Parks and Recreation

A beloved sitcom of local political squabbles, loveable bureaucrats and celebrity horses, Parks and Recreation is a show like no other. Mockumentary-style, it takes place in the governmental Parks Department of small Indiana town Pawnee, and follows the devoted life of careerist Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler). But Parks and Rec is about much more than tedious disputes about trees. It helped launch the careers of Aubrey Plaza (playing the sarcastic, unfussed April Ludgate), Chris Pratt (as sweet-hearted slacker Andy Dwyer) and Nick Offerman (as wood-cutting, ultra-libertarian Ron Swanson). What marks the show out from other satires is just how much can be drawn from a seemingly mundane government department in a fictional town. It’s picked up several awards – Poehler won a Golden Globe in 2014 for her portrayal of Leslie Knope, and 2014’s Best Comedy Series at the American Comedy Awards. Its seventh season (aired in 2014) is Parks and Rec’s last, and there are currently no plans from NBC to renew the show.