TV Guide posted a pros and cons list for 10 new spring shows. Here’s what the magazine had to say about Parks and Recreation:
Parks and Recreation
HIGH MARKS: Cast with seasoned improvisers from Amy Poehler’s Upright Citizens Brigade Theater, and anchored by Poehler herself, Parks and Rec features some of the best comedians on television. Their spontaneous-feeling riffs (including Aziz Ansari’s very public attempted pick-up of Rashida Jones in the premiere) outshine the plots. The egos, petty disputes and pointless feuds within local government provide rich comic fodder, as do the flawed romantic ideals of Poehler, Ansari and Jones’ characters.
LOW MARKS: Because we don’t know the characters very well yet, Parks and Rec needs better stories to make us care about each episode’s outcome. The show does an excellent job of capturing life in a not-very-interesting town, but that isn’t very visually appealing. And the mockumentary format, borrowed from the American The Office, which borrowed it from the far-superior British The Office, which borrowed it from Christopher Guest films, is stale.
Link: Spring TV Progress Report: The Pros and Cons of 10 New Shows
