Though Parks and Recreation has been a bit of a hit in the States for a few years now, it’s taken a while for it to get on the campaign trail over here in the UK, but luckily BBC 4 stepped up earlier in the year to pick up the US comedy. It’s got parallels to the The Office, but with a small town politics vibe and a much more loveable main character, Leslie Knope, as she continues her single minded, blinkered do-gooder bid to make a difference in the council offices for Pawnee, Indiana.
Leslie, played brilliantly by Amy Poehler (Saturday Night Live), is obsessed with politics, with a delusional dream of one day being the President, but she struggles to make it through the average Parks and Recreation Department day without coming off worse for wear. While there are vague comparisons with David Brent, the differences between the two come out in Leslie’s conviction to the cause, alongside her more feminine character traits.
The cast also includes Aziz Anzari (Observe and Report) who plays self centred low level government official in the parks and Rec team, alongside sarcastic intern April (Aubrey Plaza), bureaucracy hating Parks and Recreation Director Ron Swanson (Nick Offerman – 21 Jump Street), city planner Mark Brendanawicz (Paul Schneider) who Leslie has a bit of a thing for, nurse Anne Perkins (Rashida Jones, who starred alongside Nick Frost in dance comedy, Cuban Fury) and her injured slacker boyfriend Andy (Chris Pratt, who has gone on to very big things in Guardians Of The Galaxy and Jurassic World). Each play their role to perfection, adding a lot of depth to the scenes and comedy storyline.
Series 1, which was aired by BBC 4, saw Leslie campaigning to turn the dangerous Sullivan Street pit into a shiny new children’s park when Ann complains that Andy’s broken legs came as a result of falling into the pit-like abandoned construction yard. Fired up with unrestrained political zeal, she pulls out all the stops to get the project taken seriously by the Town Planning Department, including using her feminine wiles to get support from Mark Brendanawicz. Cue the creation of a sub-committee of no-hopefuls, a mad cap canvassing strategy, rule breaking efforts to crack the imagined glass ceiling of the council’s boy’s club, an overblown banquet and an epic rock show final episode.
Series 2, 3, 4 and 5 have already aired Stateside, with the inclusion of Rob Lowe and Adam Scott to the cast, but sadly BBC4’s Series 1 effort was not just the tip of the iceburg. If you miss out on the initial showing on BBC4 or BBC iPlayer, Parks and Recreation Series 1 is now available in the UK iTunes store.
The mockumentary camera style used creates easy parallels with The Office, but there’s definitely a unique style to Parks and Recreation, which does a very good job of satirising small town politics. It’s also got a unique set of characters that could easily be the focal point of their own version of the show.
Parks and Recreation Series 1 review: 4.4/5
