities.
Leslie Knope is a progressive force for change, unwavering in her goals and fearless in her attempt to make this little part of the world a better place to live, but most importantly, she is a great person.
Optimistic and wonderfully enthusiastic, she's responsible for bringing together the oddest group of bureaucrats you will likely meet.
But this is also a show of great characters with much of the humour coming from the interactions between Leslie and Ron Swanson.
Completele opposites, she's a fan leader for all things government, including Joe Biden as the man of her dreams. At the same time, the libertarian Ron, aside from being self-centred, is completely anti-government despite being part of it.
It's impossible not to love the incredibly ignorant but lovable goofy Andy, and his scenes are a joy to watch. The narcissistic but brilliant duo of Tom Haverford and Jean-Ralphio are a blast, while Donna, Ann, Ben, Chris and even Brendanawicz bring something different to the saga.
Beyond the simple and perfectly realistic story, you will eventually think of these characters as your own peers and all the crazy stories, which could be your own.
A curious fact is that the show was initially conceived as a spin-off from The Office and was going to be called Public Service. However, the producers eventually followed the unique series path, and the result was even better!
Is There A Real Pawnee Indiana?
The story of Parks and Recreation takes place in the fictional town of Pawnee, Indiana. It is located in south-central Indiana and is the seventh-largest city in the state.
In the series, it is a city with low operating costs and efficiently developed, where its citizens are moderately educated, making it a good business place.
The legend says that the name “Pawnee” was chosen by Reverend Howell accidentally since he tried to write “Paradise” on the town charter, and his scribblings were misunderstood.
There are many suspicions that Pawnee is based on the actual neighbouring towns of New Albany and Clarksville. The map of Pawnee is a map of Muncie, Indiana, but turned upside down and flipped over.
Conclusion
Incredible comedies that reach cult status come along very rarely. And while the whole genre of mockumentary work place comedy may have started with The Office, Parks and Recreation has held its own for years.
While the show maybe over, there are plenty of laughs to be had with a whole new batch of comedies. So sit back and relax and pick one of our shows like Parks and Recreation to have some fun.
