Welcome to The Indiependent’s Top TV of the Decade! Our new Deputy Opinion Editor, Jacob Fleming, tells us why Mike Schur’s Parks and Recreation made his list…
Unpopular Opinion: Parks and Recreation (Parks & Rec) is better than US rendition of The Office. Yeah, I said it. I am aware I’m cheating a little here, but Parks and Recreation only really started making an impact after the release of its second season, which aired in 2009 and 2010, giving me the ability to include this comedic gem on this list! I honestly can’t remember binge watching a show at least 3 times within a decade and laughing out loud just as much as I did the first time I witnessed its genius.
Amy Poehler shines bright as Leslie Knope, the deputy director of the parks and recreation who has the does not rest until her hometown, the greatest city of the greatest state in the world as far as she’s concerned, changes for the better. From simply running the local city’s parks programme, to being elected as a member of its city council and getting recalled, to becoming its governor, Parks and Recreation spins a tale of love, loss and libertarianism.
Supported by her best friends Ann, Ben, Ron, Tom, April, Chris, Andy, Donna and Jerry Larry Terry Garry Gergich (yes this is one person), the journey of Parks & Rec is nothing short of wholesome. These characters are normal people with normal lives who are subjected to working for the ungrateful people of Pawnee, and this theme rings true from beginning to end. With razor sharp writing, performances you’re never likely to forget and some of the most heart-warming & wholesome moments ever put on the small screen, the result is an excellent comical satire that never ceases to entertain.
Words by Jacob Fleming