Parks and Recreation is now one of the best sitcoms of the 2010s, but to get to that, it had to make some big changes early on that ultimately saved the show. The 2010s saw a variety of sitcoms that won the audience over with their characters, stories, and different types of comedy, and among the most successful ones is Parks and Recreation. Created by Greg Daniels and Michael Schur, Parks and Rec premiered on NBC in 2009 and ran for seven seasons, ending in 2015, with its finale becoming one of the best of all time. jz20

The trailer for the fake TV show the Parks and Recreation cast made years ago has now been released, over a decade after the show ended. Back in 2009, Greg Daniels and Michael Schur took the audience to the fictional town of Pawnee, Indiana, in the mockumentary sitcom Parks and Recreation. Throughout seven seasons, Parks and Rec followed Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) and her friends and colleagues from the Parks Department through many ups and downs in their careers and their personal lives. Parks and Recreation ended in 2015, but the show continues to be quite popular.

One of Parks and Recreation’s best characters is Nick Offerman’s Ron Swanson, who carried a big secret that was eventually revealed, but the show never explained a big mystery about it. The 2000s were home to some now classic sitcoms, among them Parks and Recreation. Created by Greg Daniels and Michael Schur, Parks and Recreation premiered on NBC in 2009 and ran for seven seasons, ending in 2015. Parks and Rec took the audience to the fictional but very special town of Pawnee, Indiana, to meet the always cheerful Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler).

From Homer Simpson to Michael Scott, sitcom leads are typically dim-witted characters, but Parks and Recreation’s smart, competent protagonist Leslie Knope proved they didn’t have to be. Parks and Rec is one of many TV shows that eventually got much better after taking a couple of seasons to find their feet. In its first season, it was a clone of The Office, utilizing the same mundane tone, the same cringe humor, and a similar characterization for its lead character. Leslie started out a lot like Michael: a bumbling but well-meaning simpleton.

For years, fans have speculated over the endings of iconic shows, but few would expect a sitcom to borrow from the most polarizing series finale in TV history - The Sopranos. When The Sopranos cut to black in the middle of the series finale, “Made in America,” it sparked endless debate about Tony Soprano’s fate, and television never looked the same. While that ambiguous final scene was largely viewed as a bold choice for a dark, dramatic series, it turns out the ripple effect reached much further. Even into the sunniest corners of prime-time comedy.

Amy Poehler recently recalled what it was like to film with Michelle Obama during the former First Lady's Parks and Recreationcameo, and it sounds like she embraced her inner Leslie Knope for the occasion. Poehler portrayed the ionate deputy director of the Pawnee parks department for all seven seasons of Parks and Rec. In that time, the NBC sitcom featured many famous guest stars, including big-name actors and politicians. Leslie Knope was well-known for her obsession with Joe Biden, but the show's lead was just as excited to meet Michelle Obama.

When Parks and Recreationpremiered in 2009, it introduced audiences to Leslie Knope, the public service-loving government employee with dreams of changing the world one small town at a time. From the start, Leslie was front and center, leading the fictional Parks Department in Pawnee, Indiana with boundless energy and sometimes cringe-inducing optimism. However, during early Parks and Rec episodes, Leslie didn’t yet have the personality that made her so endearing when it finished. Fans of mockumentary-style sitcoms couldn’t help but notice how much Leslie resembled another iconic figure from a hit NBC comedy - and not in a good way.

Adam Scott and Rashida Jones were both included on Time's list of the 100 most influential people of 2025, and received tributes from their Parks and Recreation co-stars. The NBC sitcom aired from 2009 to 2015 and followed an ensemble of government employees who tried to improve the fictional town of Pawnee, Indiana. While Scott ed the show late and Jones left the series before its ending, their characters, Ben Wyatt and Ann Perkins, were two of the best characters on Parks and Recreation.

It’s surprising how many prominentTV stars can have their most famous characters be total opposites to one another. After all, it's not unusual for an actor to be typecast as a particular kind of character. This means when they subvert expectations and end up portraying a figure that couldn’t be any more different from their most notable role, it can be rather unexpected. However, these unusual castings can sometimes help crystallize a series into some of the best TV shows of all time.

Parks and Recreation star Chris Pratt would push back against "mean" jokes directed at Jerry, a new book reveals. Created by Michael Schur, the hit NBC sitcom first aired in 2009, airing for seven seasons before coming to an end in 2015. Pratt played Andy Dwyer, a lovable goofball, on the show, while O'Heir played Jerry Gergich, a city employee who was used as something of a punching bag for others in the Parks & Rec cast of characters.