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Visitors Review

Perry Mercer 2012-05-23 07:11:31

"Park & Recreations" Aren't Funny.

I really wanted to like this show, but after watching the first 3episodes (and one episode with the wife who didn't care for it), it'ssafe to say that this show is not "The Office". It really seems likeit's trying to be similar to it, but it's just not funny. It's not AmyPoehler's fault. The scripts are just poorly written. It doesn't helpthat her surrounding cast aren't the greatest comedians in the businesseither. Besides Aziz Ansari (Tom) character, most of the other membersjust aren't that funny. Where as "The Office" scripts are written wellfor each character/actor on that show, what's written for the casts ofP&R seems like force entertainment. You can see Amy is struggling asshe deliver her lines and then thinking to herself, (this doesn't soundall that funny). Watch the show and the expressions on her face andyou'll see what I mean. It's like they need to fire their writers andhire Tina Fey. Not sure what Rashida Jones was thinking. She shouldhave stayed on "The Office". She does make cameo appearance from timeto time on that show, but I honestly don't expect P&R to be around muchlonger unless they get new writers. The Pilot wasn't bad, but it seemslike it's going downhill every episode. The last episode with Leslie ona date she wasn't aware of was terrible. Ann getting angry about Andycast being on longer then it needed to be, did make the episode anymore enjoyable. I haven't see anymore episodes on T.V. Either the showhas already been canceled or it's on hiatus for the summer. I'll giveit another shot if it returns, but if it still isn't great, I'llunschedule it from my DVR.

Capt. Spastic 2012-05-22 17:17:17

NBC Has Gone Green

At least that would explain the repackaging of discarded The Officescripts into a show with virtually the same format, with a femaleMichael.This was such a very disappointing show. I absolutely LOVE Amy Pohler,and I like Greg Daniels, and was hoping for much more from the pairingof these two for Parks and Recreation, but the pilot episode was soweak. Situated between The Office and 30 Rock, would be setting upvirtually any show for success and having these people involved withthe show, should have been a home-run. Had they applied any effort,instead of taking the lazy, rehash way out.Very disappointing.

vranger 2012-05-22 04:39:01

Missed the target big time

This is an attempt to make a second hit in the style of the office, andit just doesn't work. As my wife commented during the show, Amy Pohleris just no Steve Carel.There were admittedly a few amusing moments, but that's all they were.They certainly weren't laugh out loud funny, nor even big smile funny.Amy definitely should not have given up her Saturday Night Live gig forthis. The bit in the commercial about speed bumps on the slide was farmore amusing than anything in the 30 minutes of the pilot. The pilotinstead had a drunk stuck in an enclosed slide. There was absolutelynothing funny about it.Jokes that had potential were for the most part mishandled. There wasjust no skill in taking the amusing concept from someone's head to thescreen. The pilot made much of 'forming a committee'. I think thescript was WRITTEN by committee, and that's not a good thing at all.

mebekris 2012-05-21 21:10:19

"Parks and Recreation": Wanna Laugh?

"Parks and Recreation" is being compared to "The Office" and is saidthat it does not meet "The Office" criteria and/or this show is awannabe "The Office". These comments are more hilarious than the showitself! How can this show be a wannabe when it comes from the sameproducers of "The Office". I won't bring down "The Office" fans becauseI've never seen the show.Anyways, seeing the Pilot of "Parks and Recreation" and continuousepisodes, I think they couldn't have cast a better group of characters.The characters put so much life into the show. You have one characterwho makes you chuckle, and another who simultaneously backs the chuckleup with a hysterical laugh.I also enjoy the theme of the show and how the Parks Department of theshow helps to make the city of Pawnee a better place for everyone,environmentally speaking.Amy Poehler does an amazing job performing her character as LeslieKnope. Her comedic intellect in the show just makes you want to laugh.She performs actions of her character that the character herselfdoesn't find funny, but the viewers do!I also think the other characters of this show really are the gravy andcorn to the Turkey. Nick Offerman does great portraying his characterof seriousness and boss-like business. Aziz Ansari is also anotherhilarious character who, if this show didn't have, it wouldn't be ascomedic. Aubrey Plaza, who portrays April, is quite amusing also. Herspeechless facial expressions, show off the other characters stupidity.This show is nothing compared to anything else on television. The Parksdepartment of this show is superb and no other characters of any othershow can compare to this show's optimistic and comedic cast.

blue_lotus2009 2012-05-18 17:25:27

Thoroughly Enjoyable

I am a big Amy Poehler and Tina Fey fan. I absolutely love '30 Rock'and when I heard that Amy Poehler was also going to be starring in herown show, I was psyched.'Parks and Recreation' is definitely a show similar in style to'Arrested Development,' 'The Office,' and '30 Rock,' so if you like anyof those shows, I would definitely recommend it. Yes, I agree with someof the other comments that described the pilot as a little slow, butall shows take a bit to get into.I absolutely adore dead pan comedy shows with no laugh track and Ihighly recommend this show. Amy Poehler's work is great and I supporther 100%!!

mdm-11 2012-05-18 05:59:42

Amy Pohler only light in dim sit-com

Amy Pohler's character, a 34 year old city hall "up and comer" has justbeen appointed to the assignment of her career: Head of a committee toturn a hazardous abandoned construction site into a beautifulrecreational park. Public support appears to be minimal, yet ourheroine presses on.A side plot reveals the star's unrealistic ambitions to take publicservice all the way to the Oval Office, as well as an inferioritycomplex toward her mother, who (in contrast to young Amy) is a highranking city official.I'm a big fan of the star, and I'm glad she didn't retire after havingher baby and leaving SNL. The new show "Parks and Recreation", styledafter the extremely popular "Office", offers a few laughs here andthere, but leaves very little for anyone to anticipate and look forwardto subsequent episodes.This is a spotlight for a very talented comedienne, but I see no chancefor anything remotely comparable to "30 Rock" coming from this humblesit-com. Unless someone knows something I don't know, the buzz shouldfizzle long before a full season goes on the air.

kosmiche 2012-05-16 23:31:18

Funniest show on TV (surprisingly)

I was lukewarm on this show throughout the first season and for thebeginning of the second, but the last few episodes have made this thefunniest show on air for me. The humor is not always laugh out loud,but I can watch each episode a few times and find new things that makeme laugh each time. The mayor is one of the funniest characters I've ever seen on a show,and April the intern is funny even when she isn't saying anything. Someof the cameos aren't very funny, but all of the basic elements arefantastic and improving each episode. The Office seems to be (veryslowly) running out of steam but this show is definitely making up forit. There's quite a few bad reviews for this show, but I can't suggest itenough. It is the opposite type of humor from My Name is Earl (which itreplaced), and I consider that a very good thing.

LCShackley 2012-05-16 10:27:50

So bad, even an Office sandwich can't make it palatable

NBC did its best on Thursday by sandwiching Amy Poehler's new sitcomin-between two highly-anticipated episodes of THE OFFICE. I fell preyto the tactic and watched the new show, but I can guarantee NBC that Iwill not be making that same mistake twice.Amy Poehler has had a successful career so far doing sketch comedy onSNL, where she has often played wacky characters. So what do the makersof P&R do? They make her more or less the "straight man" in an ensemblecast, where her main job is to look wide-eyed and naive. And what anensemble!?! Completely forgettable, except for Rashida Jones who Ithink I only remember because of THE OFFICE. Compare the characters onOFFICE or 30 ROCK with the duds on P&R and you'll know why this showhas a zero-percent chance of success.And shame on the producers of THE OFFICE for exporting the hand-held,phony documentary approach into this new sitcom. Is that all they knowhow to do? It was inappropriate for the material, and wasn't evenhandled consistently.Another reminder to them is that sitcoms by definition require a"situation." The vague plot line of episode one leads me to believethat they don't have much of an idea of where this show is going. Itwould be torture suitable for Gitmo to drag out the "let's build apark" idea any further than this one episode. Please let this show diea quick death before Amy's career is forever stained by this unpleasantwalk in the PARK.

S.R. Dipaling 2012-05-12 07:57:40

Giving this a chance

The producers of the hugely successful "The Office" take their model torural America,in this case small town(I forget the name of thetown)Indiana,where the central figure is chipper,high-minded go-getterLeslie Knope(Amy Poehler,an actress who,I must admit,is kind of a "Loveher/Hate her" talent;I happen to like her a lot)is dedicated to tryingto serve her electors to the most noble and best of her abilities. Ofcourse,her constituency doesn't hold her or her responsibilities inquite the same sunny,idealistic realms as she does,and she initiallyseems to be a rudderless boat in the world of local politics until a"cause" falls into her lap:namely,the gaping,abandoned constructionproject in town that is a more than a little bit of a safety hazard andeyesore.From there,she is spurred into action by the girlfriend of a guy whowas injured falling into the pit(Rashida Jones,lovely and warmlylikable)and,by association,said boyfriend(Chris Pratt),who turns out tobe a shiftless loser who wants his day in the spotlight. The movementleads to a spearheaded plan to make a park in that area,but therecouldn't be a series without a series of social and political obstaclesand pratfalls along the way.A sometimes mismatched bunch of government peers and cohorts(NickOfferman as a grouchy,dyspeptic superior; Paul Schneider as a fellowlocal councilperson who seems to have his own agendas;Aziz Ansari asthe weaselly and nervous underling of Leslie's and Aubrey Plaza as ayoung intern who is perpetually bored)flank these stories. I cannotlie: the elements,writing and character interplay isn't realconsistent,and the aping of "The Office"'s confessory style makescomparisons not only inevitable but also possibly unfavorable.Still,the talent assembled and the potential for this show makes itworth more than one look.I am pretty sure that this show is getting the chances its gettingbecause of the pedigree of the producers(among them Greg Daniels,thebrains behind stuff such as "King of the Hill" and,big surprise,"TheOffice"). As such,I hope this show takes advantage of this opportunityand improves,because there's enough good feel and potential for justthat. A flawed-but-worthy offering for NBC's near-esteemed Thursdaynight comedy line-up.

muttaki99 2012-05-11 12:33:17

Amazing Show!!

This show is simply amazing. It is subtle at times and quite overt attimes. But knows how to do it and do it right. It starts a bit slow butof course that is natural for any show. But after 2-3 episodes, afterthe actors are comfortable with their roles and writing matures itstarts taking off and by the end of season 1 you would be hooked. Evenif you aren't sure yet by the end of season 1 still give season 2 a gobecause the show only goes up, up and up from there! Season 3 startedokay then slowed down for me. There weren't as many epic episodes asseason 2 I thought then last 6 episodes or so (at least) are just someof the show's best episodes! The other 10 are great too perhaps therewere 2-3 episodes I felt a bit 'meh'.Writers are geniuses. And the actors too. The whole concept is so muchmore than the Office. It is like well matured version of Office. Somuch more lively with more likable characters.Definitely give it a try! Comedy gold!

alefl01 2012-05-10 19:51:54

Not bad

I realize that this show may not have the greatest pilot, but it hadsome laughs. And really when was the last time that any show had afantastic pilot? I can only think of a few. I however, am eager to seemore episodes to see how much they can improve. Amy Poehler wasn't thatbad either, I think she was good at caring the lines well. As i saidbefore, I will continue to watch this show and support the creators whomade it. Also, lets face it. This does not have to be the next Office.Amy is not supposed to be Michael and the jokes are not really thatsimilar. Sure, their are some things that are same, but aside fromthose, their really aren't too many. I will also encourage others towatch this show as well.

moooovieman 2012-05-10 07:48:15

Better Each Time I Watch!

There was a lot of anticipation for Amy Poehler's new series, at leastaround here there was, and after eagerly tuning in to the pilot episodeand every episode since then, I can honestly say that it has lived upto my expectations! Parks and Recreation has a sort of dry humor, where the really funnyparts are the awkward moments between Leslie (Amy's character) andother characters. It is truly Amy's strong point, as we saw during her(too short!) run on SNL and in movies like "Blades of Glory" and "BabyMamma". Amy absolutely steals the show, but it might be just becausethat's how the show has been written; the supporting cast are allstrong actors, and, with the right material, could all bring in hugelaughs for the show.It is obvious when watching "Parks and Recreation" that there has beena lot of effort put forth to put out a great show, and I believe theyhave pulled it off. The show leaves me not only laughing hystericallybut also rooting for Leslie and her committee. The show is a welcomeaddition to my weekly TV schedule, and is worth checking out more thanonce.

Mike_Jones_loves_you 2012-05-02 22:36:45

Will it last?

I can see exactly how this show was pitched to the Execs over at NBC:Okay, picture The Office set in the rural Midwest in a small town's recdept. with some funny take-charge go-getter Asian chick as the maincharacter. Then all the Execs chime in, "Well let me just stop youright there and say I'm really feeling the main character as being moreof a funny take-charge go-getter blond woman...but the rest is goodokay?" Well as you know the rest is history.Fortunately, the funny take-charge go-getter blond woman role got takenby Amy Poehler who is probably my personal favorite female comedian andhas been for a long time. I have loved Amy Poehler since I first sawUCB and being the only female cast member she more then held her own.Since joining SNL in the earlier part of the decade she has been one ofthe very few bright spots of that show. Now that she has her own showwe shall see what she does with it.Of course being that its Amy Poehler's show and that any show she's onalmost always has at least one episode with her equally hilarioushusband Will Arnett I was expecting greatness. However the show hasseemed to follow the original pitch which was a Guvmint version of TheOffice. While I love the Office and I really like this show I want itto be different enough so that when I'm watching new episodes of bothon NBC I don't get them confused (Since they're on back-to-back).I do like the rest of the cast though, Aziz Ansari probably my favoritenew stand-up comedian other than Nick Swardson in the last 3-4 yearsand the weird relationship between the intern and the shoe-shiner ispretty silly.All in all I'll be happy if this show is on for another 2 seasons.

2012-05-02 14:23:21

Forget the haters

Just watch it for yourself. I was drawn in by Amy Pohler, someone Ididn't really like before I saw this show, and i stayed because of thebeautifully drawn characters. Because they're deep characters, they'renot gonna slam you over the head with comedy. This ain't My Name IsEarl, people. The show's funny, but in a real, get to know everyonekind of way.Even though I loved it, I'd say the first season stumbled a bit, butthe second season gets funnier with every episode. Try it out, I betyou'll like one character right off the bat, and if you're like meyou'll end up loving them all.

ihrtpyrs 2012-05-01 20:46:46

yes, its similar to The Office but so what?

I actually found this show to be very funny. Sure it is very similar toThe Office (my favorite show), but is that a bad thing??? Not in myopinion. And to the people that say Leslie is just a female MichaelScott, apparently you don't watch The Office enough to make thatcomparison. Michael is very insensitive and kind of an idiot most ofthe time, Leslie on the other hand, is perky, and is just trying to dowhat ever she can to help and is quite likable. Obviously people are going to compare it to The Office because NBC madethe mistake of basically screaming that it was from the same people inits promos, but if there were no Office to begin with, people wouldmost likely consider this as funny anyway. I kind of think of it likeJoey and Friends, well Joey was quite awful, but if it wasn't Friends,then people didn't want anything to do with it. I love Amy Poehler andwould love to see her continue on a sitcom with such a great cast. Soplease just give this show a chance and you might actually enjoy it asmuch as i do if you are willing.

bogie24 2012-05-01 02:32:01

Vote 0... GOD awful!!!

I want my time back!!! Worst show ever!!! This shaky camera, zoom in,zoom out crap has got to stop. This is from a 1990 Levis ad. Is the DPfresh out of Junior High? What ever happen to "Must See TV" on NBC?Thursdays from 8:oopm-10:oopm. That was TV. You had to tune in on aThursday night. Unless of course, you had a date. Or, that was yourdate? You had to work hard for that time slot. Now it's just givenaway. Just because you know the creators of "30 Rock" and you were onSNL? And, now they use an SNL News stunt at 8:oopm before "Parks andRecreation." LOL... The Indian guy's name is, Tom Haverford (Aziz Ansari)Why notJohn Smith or, John Miller or, Jimmy Jimmy Joe Jack? Yes, the Office sucks too. Comedians are more intelligent when they arenot pushing their far left communist Obama views on us. Save it for thefar left local news. Grow up people.

eweidenfeld23 2012-05-01 11:41:43

This show is underrated and actually hysterically funny.

When I first heard about this upcoming show, I was skeptical about howhumorous it could truly be. After being a fan of "The Office", I wasnot sure that a new show with the same formatted style could evercompare; "Parks and Recreation" proved it could do that. The show isphenomenally casted. Amy Poehler, Aubrey Plaza, Aziz Ansari, ChrisPratt, Rashida Jones, and Nick Offerman were absolute perfect choices.Everyone knew Amy Poehler was hilarious since she starred in "MeanGirls", but her role in this show proves she is a comedic genius.If you are looking for a good laugh, watch this show. The combinedpower of the female and male comedians, hilarious writing, andhysterical situations that occur are all ingredients that create anincredible new sitcom. I expect to see big awards for this show as itis probably one of the most underrated of all time.

Axle B 2012-04-30 20:52:35

Started off slow, but didn't The Office?

In a short summary of what I've seen from this show, it's always beenentertaining. It started off a bit iffy, there were laughs here andthere, but nothing too spectacular. My man-crush on Aziz Ansari kept mewatching, though, and thank god he did, because I've seen a hugeimprovement this past season. The acting has been spot on. I love howthey've really involved the entire cast even more and brought more lifeto the characters since the start. Amy Poehler's once awkwardly unfunnyrole has done a total 180 into the well-deserved spotlight. It's firstseason wasn't looking good, but even The Office started off unsure ofitself, and it grew into its role as one of the funniest US comedyshows around today. "Parks and Rec" has earned its spot on NBC'sThursday comedy lineup. I can only see it getting even better fromhere.

jbs001-1 2012-04-28 05:41:47

Cute Where The Office is Awkward

This show is basically a cute version of The Office. If you haven'tseen The Office, it is a hilarious show that is filmed like adocumentary. It has a weird vibe because all of the characters seem toknow that the cameras are there. They also give asides to the camerawhich are always funny. The asides in Parks and Recreation are funnierthan those from The Office. They seem to be more of a showcase for theactors to show off their comedy, not additions to the plot. One thing that turns some people off about The Office (that is to say,what sets it apart from other shows), is that it gets incredibly andhilariously awkward. What sets Parks and Recreation apart is that it isincredibly and hilariously cute. Where The Office makes your jaw dropbefore you burst into laughter, Parks and Recreation gives you a warmsmile before you burst into laughter. It makes it a lot of fun towatch.Another subtle difference from The Office is that aside from Jerry(Parks and Recreation's version of The Office's Toby), is that all ofthe characters care deeply about one another.The cast of Parks and Recreation is far better than the admittedlystellar cast of The Office. Amy Poehler lights up the screen every timeshe is in view. Rashida Jones has much better on screen chemistry withthis cast than she ever did during her stint on The Office. This showis incredibly lucky to have Aziz Ansari before he becomes a worldwidephenomenon, because he is well on his way. Don't even get me started onhow perfect Nick Offerman plays his role as the motivated slacker,libertarian boss. In the end the haters will say, "Oh they just stole The Office's ideaand put it in City Hall." That is a far to shallow of a response tosuch a deeply funny show that stands wonderfully on its own.

mattyschreck 2012-04-27 11:20:22

Very endearing, while absolutely hilarious!

There is no doubt that one of the main inspirations of this show wasThe Office - you will realise this in the first minute of the firstepisode. However, instead of trying to copy the main points of thatshow's success, Parks and Recreation has come up with its very ownrecipe. Amy Poehler is amazing as the lead actress, she plays anextremely enthusiastic city official in a department filled withbludgers and lazy bums.What sounds a little lame actually becomes very endearing very quickly:all supporting characters have great story-lines, and grow quickly witha light yet sometimes strangely moving plot. The dialogue is fantastic,every show will make you laugh out loud plenty of times, and theroughly 20 minutes of each episode are over way too quickly.I found myself re-watching the whole two seasons immediately after Ihad finished them for the first time, and the show holds up easily.Each character gets enough screen time to stay interesting, and veryquickly, the show establishes a Simpsons-like range of in-jokes andextras who add even more depth to the story.Before you know it, you wish your own city had such a department, andyou will fall in love with Amy Poehler's stellar performance. Anabsolute must-watch!