Parks and Recreation

Anyone going to watch this when it makes it debut this Thursday in the US? It looks promising. Amy Poehler is usually pretty funny and I like Aziz Ansari. Don't know much about the rest of the cast, but this show definitely has potential. It will be a pretty big let down if its not good (like the US remake of Kath & Kim) as I get the sense that NBC is really banking on it to do as well as 30 Rock and The Office.

Parks and Recreation NBC site: http://www.nbc.com/parks-and-recreation/?__source=ggl|parks+and+recreation|Brand|G_P&R_Brand&sky=ggl|parks+and+recreation|Brand|G_P&R_Brand

Yeah, I noticed this; I'm going to be giving it a watch.

This is from some of the same writers as The Office right? It looks like it has potential.

Thought the first episode was pretty average, though Amy Poehler falling into the pit was hilarious. The show is just way too derivative of The Office (especially the US version). Not too mention the fact that the mockumentary format is very, very tired.

I agree, I'm tired of the mocumentry style TV too. I was really hoping the talking to the camera thing was just for the commercials but unfortunately it wasn't. I was reeeeeeeally hoping for something more like 30 Rock because like you said Amy Poehler and Aziz Ansari are pretty funny. I think Aziz was the best part of that show. Sooooo over the top slimy that it was funny. "Yea no don't worry I'm married see, but I'm an open guy who's open is has always got along with good looking people". Besides Poehler's tumble into the pit he was the only funny part of the episode for me.

I quite enjoyed episode one, but does it have to be so close in look, tone, humour and execution as The Office? I know it's by the same people, but they could have changed it a bit!!

Some funny bits, but yeah it is basically The Office and Amy's character is just a female version of Michael Scott.

Exactly; I'll watch on to see how it develops though.

I've only seen the first half, but it's def got potential. Aziz is great!

That's true. The first episode of the US Office blew. It was teeeerible.

Quote: Curt @ April 13 2009, 4:02 PM BST

That's true. The first episode of the US Office blew. It was teeeerible.

The whole first series of six episodes I thought was pretty much rubbish; it wasn't until the second run that it took off.

Just out of curiosity, to what series of the US version of The Office are yall up to in the UK? In the US we are towards the end of the 5th season, and prior to the past 3 or 4 episodes (which were great) I thought the quality was declining and had hoped that they'd wrap the show within the next series.

Back on topic: Early reviews of P&R I've read have been lukewarm. If it weren't for its cast, I think a lot of people would've already written this show off. To be fair though, the fact that it airs on the same network and same day as The Office and 30 Rock probably doesn't help.

I'm not sure what season The Office is on here at the minute. I usually wait until it comes out on DVD and buy it because The Office is one of those shows I enjoy more where I can watch a few at a time.

So the last I saw was Season 4. I know people have been saying that the quality has dropped a bit in Season 5, that the characters have become more slapstick and over-the-top.

Ploughed through the rather lacklustre first season and halfway through the second. The shift in quality between seasons is immense. Really enjoyable stuff.

I'd only watched a few episodes of the first season of this, thought it was okay, but I forgot about it really. I'd heard and read a lot about how suddenly fantastic it was in its second season, so I've jumped into that one instead, and they're right, it's brilliant.