I don't hope "Outsourced" fails

I do. With unemployment as high as 20% in some parts of the country, this was possibly the worst television idea for a mainstream broadcast network ever. I can't wait to see this one crash and burn. I hope it gets cancelled in the middle of its premiere party, just like Viva Laughlin was.

It's not surprising that NBC is so out of touch here. Studios think nothing of outsourcing productions to Vancouver or Prague or whever they can make a movie the cheapest, to the detriment of the Hollywood crews that made the studios so successful. So of course, being completely insensitive to the issue, it would not even have occurred to them that this might not be such a great time for a show about outsourcing. Idiots.

I do. With unemployment as high as 20% in some parts of the country, this was possibly the worst television idea for a mainstream broadcast network ever. I can't wait to see this one crash and burn. I hope it gets cancelled in the middle of its premiere party, just like Viva Laughlin was.

It's not surprising that NBC is so out of touch here. Studios think nothing of outsourcing productions to Vancouver or Prague or whever they can make a movie the cheapest, to the detriment of the Hollywood crews that made the studios so successful. So of course, being completely insensitive to the issue, it would not even have occurred to them that this might not be such a great time for a show about outsourcing. Idiots.

Nice. Gotta love being so narrow minded to not even give a show a chance. Maybe it'll be funny, maybe it won't, but we won't know until we see an episode.

Many people wanted P&R to fail from the onset but luckily it got better and the fanbase grew and here we are lamenting that it's a mid-season replacement. Hate to think what would have happened to P&R and many other shows if people were hoping it would fail before they even got to see one episode.

Like I've said many times, this Outsourced show is based on a film of the same name. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0425326/ It can be rented on netlix. At the very least check out that movie before giving an opinion on a yet-to-be aired comedy TV show.

But if people can get through the entire pilot of Outsourced, that would be better than some with the P&R pilot (from this thread):

I stopped halfway through the episode. Deleted my series recording.

On a positive note, it is slightly funnier than Cavemen.:p

So of course, being completely insensitive to the issue, it would not even have occurred to them that this might not be such a great time for a show about outsourcing. Idiots.
Oh, I get it. Because outsourcing is a "sensitive" issue, we should just pretend it doesn't exist and cancel a show before it even airs. Brilliant!

Well, I just saw the Ron gets shot in the head episode again,
and I have to say,

There isn't much better writing and acting in prime time shows than
that.

Hilarious! We will miss you P&R

So is my favorite show on tv done now with the nbc idiots giving
full seasons to outsourced and the event? No wonder the
brainiacs running this network have the least viewers.

I watch those shows once and I'm done. It's just stupidity.

Same with Community, doesn't do a thing for me.

Well we finally get a show with terrific characters and creative
writing like 30 rock and into the trash bin it goes.

No wonder I only watch about 1 hour of non-sports big 4 programming a week.


Life isn't fair!

So is my favorite show on tv done now with the nbc idiots giving
full seasons to outsourced and the event? No wonder the
brainiacs running this network have the least viewers.

I watch those shows once and I'm done. It's just stupidity.

Same with Community, doesn't do a thing for me.

Well we finally get a show with terrific characters and creative
writing like 30 rock and into the trash bin it goes.

No wonder I only watch about 1 hour of non-sports big 4 programming a week.


Life isn't fair!

P&R is still due to return in early 2011. However, considering most felt it would pop back into Thursdays once Outsourced fizzled & died - it's up in the air ATM as to where it will go.

From what I have read online recently, P&R has 6 new episodes already in the can.

But no, as of now P&R is nowhere near cancelled.

Didn't Amy have another child? That alone could have thrown production schedules way off.

S1/S2 are now available for streaming on Netflix in HD (and 5.1DD if you have a PS3).

Didn't Amy have another child? That alone could have thrown production schedules way off.

Yes, she & Will Arnet had their 2nd recently.

isn't the first ep. for this season airing tonight?

isn't the first ep. for this season airing tonight?

Nope. Show returns on Jan. 20th.... can't wait!

Not that I see. It's not showing anything new for at least the next 2 weeks on my Tivo.

isn't the first ep. for this season airing tonight?

i saw some promos for it over the weekend and somehow thought it was starting up this week.

well it's bee a long wait, but next thursday should be a great comedy evening.

welcome back ron!

Yay, the return of the stache. One of the funniest shows on TV.

Great episode tonight.

lol @ the music in the very end. :p

Glad the show is back.

Great episode tonight.

lol @ the music in the very end. :p

Glad the show is back.

Yeah, great to have the show back! I especially enjoyed the youth basketball game and Swanson's recreation of the famous Bobby Knight chair-throwing incident :)

Great return, really good stuff, especially Tom Haverford (of course).

The only down moment was the intro. Thought their little catch-up thing was lame and not needed. Of even if it was needed, the voice over truly was not.

Great return, really good stuff, especially Tom Haverford (of course).

The only down moment was the intro. Thought their little catch-up thing was lame and not needed. Of even if it was needed, the voice over truly was not.

+1

voice over annoying and unnecessary. thought after such a long layoff
the writers might take a while to get back to where they left off, but last
night was pretty funny.

good job!
great to have this back!

Off to a great start but I'm glad I reacquainted myself with the show on Netflix over the long break.

Kind of bummed that Paul Schneider isn't returning as Mark Brendanawicz this season.

I gave the initial run a try and disliked it a lot. Watched it last night because there was nothing else on to fill the gap between Office and 30 Rock. Must say it was fantastic

I gave the initial run a try and disliked it a lot. Watched it last night because there was nothing else on to fill the gap between Office and 30 Rock. Must say it was fantasticThe first six episode (S1) wasn't all that great. S2 is hilarious and worth watching.

I thought it was a good episode, not great, but definitely better than most stuff on TV. Last season was amazing. The best part for me in this ep was pausing on a full shot of the Ron Swanson Pyramid of Greatness. Hilarious. I love that guy.

http://cdn0.sbnation.com/imported_assets/638320/pyramid-jumbo.jpg

Kind of bummed that Paul Schneider isn't returning as Mark Brendanawicz this season.

Maybe fortuitous, that:


When Mark Brendanawicz was originally conceived, it was anticipated that the character would eventually start to appear infrequently in Parks and Recreation, switching between his city planner job and work in the private sector.


From: Wikipedia article (with citations) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Brendanawicz#Development)

I do think Adam Scott fits in fine as the new "straight man".

I thought it was a good episode, not great, but definitely better than most stuff on TV. Last season was amazing. The best part for me in this ep was pausing on a full shot of the Ron Swanson Pyramid of Greatness. Hilarious. I love that guy.

http://cdn0.sbnation.com/imported_assets/638320/pyramid-jumbo.jpg

This is my current desktop wallpaper, BTW.

Parks & Rec broke a series ratings record with a 3.2 18-49. Hopefully they'll keep it in the cozy time slot after the Office. Ron Swanson's pyramid of greatness was fantastic. As many have mentioned, the first half of the first season was pretty weak. I think its because they were giving way too much time to Ann Perkins and not enough to Tom, Ron and Andy. The Ann character is pretty weak and only works as a compliment to Leslie. I'm mildly annoyed by their awkward and clumsy explanations for why Ann is hanging around the office.

Another very funny ep last week.

So very glad this show is back

The meat tornado!

The look on Ron's face when Andy ripped the drawer out and said, "This fell out" was awesome.

I really liked the Flu episode, especially since I was sick this weekend... made me feel a bit better :)

I could have done without the Twilight advertisement episode this week.

I could have done without the Twilight advertisement episode this week.

Really? I thought the episode was hilarious. I suppose all the Twilight stuff could have been product placement, but they took a decidedly jaundiced view of the whole business.

I doubt that Twilight needed the marketing, I think it's more likely the writers wanted to use it and were able to get permission.

Sorry but I got sick of Twilight this, Twilight that during the episode enough that I almost turned it off... something that I never imagined saying about Parks & Rec even during the sluggish first season.

I doubt that Twilight needed the marketing, I think it's more likely the writers wanted to use it and were able to get permission.

Exactly. In fact, they were using Twilight to make some pop culture jokes. I liked it as well, it certainly was NOT an advertisement for Twilight or even any promotion of that crap.

Exactly. In fact, they were using Twilight to make some pop culture jokes. I liked it as well, it certainly was NOT an advertisement for Twilight or even any promotion of that crap.

Except when its mentioned over and over... not to mention the books where given product placement multiple times... yeah that's advertising to me. Aw well its just one episode in a series that for the most part has been excellent. Its not that this episode was bad but I just found the plugging to be annoying more because I simply hate Twilight.

(And yeah I did go a little overboard in my earlier post by saying "I nearly was going to turn it off" so I apologize)

Next week's episode just based upon the ad I saw during 30 Rock should be great given how the first Ron & Tammy episode was. I can't wait.

I thought it cast Twilight losers in a pretty negative light, so it didn't bother me.

It took some time for me to get used to Rob Lowe's character but I think I've come around. When he was getting a shoe shine from Andy and Rashida Jones walked in and he did his "AnnePerkins!" line I lost it. Had to watch it a couple more times immediately.

Loved the last ep. twilight references were clearly parody.

Also, having some experience with public hearings, the idiotic
requests for entombment in the time capsule were hilarious.

well done!

This may be the best sitcom on any network right now

Except when its mentioned over and over... not to mention the books where given product placement multiple times... yeah that's advertising to me.

It that's advertising, then the NBC brass should be pretty upset with The Office for devoting an entire episode to Glee. I wonder if Fox paid for that advertising.

I've never seen this show and I'm thinking about starting. Should I just jump in or start from the beginning?

I've never seen this show and I'm thinking about starting. Should I just jump in or start from the beginning?

Jumping in at the beginning might make you hate the show. The first season, which I think was about 6 episodes was pretty terrible. Start at the beginning of season 2.

I would almost recommend suffering through the first six episodes just to get the characters established. They make you appreciate season two that much more.

But if you're limited on time, then yeah, skip em.

The biggest bunch of BS perpetuated on this board is that the first season of P&R sucks. That somehow it miraculously became good. It's available for streaming on Netflix. Decide for yourself.

The first season does not suck. It's just that the second season expands from being mostly about Amy Poehler's character and her quest to create a park from a dismal landfill to a show in which the ensemble characters are all allowed to shine (and the landfill is left far behind). Amy was much more the Michael Scott, cringe-worthy sort of person in the first season, which made it kinda hard to watch.

It's not BS. The jump in quality from season 1 to season 2 is huge. The writers of the show admit this. I found season 1 to be almost unwatchable.

I would almost recommend suffering through the first six episodes just to get the characters established. They make you appreciate season two that much more.

But if you're limited on time, then yeah, skip em.

I don't think it's necessary.

I never saw any eps from season 1. I just started watching sometime
in season 2 and as the writing got better and better, i became hooked.

In fact, once they got Leslie's park/pit out of the way, the show
really improved. Only good thing about the park/pit was Andy
singing a song about falling into it and breaking his leg.

As someone who has watched the show since the original pilot airing on NBC I can say that the first season isn't nearly as bad as the reputation it gets. Yeah its not great but it does have its moments. Its certainly worth watching on Netflix as its only six episodes so you'll breeze through them in two hours or so.

Tonight's episode was great. I nearly lost it when they showed Ron's messed up hair.

Tonight's episode was great. I nearly lost it when they showed Ron's messed up hair.

Agree on all 3 points, not to mention his partially missing mustache, lost to friction:eek:

calzone, pizza that's so much harder to eat.

Bahaha! Ron "rubbed off" his 'stache. (Think about it);)

Pretty good episode this week. If I recall next week's episode is the last of the six that were done alongside the final episodes from last season. Should be interesting to see if there's really any difference in the quality of the show once we hit the newer episodes.

I bailed after the first two eps of season 1, but caught part of an ep within the last couple weeks and decided to give it a second chance. Luckily Netflix has the first two seasons streaming, and I'm glad I decided to try it again.

*eta - I was just watching the Kaboom ep and one line by the lawyer sounded a bit like Archer to me, so I looked up the credits and it really was H. Jon Benjamin in that role. I thought I was just imagining it.

Pretty good episode this week. If I recall next week's episode is the last of the six that were done alongside the final episodes from last season. Should be interesting to see if there's really any difference in the quality of the show once we hit the newer episodes.


I think I read that somewhere earlier on this thread, but with my dementia
onset, I may be mistaken.


If those eps were written and recorded last year, hopefully those involved
can maintain the same brilliant level for this season.

Ron Swanson totally owned this week's episode. Between him having a breakdown in front of the steak restaurant being closed then his lines towards the end of the episode demanding for "all of the eggs and bacon" (or whatever he demanded)... he is really the heart of this show.

Long Live Ron Swanson!

^^^and on that note, it sounds like P&R will be back this Thursday:) and this is what my local paper had to say today about the upcoming ep.
This seasons P&R has been leading up to the Harvest Festival-and the event more than lives up to the expectations. The side-splitting ep, which features a miniature horse, may just be one of the finest half-hours of comedy this season. The campaign to get Nick Offerman(Ron Swanson) an Emmy nomination starts right.....now.
I can't wait!
My only complaint of this show is it's time slot......I've got 3 programs(including P&R) that I like on at the same time so I usually end up watching P&R live and put up with the commercials. Guess I need a 3 tuner Tivo:o

Parks and Rec renewed for another season!

Yeah! NBC's execs aren't as stupid as I thought.

For the second time this Season my local NBC affiliate broadcast P&R in SD, the other ep being "Ron and Tammy II". :mad: Unlike that ep, I really wasn't that impressed with "Harvest Festival". Just didn't do much for me, a couple of moments, but not anything great.

I felt it was a pretty good and fun episode. Ron didn't get much on this one but what he got was golden. :D

The look on Ron's face when he saw Sebastian AND when he was driving the train was great!

even funnier on second viewing. there's so many subplots throughout the ep
that you don't catch everything first time around. ron's summary of the
foolish behavior of his compatriates while stuck on the ferris wheel is classic.

It was a good episode. I laughed many of times.

Awesome Sauce!

How about Ron's refusal to hold anyone's hand during Leslie's pre-Harvest Festival pep talk. :D

Great episode last night. lol @ Andy hiking in the woods a lone. Classic episode.

"What the blank are German muffins?", and the "Thunderdome". :D

Poor Ron, only wanted to fish in peace:D

I liked Ron's ghost story around the campfire.

Andy saying how you could see that the rose petals smell great.

Bed and breakfast overrun with cats.

Roomba box in the thunderdome.

Gotta love this show

another great show last night. this is the best written sitcom around these days.

another great show last night. this is the best written sitcom around these days.

I fully 110% agree with this statement. Parks & Rec really deserves better ratings then what its getting that's for sure. I'm also glad Donna is finally getting some more on screen time. Seems like they never had much for her to do prior to this season other then occasional bits on episodes.

Another gem this week! Tom Haverford was in classic-form...loved all his food slang and his "date" with Leslie was gold! Also enjoyed Leslie's description of her ideal man..."I think you just described the Phantom of the Opera"...LOL!

We got some great Ron Swanson bits as well...my favorite part was probably he and April asking for samples of the vegan bacon and throwing them out to the chagrin of the store employee!

Ron Swanson is my favorite TV show character right now

Ron Swanson is my favorite TV show character right now

His Pyramid of Greatness from earlier this season is currently my desktop wallpaper.

Chris: Pawney is currently the 4th Obese city in America

Tom: Soon to be #3. Look out San Antonio we're comming for you!

Living in San Antonio, that was the most I laughed while watching the show!! Very funny and very true!!

Tom's quote was great! "Zerts are what I call desserts. Tray-trays are entrees. I call sandwiches sammies, sandoozles, or Adam Sandlers. Air conditioners are cool-blasterz, with a z. I don’t know where that came from. I call cakes big ol’ cookies. I call noodles long-ass rice. Fried chicken is fri-fri chicky-chick. Chicken parm is chicky chicky parm parm. Chicken cacciatore? Chicky catch. I call eggs pre-birds or future birds. Root beer is super water. Tortillas are bean blankies. And I call forks…. Food rakes."

His Pyramid of Greatness from earlier this season is currently my desktop wallpaper.

mine too!

I agree, a great P&R this week. I'm beginning to really like Rob Lowe's character, such a classic yuppie. It was great how he loved the red meat hamburger, chalk another one up for Ron:cool:

Introducing the Ron Swanson Turkey Burger: A Fried Turkey Leg Inside a Grilled Hamburger

When asked if he had ever eaten a turkey burger on last week's episode of Parks and Recreation, our hero Ron Swanson replied: "Is that a fried turkey leg inside a grilled hamburger? If so, yes. Delicious." And because we believe everything Ron Swanson says, we decided to make one. Below, a photo essay of the epic construction of the surprisingly delicious Ron Swanson Turkey Burger — plus the recipe, in case you want to try it out for yourself.


http://eater.com/uploads/ron-swanson-turkey-burger-top.jpg

The Raw Ingredients
http://eater.com/uploads/ron-swanson-turkey-burger-1.jpg

A Fried Turkey Leg
http://eater.com/uploads/ron-swanson-turkey-burger-2.jpg

Surrounded With Ground Beef
http://eater.com/uploads/ron-swanson-turkey-burger-3.jpg

Ready For the Oven
http://eater.com/uploads/ron-swanson-turkey-burger-4.jpg

Time For the Grill
http://eater.com/uploads/ron-swanson-turkey-burger-5.jpg

Inside a Grilled Hamburger
http://eater.com/uploads/ron-swanson-turkey-burger-6.jpg

Five Pound Ground Beef Patty
http://eater.com/uploads/ron-swanson-turkey-burger-7.jpg

A Fried Turkey Leg Inside a Grilled Hamburger
http://eater.com/uploads/ron-swanson-turkey-burger-8.jpg

Ready to Eat
http://eater.com/uploads/ron-swanson-turkey-burger-9.jpg

Recipe: The Ron Swanson Turkey Burger

1 2/3 pound turkey leg
5 pounds ground beef
Oil for frying
Salt
About one stick of butter, altogether
1 large, round loaf of bread
Ketchup (optional)

1. Heat the oil in a pot to about 350 degrees F (we guessed). Preheat the oven to 325.
2. Rinse the turkey leg and pat dry, as you don't want any explosions when you put it in the hot oil. Fry until the skin is crispy; it took us about ten minutes.
3. Mix about two teaspoons salt into the ground beef.
4. Butter an oven-safe, burger-shaped cooking vessel generously. We used a 5-quart pot.
5. Press one third of the ground beef into the bottom of the pot. Press the fried turkey leg into the beef and surround and cover it with the rest of the beef. The goal is to make it appear as though there's not actually a turkey leg in there. Depending on how lean your cut of beef is, you might want to dot the top of the burger with a little more butter so it doesn't dry out while it's baking.
6. Bake to just below the temperature you want your burger to be, as it'll cook a little more on the grill. We were aiming for just shy of medium so we baked it to an internal temperature of 130 degrees. It took about an hour and a half. (We also cooked it at the lowish temperature of 325 because we didn't want the outside of the burger to brown until it got onto the grill.)
7. Get your grill fairly hot. The goal is just to get some grill marks and some smoky flavor on there. We drained the fat and juices out of the pan and brushed them over the burger while it was on the grill, again to keep it from drying out.
8. After the burger's done grilling, let it rest in a pan. Meanwhile, slice the loaf of bread as one might slice a hamburger bun, butter generously, and toss it on the grill, butter-side down, to get it crispy.
9. Assemble your burger. We sliced it like a pizza for serving and it worked pretty well. Make sure to warn your guests about the turkey bone.
10. Add ketchup if you want. We couldn't care less.

Btw, hilarious episode last night.

April & Andy's house :lol:

Edit: Frying marbles, eating chili for breakfast on frisbees.

I absolutely loved last night's episode so much. One of the best episodes of the series so far.

i am now certain that this is the best sitcom on any station.

the writing is absolutely outstanding.

i find parks and recs to be even funnier than 30 rock
or the office, formally my favorite sitcoms.

too bad most people don't know about this little gem

may ron swanson live forever!

how many new episodes do we have left before this season is done?

just keep hitting refresh:cool:

http://www.tomhaverfoods.com/

another great ep last week.

Just when I thought Ron Swanson couldn't be anymore awesome, he gives the gift of a Claymore mine to a child. :D

Just when Ron couldn't be any more awesome....

http://www.nbc.com/parks-and-recreation/exclusives/ron-dancing-animated.gif

Just when Ron couldn't be any more awesome....

http://www.nbc.com/parks-and-recreation/exclusives/ron-dancing-animated.gifha! was just gonna post that

http://www.nbc.com/parks-and-recreation/exclusives/ron-dancing-animated.gif

Awesome episode! I couldn't stop laughing at the image of Jerry strapped to the top of the car!

Anyone going to take a stab at making their own "snake juice" :)

The first of the twofer was definitely the best, both hilarious and genuinely sweet. If Amy and Rashida don't genuinely care for one another offscreen then they are even better actors than I originally thought. Written by Amy herself, this has to be one of the best episodes of the entire run of the series.

ron & claymores= epic comedy

Thanks to the endless rain where I live now I finally got around to watching the 11 Parks and Recs on my DVR. Best damn show on TV. Comedy with this much heart is really hard to do. I didn't think they could top last season, but they did it. Lots of favorite moments in those 11 episodes, but I couldnt stop laughing at Ron taking samples of meatless bacon and throwing them in the trash to protect other people from eating them.

Thanks to the endless rain where I live now I finally got around to watching the 11 Parks and Recs on my DVR. Best damn show on TV. Comedy with this much heart is really hard to do. I didn't think they could top last season, but they did it. Lots of favorite moments in those 11 episodes, but I couldnt stop laughing at Ron taking samples of meatless bacon and throwing them in the trash to protect other people from eating them.



Couldn't agree with you more.

Best written and acted sitcom out there right now.

I'd be surprised if they're not up for several emmys.
While I see very little written in the mass media, almost
every commenter has something good to say about
this gem of a show

I concur with everyone on this forum. This is officially my favorite show. The writing is flawless, the acting is good and the characters have developed into these people that you want to have dinner with. I started watching again this season and I am VERY impressed with what I have seen. I watched season 1 and somehow never went back to watching it until now.

The Leslie and Ben relationship is this decades Jim and Pam. I have nothing but great things to say about this gem of a show. And after last weeks 2 episodes (which were the best ones of the series in my opinion) I don't know what they will possibly have in store this week. I am judging by the clip I saw on Jimmy Fallon the other night. Leslie and Ben forever! That's just my 2 cents.

I concur with everyone on this forum. This is officially my favorite show. The writing is flawless, the acting is good and the characters have developed into these people that you want to have dinner with. I started watching again this season and I am VERY impressed with what I have seen. I watched season 1 and somehow never went back to watching it until now.

The Leslie and Ben relationship is this decades Jim and Pam. I have nothing but great things to say about this gem of a show. And after last weeks 2 episodes (which were the best ones of the series in my opinion) I don't know what they will possibly have in store this week. I am judging by the clip I saw on Jimmy Fallon the other night. Leslie and Ben forever! That's just my 2 cents.

My favorite relationships are April and Andy, and Ron and a steak.

Ron and the steak was priceless. I enjoyed the April and Andy role playing. I like what they have done with their characters.

Ron and the steak was priceless. I enjoyed the April and Andy role playing. I like what they have done with their characters.

I died when I heard April's accent followed by her slapping Burt Macklin.

Same here. God I love this show.

Couldn't agree with you more.

Best written and acted sitcom out there right now.

I'd be surprised if they're not up for several emmys.
While I see very little written in the mass media, almost
every commenter has something good to say about
this gem of a show

out of curiosity and boredoom and did a google search of parks and
rec television critics reviews.

while most everyone agrees season 1 was shaky and too derivative
of the office, most of the critics are saying, what we here all know,
that it is the best sitcom on t.v. and that season 3 surpassed
a superlative season 2.

rare unanimous praise for the best unwatched comedy ever.

I honestly didn't think the show could surpass how great it was during season 2. Yet season 3 did it. I really can't wait to see the final two episodes... but at the same time I really am going to miss new episodes until the fall. Best show on TV today by far.

As far as the first season honestly its not nearly as bad as the reputation it gets. Yeah its a bit derivative of The Office but there is some moments where you can tell the series at that point would develop into a much better series. I do think its funny how the show has nearly tried to forget about the whole Sullivan Street Pit Beautification Project (or whatever its called) outside of a reference to it every so often like recently in the episode Camping when Ann (I believe) brought up that Leslie's next big idea should be to work on the park. Leslie responded back saying "But Chris wants a profitable idea."

rare unanimous praise for the best unwatched comedy ever.

I think I'll still give that title to Arrested Development. But seriously, how does Parks and Rec not have a bigger audience? Its the best show on television right now.

I think I'll still give that title to Arrested Development. But seriously, how does Parks and Rec not have a bigger audience? Its the best show on television right now.

Because it's not 2 & 1/2 Men, which in & of itself is a HORRIBLE show that the masses cannot get enough of.

Plus, isn't P&R doing a bit better ratings-wise than AD did?

Because it's not 2 & 1/2 Men, which in & of itself is a HORRIBLE show that the masses cannot get enough of.

Plus, isn't P&R doing a bit better ratings-wise than AD did?

Yes, P&R is doing significantly better, which is why I'll still give the "best unwatched show ever" crown to Arrested Development.

AD averaged a 2.0 18-49 in the '05-'06 season. It placed 123rd out of 156 shows that year. Removing UPN and WB, there were only 5 shows that had worse avg. ratings.

Parks & Rec scored a 2.4 18-49 on the first episode last week and a 2.0 on the second. Those numbers (along with the rest of this season's slightly higher numbers) make it NBC's third most popular scripted show for the '10-'11 season. This just goes to show how:
a) awful NBC is
b) Nobody watches network TV anymore. Only 10 years ago, these numbers would have been bad for UPN or WB. Now its third best on NBC.

I think I'll still give that title to Arrested Development. But seriously, how does Parks and Rec not have a bigger audience? Its the best show on television right now.

i loved arrested development, but its characters and scripts were so bizarre, i'm sure it turned a lot of people off. my wife for one. made her watch one ep and she said no mas, too weird.

Arrested Development did absolutely nothing for me.

b) Nobody watches network TV anymore. Only 10 years ago, these numbers would have been bad for UPN or WB. Now its third best on NBC.

Heck the ratings Millennium on FOX was pulling in (around the 4.0 mark) on Friday no less towards the end of the show's run today would have been called amazing numbers. Goes to show how much things have changed in the past decade for scripted TV series when now a series getting around the 2.5-3ish area survives. Of course Parks & Recreation isn't nearly as expensive compared to Millennium - given that the later series had a budget of around 1.5-2 million per episode. But still it does say quite a bit of how much things have changed.

Critic's Notes
6 Things to Know About the 'Parks & Recreation' Finale, Plus an Exclusive Clip
By Maureen Ryan, AOL.com - May 19th, 2011

Before 'Parks and Recreation' unleashes its hour-long season finale at 10PM ET Thursday, we're bringing you one last exclusive clip from the extended version of 'Li'l Sebastian,' the second of the two episodes that serve as the NBC comedy's season 3 swan song.

After the clip [CLICK LINK BELOW], check out a few non-spoilery hints about what will transpire in 'The Bubble' and 'Li'l Sebastian,' the final episodes of the wonderful third season of the NBC drama.

This list of fun facts about the 'Parks and Rec' finale is a collaboration, but in true Ron Swanson tradition, I let a colleague, Chris Harnick, do most of the work. Here are a few teasers about what you'll see in Pawnee tonight:

1. As executive producer Michael Schur discussed in this February interview, Tammy is back! Megan Mullally isn't the focus of the of the episode, but she does have a delicious little cameo.

2. The team suffers a loss. It's a sad day in Pawnee, especially for the Parks and Recreation department.

3. Ron Suffers a loss. While the Parks Department is dealing with the bigger loss, Ron has to contend with a very personal one.

4. Our favorite government department goes through some changes. What kind? Several, including ... staffing.

5. Stay tuned until the very end. At the close of the episode, there's another funny cameo and a glimpse of a Pawnee business that's about as different from Sweetums as can be.

6. There are cliffhangers. Yes, multiple ones.

http://www.tvsquad.com/2011/05/19/parks-and-recreation-finale-clip/

If anything the season ender did... is really making me wish season 4 would start sooner. Great season ender. :D

Ron getting his hair burned was both scary and funny. Not to mention we're finally going to see the first Tammy he was married too. Seeing Tammy two run away at the sight of Tammy one was awesome.

I hope Aziz Ansari is not leaving the show! My guess is he'll show up on the show as much as Rashida Jones does, which is all the time.

I hope Aziz Ansari is not leaving the show! My guess is he'll show up on the show as much as Rashida Jones does, which is all the time.

I think if Aziz was leaving the show we would of heard about it by now. It just seems like the writers wanted to leave us wondering during the off season if his project is going to be successful or not.

Good episode last night.

I was under the impression that Leslie Knope took another job opportunity, and she will not be back next year. Then again, isn't she like the lead cast member, per se?

Andy dressing up and scanning the thousands of documents was funny.

I was under the impression that Leslie Knope took another job opportunity, and she will not be back next year. Then again, isn't she like the lead cast member, per se?

I remember there was talk of Leslie running for mayor becoming an storyline at some point. So I suspect season four will revolve around that.

Both loved and was horrified by Ron's new look. Can't wait to see who they cast as Tammy 1. For whatever reason, the very ending when Detlef packed Jean Rafeal killed me.

Consistently well written and acted. This show is a pearl.

Loved Ron in his oval desk where everyone has direct access
to him. Nothing could be more repugnant to his character.

The over-mourning for lil' Sebastion and Ron's mustache is
destroyed.

Detleff Schremph, Tammy II, Tom's new venture, Leslie in politics
denying any skeletons in her closet.

I can't wait for Season 4. Everything is set up for another superlative year.

And to think P & R gave us such a wonderful ride with just
half a season.

Tiny swivel.

chris linking his tendonitis with lil' sebastians death. classic

Consistently well written and acted. This show is a pearl.

Loved Ron in his oval desk where everyone has direct access
to him. Nothing could be more repugnant to his character.

The over-mourning for lil' Sebastion and Ron's mustache is
destroyed.

Detleff Schremph, Tammy II, Tom's new venture, Leslie in politics
denying any skeletons in her closet.

I can't wait for Season 4. Everything is set up for another superlative year.

And to think P & R gave us such a wonderful ride with just
half a season.



yep, pretty amazing.

such great shows in an abbreviated season.

odd they re-ran lil' sebastian just one week after original airing

Nick Offerman stiffed on ermmy nomination. Other nominees and critics are
calling it the biggest gaffe of this years nominations. 3 nominees from Modern Family?

Nick Offerman stiffed on ermmy nomination. Other nominees and critics are
calling it the biggest gaffe of this years nominations. 3 nominees from Modern Family?

For me, the snub of Offerman in the comedy category is as big an insult as John Noble again not getting notice for his work on FRINGE. Ron Swanson & Walter Bishop are 2 of the best characters on all of broadcast TV today (IMO).

NBC has a preview of the upcoming season on their site and as many of you know, Tammy 1 is arriving back in Ron's life, and she's played by Patricia Clarkson. And a surprise to me is that Tammy Zero will also be showing up. Tammy 0 is Ron's mother Tamara. Can't wait to see what kind of foods Ron eats this season.

interesting epidsode. things are moving way faster than i expected on leslie's emerging political career. not very realistic as these thing usually take months to vet a candidate and architect a campaign.

couple of laughs here and there, but i'm worried this political thing is going
to undermine what has made this show such a gem for the past 2 years

interesting epidsode. things are moving way faster than i expected on leslie's emerging political career. not very realistic as these thing usually take months to vet a candidate and architect a campaign.

couple of laughs here and there, but i'm worried this political thing is going
to undermine what has made this show such a gem for the past 2 years

I wouldn't worry. Everyone I've read that has seen the next episode has said its an all time classic.

I wouldn't worry. Everyone I've read that has seen the next episode has said its an all time classic.

Good, I'll be looking forward to it.

Typically the first episode of each season isn't the best since most of it is spend resolving cliffhangers from the previous season along with setting things up for the new season. With that said there was a few funny moments last night and it sounds like next week will be classic vintage Parks & Rec.

Welcome back Pawnee!

I liked it. Most of the characters made me laugh.

Ron Swanson is still awesome :p

I liked it. Most of the characters made me laugh.

Ron Swanson is still awesome :p

I liked it as well.

Ron had some great scenes. I especially liked when Leslie said that she wanted to shoot a gun after Ron gave her options for what they could do, options that included fishing and hunting, and he responded with "fishing it is." :D

Ron is the best, I also liked the fishing scene along with his great escape from city hall along by installing the spike and scaling the wall. I also liked his quickly grown full beard and mustache:D Aziz is also a hoot with his frequent visits bearing trinkets from his new company. Not to mention all the guys sending wiener pictures to Ann:o This show is the best!

chris stating he found testicles to be like the ears on a persons face.

anne responding, wow you really know your testes.

ron hiding survival kit in city hall in case or emergence of tammy 1.

Was amused by Ron using his fake middle name in reference to Leslie - "Because you're Leslie ****ing Knope". Was kinda put off by the normally well-manicured Chris (Rob Lowe) looking all disheveled. I assume that look is for the other show he's on.

Good for Pratt for that weight loss during the break. He looks a lot better now.

Was amused by Ron using his fake middle name in reference to Leslie - "Because you're Leslie ****ing Knope". Was kinda put off by the normally well-manicured Chris (Rob Lowe) looking all disheveled. I assume that look is for the other show he's on.

Good for Pratt for that weight loss during the break. He looks a lot better now.


no, i think it was ron telling leslie how highly he regards her. just as ron sees himself as ron f****** swanson, he honored leslie by calling her leslie
f******* knope.

Was amused by Ron using his fake middle name in reference to Leslie - "Because you're Leslie ****ing Knope". Was kinda put off by the normally well-manicured Chris (Rob Lowe) looking all disheveled. I assume that look is for the other show he's on.

Good for Pratt for that weight loss during the break. He looks a lot better now.

Yeah, what was up with those bangs he was wearing.

Love Andy's character, naive and totally adolescent.

In a sea of new comedies that I've been giving a chance this season, it's nice to have one I know I can count on.

I especially liked when Leslie said that she wanted to shoot a gun after Ron gave her options for what they could do, options that included fishing and hunting, and he responded with "fishing it is." :D

There was a follow-up linelater in the show that made me roar...I can't remember it exactly, but something to the effect that they were cleaning the bullets out of the fish.

Hilarious episode tonight. Loved it.

Yep, another gem! This show puts all the new comedies to shame:cool:
Loved the moonshine chugging contest and how Ron put them all to shame:eek:

Riotous show. I hit the quick replay button over and over, particularly in the drinking scene.

Another amazing episode last night! Can't believe they got Roy Hibbert on the show and the reference to the NBA lockout was great! All the Seven-twenty office scenes were gold. A whipped, neutered Ron was also hilarious!

Definitely have to go back and watch this gem again :D

All the Seven-twenty office scenes were gold.

Those scenes should make anyone with a failing business feel a little better about themselves. :D

"Don't forget to take an iPad on your way out."

Those scenes should make anyone with a failing business feel a little better about themselves. :D

"Don't forget to take an iPad on your way out."

I know, so great! I also loved Ben pointing out all the useless employees around the office and the ridiculous salaries they were getting :)

....A whipped, neutered Ron was also hilarious!


Does he normally not have a mustache? I can see adding the beard and long hair last week but how do you get rid of something one already has:confused: Maybe some kind of CGI trickery??
I also split a gut with the Seven-twenty office scenes and I didn't even know about the lockout which makes it even more funny:D

are you kidding me? i'm still laughing from last nights show.
that episode was as funny as anything I have ever watched on tv.

this show just keeps getting better and better. heck if they just send that one
episode to the emmy voters maybe this show will start to get the recognition
it deserves.

only downer was that i then tried to watch the office and whitney and turned them both off. after watching sitcom brilliance, just couldn't tolerate one sitcom that is on its deathbed and another that is stillborn.

I wouldn't worry. Everyone I've read that has seen the next episode has said its an all time classic.

boy you know your stuff. couldn't agree more

Leslie: Why do you have so many guns?
Tamara: This is American, isn't it?
Leslie: Yes
Tamara: Then I don't have to answer stupid question, while standing on my own property.

Leslie: Why do you have so many guns?
Tamara: This is American, isn't it?
Leslie: Yes
Tamara: Then I don't have to answer stupid question, while standing on my own property.

I'm going to use that the next time a telemarketer or pollster calls...excpept modifying it to "...while talking on my own phone".

When putting out the bottle of booz, Ron says

The only legal use for this stuff is to remove varnish from speedboats.

Best comedy on TV.

"Don't drink that, Leslie, we use it to burn warts off the mules."

or something close to that. Loved every scene.

Thursday's episode is the main reason why I think this is the funniest comedy on TV. I loved the entire Ron being neutered from Tammy 1 thing. Then when Leslie , Ron's Mom and Tammy 1 drink that stuff. The best scene was when Leslie was drink and knocking things off her desk. I was almost in tears watching that. Also, the entertainment 720 thing was good. "This place is going to go bankrupt after this...sentence!" Great episode. It is going to be a great season.

watched it again last night. still funny

april over tammy 1: she's the cold, distant mother i've always wanted.

she's my hero.

TV Notes
A Sitcom Grows Up and Finds Its Identity
By Bill Carter, The New York Times - October 6th, 2011

It seems to be in the DNA of many of NBC’s most memorable comedies: they’re late bloomers.

Nobody thought much of “Cheers” or “Seinfeld” or “The Office” when they first hit the air. But once they found their voices, they found an audiences.

“Parks and Recreation,” seen at 8:30 p.m. on Thursdays, is halfway there. Judging by increasingly favorable critical comment, along with the endorsements on Internet sites and enthusiastic word of mouth, the four-year-old comedy has found its comic voice. The audience part still lags, though with NBC struggling to shore up much of its schedule, the still-modest ratings for “Parks and Rec” are the least of the network’s worries.

“That’s not the worst way to be described, the least of someone’s worries,” Amy Poehler said, with her high-pitched cackle of a laugh. She stars in the show as the unflinchingly earnest Leslie Knope, dedicated public servant in the fictional Pawnee, Ind. “I think there is a nice dovetailing of quality of show and people liking it and network supporting it,” Ms. Poehler said this week in a telephone interview. “It’s all coming together rather nicely.”

But there were some early rocky moments. The show came close to disappearing a few times. Twice its seasons were curtailed by network scheduling, and once it had to sit on the sidelines in the fall while another comedy tried to usurp its place in NBC’s lineup — and maybe its heart.

But now the signs are certainly promising: Ms. Poehler was nominated for an Emmy this year. Many critics couldn’t believe that a co-star, Nick Offerman, who plays the meat-loving libertarian Ron Swanson, wasn’t. The rest of the deep cast — Chris Pratt, Aziz Ansari, Aubrey Plaza, Adam Scott, Rob Lowe and Rashida Jones — is almost as celebrated, with many already breaking through in films, like Mr. Pratt’s turn as a central player in “Moneyball.”

For Michael Schur, who created the series with Greg Daniels, it all comes down to a simple formula: “It just takes a while.”

The creation of “Parks and Recreation” itself was something of a feint. Ben Silverman, who brought “The Office” to NBC as a producer before taking over the network’s entertainment division (and later leaving in 2009), asked Mr. Daniels to develop a spinoff of that comedy.

He and Mr. Schur set to work, not sure if they wanted to go the spinoff route at all, though Mr. Daniels said they came up with a few ideas. One would have taken the character on “The Office” played by Ed Helms and made him the head of a quirky family living in a cul-de-sac. Mr. Daniels wanted that to be, like “The Office,” another mockumentary, this one called “American Family,” which might have made life more complicated for a later mockumentary hit, ABC’S “Modern Family.”

What mainly changed the effort was Ms. Poehler. She and Mr. Schur were close from their days on “Saturday Night Live.” The chance to work with him again led Ms. Poehler to consider starring in a sitcom, a move that had not been in her plans. The only problem was, NBC wanted “Parks and Recreation” up and running fast and even dangled the opportunity to run the first episode after the 2009 Super Bowl (paired with “The Office”). But Ms. Poehler was pregnant.

“We gave up the post-Super Bowl spot in exchange for Amy,” Mr. Schur said. That, and more. The network had wanted 13 episodes that first season. Waiting for Ms. Poehler meant only six. “I call it the seasonette,” Ms. Poehler said. “It was a tiny amuse-bouche to the eventual meal that is ‘Parks and Recreation.’ ”

In retrospect, Mr. Schur said, “we dodged a bullet.” Going out in front of 20 million or more viewers with a quirky little comedy, one that wasn’t sure itself what it was yet, might have been disastrous for the show.

As it was, there was a lot of confusion. “People still thought we were a spinoff of ‘The Office,’ ” Ms. Poehler said. “We had to prove things we weren’t. We had to prove we weren’t a spinoff. We had to prove Leslie wasn’t trying to be Michael Scott. And that this wasn’t ‘Saturday Night Live.’ We had to prove all that.”

Mr. Schur said the comparison with Michael Scott, Steve Carell’s character on “The Office,” was probably inescapable. “I always said if we did a show about Masai warriors, the lead would be compared to Michael Scott.”

Certainly the mockumentary style encouraged that comparison. But Mr. Schur conceded the early Leslie Knope was not clearly delineated. “She came off as ditsy,” Mr. Schur said. “We intended her to be smart, just overly earnest.”

Then there was the issue of the hole. The original concept revolved around Leslie’s efforts to fill in a pit next to the home of her friend Ann (Ms. Jones). Mr. Schur said it was a misconception that the show was once supposed to be forever about the hole. But Mr. Daniels said, “Yes, that was the concept in the beginning.” In fact, he said, they toyed with the idea of naming the show “The Pit.”

The limitations of the idea quickly became apparent, Mr. Schur said, and the pit idea was dropped — filled in, really — early in Season 2. That was also the year the show came together, Mr. Schur said, citing specifically the season’s second episode, when Ron gets a hernia. Mr. Offerman’s comedic timing had the show’s fans buzzing.

Still, the show was hardly out of the woods. At the end of Season 2 Ms. Poehler was pregnant again. “I would like to make it clear that this pregnancy did not interfere with our schedule at all,” she said, and production continued at the end of the second season to get a jump on the third. The only problem was, NBC decided to keep “Parks and Recreation” off the fall schedule.

The official rationale was that the network needed to introduce new comedy. In truth, said a senior NBC executive at the time who did not want to be quoted criticizing one of the shows, it was felt that “Parks and Rec” would never be successful enough to sell in syndication, making it a less attractive investment for the network, which also owns the series. The decision unsettled the cast and creators. Ms. Poehler called it “a treacherous time.” “The thought of them not getting on the air was so horrible we decided just not to think about that,” she said. “We just kind of, in the Midwestern way, went back to work.”

Again adversity wound up providing opportunity. Cutting the season back to 16 episodes from the traditional 22 allowed Mr. Schur and the writers time to come up with an outside project they had been mulling: a mock guidebook to Pawnee. The project, with Leslie Knope credited as author, was published by Hyperion Books last week.

And when the comedy NBC embraced that fall, “Outsourced,” had its own issues with not blooming fast enough, NBC pulled it at midseason from the slot after “The Office” and gave “Parks and Rec” a shot there.

“The show had been designed from the first to run there,” Mr. Daniels said. And that’s where “Parks and Rec” has drawn its best ratings to date. (This season it was moved back to 8:30.) More important, it started winning converts. “We hear about how many people are DVR-ing it and saying, I’m going to catch up to it,” Ms. Poehler said.

Mr. Schur said of the show’s climb, “I think it’s a great thing. Nothing in my experience is worse than high expectations.”

PARKS AND RECREATION
NBC, Thursdays at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT (7:30 p.m. Central)

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/06/arts/television/parks-and-recreation-finds-its-legs-on-nbc.html?_r=1&ref=television

NBC really needs to put the show back to its time slot from last season.

I wouldn't worry. Everyone I've read that has seen the next episode has said its an all time classic.

any predictions about tonights show?

any predictions about tonights show?

Another amazing episode...even funnier than last week's! This show just keeps getting better and better :D

Loved Ron calling people by the wrong name to show how little he really cares about them....LOL!

I've always enjoyed the talk show bits and interaction with Joan this week did not disappoint either! The very graphic portraits in her house were great as well.

"Is she going to powder her vagina" :D

I thought the show got off to a really odd beginning with leslie with the weirdo radio talk show host and the following skit with really random lines and jokes that weren't funny, but after that, the show went back to its roots and relied on its well developed characters to bring us a very funny show, once again.

These writers are some of the best I've seen for a sitcom in many a year, maybe since Seinfeld. It's not easy writing stuff this funny episode after episode on a consistent basis.

Still the best sitcom on tv.

For those who aren't aware, the Pawnee book is real (http://www.nbcuniversalstore.com/pawnee-the-greatest-town-in-america-paperback-book/detail.php?p=303755).

Always thought April was hot, but she has taken it to the next level! Glad to see this show keeps evolving and staying funny, it's come a long way from the campaign to fill in the pit near Anne's house storyline.

another new ep tonight. can't remember them doing 4 in a row before.

Tonight's episode looks like an instant classic. Per the HOTP thread:

"When Ron (Nick Offerman) leads an all-boy wilderness club, Leslie (Amy Poehler) takes her own group of girls on an adventure in this new episode (8:30 p.m. NBC)."

another new ep tonight. can't remember them doing 4 in a row before.

Don't worry... next week is a rerun. The following week (October 27th) gets back to new episodes with....

April and Andy throw a Halloween party, to Ben's dismay; Tom promotes his company while emceeing a campaign event for Leslie; Ron and Ann give Andy and April an unusual gift.

loved the way the have developed ben's nerdiness. first with throw away lines about star wars to yesterday having him dress as batman. lmao!

Tonight's Halloween episode was great.

Ron fixing up the house during the party. Classic.

Not surprised the Entertainment 720 is bankrupt.

Loved April's contributions in the opening, but was disappointed by the deflated sumo costume she wore. Was hoping for something a little more "Elvira"-ish. Great ep, best show on network TV right now. Got flack for stating so @ work while a "Big Bang Theory" rerun on TBS was playing in the break room. Seems people that watch that show think it makes them smart by default...NOT.

I must also say that this is currently the best show on TV. I go into each episode knowing that it will deliver, and last night was no exception.

As for "The Big Bang Theory," that show is pretty good on a consistent basis. I in no way think I'm smart for understanding most of the more arcane references on that show. In fact, I think it is a little sad. :D

once again, this episode had me laughing.

congrats to everyone who contributes to the best sitcom on tv

Entertainment 720's party was funny. Surely all that costs more than their combined money. I thought they only had $10k.

April and Andy's "bucket list" was funny. They did some bad things!
Somebody's gonna have to pay for that glass door that Andy busted through :eek:

I laughed when Ron said he wanted to be a socket wrench after reincarnation.

The cult theme was a bit weird. The leader of the cult was crazy! ha

OK episode, seen much better P&R but still better than most of the new comedies.

Thought it was a pretty good episode. I really enjoyed April helping Andy with his bucket list. They really make a great couple and their antics are always entertaining! They are definitely not your typical married couple and it keeps their relationship fresh.

Andy confusing Mt. Rushmore with the Grand Canyon....LOL!

The other storylines were pretty decent as well. Would love to have been at Tom's party! Also enjoyed Leslie's awkward response when the reporter was asking about Ben's situation.

andy getting all excited about holding $1000.00 first in hundreds, then ones, and then he asks for nickels...

this show just keeps bringing it each week. it's great the way the
plots vary from week to week. when you expect them to follow up
on a story line set up from the prior episode, they go 180 on you and keep viewers surprised.

wow that was the least funny ep in about a year.

they whiffed on that one

I enjoyed it... kinda. Not the best P&R but it had a few moments. Especially when Ron started chasing after Tom. :D

I somewhat agree with Mr. Wally. I kept nodding off, something that even if I was tired would never happen with a top episode. It did have a few good moments though, especially with all the rejects Ron had to interview for Toms position, the UN parts had a few good laughs too:D

it did make me laugh 2 or 3 times, but having such high expectations whenever a new p & r comes out, ( i usually am laughing pretty much the whole way through) this last ep was disappointing. didn't even save it on dvr for re-viewing as is my customary practice with this show.

Good stuff.

Women Lasers.

Women Lasers.

haha. That was great.

good show. nice to see them get back on track.

Sweet ending tonight. An OK episode, I still enjoyed it.

good episode. made me laugh.

but boy, they are really moving this leslie/ben thing fast. i thought all of this would play out over several episodes but they are already resolving their job/personnel issues.

but boy, they are really moving this leslie/ben thing fast. i thought all of this would play out over several episodes but they are already resolving their job/personnel issues.

I think I have a good idea why on that.... read only if you want to be spoiled on returning charaters....

Mark Brendanawicz and Dave Sanderson (the cop who got moved to San Diego due to the US Army Reserves) are supposed to be returning this season at some point so I'm assuming they both are going to meddle/mess things up a bit for Leslie and Ben.

Watched the show over the weekend. Hilarious!!!


Loved the opening when Ron discovers people can see his house on google
earth and in desperation, he throws his computer into the dumpster.

lol

Loved April and Ron this episode. Their relationship is great.

ethel beavers

Beavers did it!!!

And don't forget, she holds herself in contempt.

I enjoyed the Christmas episode. :D

John Ralphio is so awesome, I laughed so hard at his conversation with Ben and the last scene in the accounting office.

John Ralphio is so awesome, I laughed so hard at his conversation with Ben and the last scene in the accounting office.

That was definitely the best part of the episode for me at least!

"So at the accounting firm you would have the boring job." LOL!

another great episode.

this show is pure gold. lmao!

Nice to see Robin Thorsen from The Guild showing up in this ep.

Here are some reasons that Parks and Rec is the funniest show on TV.

Leslie's gift to April, a drawing of April decapitating the Black Eyed Peas;
Andy eating silver spray painted M & Ms;
Eddie during Ben's interview;
John Ralphio making fun of Ben's new job;

and there's one other I can't seem to recall right now.

Luv this show

Here are some reasons that Parks and Rec is the funniest show on TV.

Leslie's gift to April, a drawing of April decapitating the Black Eyed Peas;
Andy eating silver spray painted M & Ms;
Eddie during Ben's interview;
John Ralphio making fun of Ben's new job;

and there's one other I can't seem to recall right now.

Luv this show

When the description of the Peas came up - "rap for people that hate rap music...pop for people that hate pop music". Truer words have never been spoken on primetime TV.

OK, now I remember the other throw away joke from last episode,
when Ben finishes his interview for an in house accountant at an accounting firm, as he leaves he says "calc u lator", which the interviewer
thinks is so funny he calls in his workmates and asks Ben to repeat it.

When the description of the Peas came up - "rap for people that hate rap music...pop for people that hate pop music". Truer words have never been spoken on primetime TV.

That was The Office.

That was The Office.

Oops - that's right.....that is what happens when you watch 'em back to back I guess. Still a very true line.

Here are some reasons that Parks and Rec is the funniest show on TV.

Leslie's gift to April, a drawing of April decapitating the Black Eyed Peas;
Andy eating silver spray painted M & Ms;
Eddie during Ben's interview;
John Ralphio making fun of Ben's new job;

and there's one other I can't seem to recall right now.

Luv this show

My favorite part was when John Ralphio got the job at the end and was immediately fired, and on his way out says something like, "Yeah that sounds about right." I also loved Anne's face when she had to tell Andy to go throw up.

Still a very true line.

Absolutely.

tTt_hVLe-Gw

Absolutely.

tTt_hVLe-Gw

When 2 shows on the same network & night bag on the BEPs...well, it's all good in my book.

How I could have confused Robert California's criticism w/ April's amazing painting on P&R escapes me.

When 2 shows on the same network & night bag on the BEPs...well, it's all good in my book.

How I could have confused Robert California's criticism w/ April's amazing painting on P&R escapes me.

you are forgiven my friend.

Hey Golden Globe voters, are psychotic or afflicted with some or mental disorders?

You nominate New Girl (which just started in September and which has run all of 6-7 epidsodes) for best comedy, but leave out P & R?

Someone explain this to me before my head implodes.

Gee, and I used to respect these awards as usually being more astute than the oscars and emmys.

I guess they got Ricky Gervais all liquored up and let him do all the voting.

Someone explain this to me before my head implodes.

That's easy. It's a meaningless award voted on by a truly random group of foreign correspondents in Los Angeles. Think of them as a collection of “Access Hollywood” type knuckleheads from Belize, Serbia, and Dubai. They are impressed by style and hype, not substance More importantly, the members of the HFPA are notoriously susceptible to bribery in the form of being granted interviews with stars, sent on press junkets, and lots of gifts from agents such. Far more so than the membership of the Motion Picture or Television Academys.

The only reason people care about the Golden Globes is that the HFPA has carefully marketed it as a bellwether for the Oscars. It's basically the Iowa Caucus of the Oscars race.

That's easy. It's a meaningless award voted on by a truly random group of foreign correspondents in Los Angeles. Think of them as a collection of “Access Hollywood” type knuckleheads from Belize, Serbia, and Dubai. They are impressed by style and hype, not substance More importantly, the members of the HFPA are notoriously susceptible to bribery in the form of being granted interviews with stars, sent on press junkets, and lots of gifts from agents such. Far more so than the membership of the Motion Picture or Television Academys.

The only reason people care about the Golden Globes is that the HFPA has carefully marketed it as a bellwether for the Oscars. It's basically the Iowa Caucus of the Oscars race.



so zooey is sleeping with a bunch of hfpa members?

how can i join?

That's easy. It's a meaningless award voted on by a truly random group of foreign correspondents in Los Angeles. Think of them as a collection of “Access Hollywood” type knuckleheads from Belize, Serbia, and Dubai. They are impressed by style and hype, not substance More importantly, the members of the HFPA are notoriously susceptible to bribery in the form of being granted interviews with stars, sent on press junkets, and lots of gifts from agents such. Far more so than the membership of the Motion Picture or Television Academys.

The only reason people care about the Golden Globes is that the HFPA has carefully marketed it as a bellwether for the Oscars. It's basically the Iowa Caucus of the Oscars race.

Seems like every year the HFPA baffoons vote in a show based only on 6 episodes. Last year, it was "The Walking Dead," (6 episode Season 1 that wasn't even great, but had killer ratings for cable). This year, sadly, it's the "New Girl."

Of course P&R is better than New Girl. Hell, "Happy Endings," (which New Girl ripped off in terms of general concept), is better than New Girl, as well as many other comedies.

so do we get a new ep this week?

so do we get a new ep this week?

Nope. Next new episode is next week (January 12th). Same for The Office along with the season premiere of 30 Rock.

anyone catch yesterday's episode? i was in tears the whole way. best comedy on tv.

anyone catch yesterday's episode? i was in tears the whole way. best comedy on tv.

Yes, great to see the show back!

Watching Leslie and gang attempting to cross the ice and make it onto the podium as the Gloria Estefan song played over and over again was one of the funniest things I've seen in a long time :D

Ben's claymation short was hilarious too!

how do they keep coming up with such great stuff? this show is in seinfeld territory!

Last night's episode was hilarious!

I liked the scene where they got pulled over by the police.

Last night's episode was hilarious!

It was brilliant!

ok episode. couple of good scenes but certainly not their best work

ok episode. couple of good scenes but certainly not their best work

I thought it was hilarious. Andy and April have become my favorite characters (ok, maybe after Ron Swanson), and the more they are featured, the better. Andy's visits to the various doctors for all his maladies had me literally laughing out loud. Running headfirst into the ambulance and then calling for an ambulance (but not the one he ran into), classic Andy.

Andy: One guy looked at my p3ni$, he touched it too, which was kind of weird.

April: Yeah, that guy wasn't even a doctor.

Andy: Wait...what

I think that's the first time that Andy 'got' something ;)

Yup.

Andy with his medical visits was hilarious! :D

ok episode. couple of good scenes but certainly not their best work

I thought it was hilarious.

Agreed. Don't know what you were watching mr. wally, but no less than four times during "Campaign Ad" I had to rewind the DVR due to missed dialogue when I was laughing so hard.

Ron's "perfect" bowling game at the end was hysterical. Enjoyed the episode this week. Best sitcom on TV. Wish more people would watch it.

Best episode so far this season.

Ron's "perfect" bowling game at the end was hysterical. Enjoyed the episode this week. Best sitcom on TV. Wish more people would watch it.

Yeah, that was great! I also loved Ron's initial reaction to Tom's bowling style..."Son, people can see you!".

Was Tom wearing the same jacket as Gosling in "Drive"?

I also enjoyed learning that Pawnee only has a monoplex...LOL!

Was Tom wearing the same jacket as Gosling in "Drive"?


Both jackets have a scorpion on them. I'm sure that was the reference the Parks and Rec writers were going for, if only because Tom always seems insistent on following the latest fashion craze.

It was a brilliant episode throughout.

"When I eat, it is the food that is scared."

OK. Ron's scenes did lt for me last night. I was dying. The episode was really funny, but my 2 favorites were from Ron. The first one was the "this is my favorite restaurant in Pawnee" with the menu having 2 items; his face after was gold and had me rolling. And then the second part was the end, with his perfect game. That one was great. "I was never in here." Wonderful.

ron f******* swanson was killer last night.

watched it again over the weekend with my teenagers and we were dying.

so many great lines, so many intriguing subplots, such great characters.

this is getting close to my favorite sitcom of all time.

I guessed the Lil Sebastian meeting spot when they said it was something they disagreed about but Ben had come around on it LOL.

Fantastic episode tonight.

Chris with his sadness. Playing weird obscure music at the dance. One of those pieces sounding like chanting music :lol:

Ben, Ron, and Andy looking for the clues. Ron secretly fell in love with it, and was embarrassed to admit it.

Tom and Ann's date.

April put on makeup for the night out :eek:

I thought last night's episode was a bit weaker than recent weeks but there were still a few good laughs. I got a kick out of hearing all the titles of the murals in city hall documenting Pawnee's past atrocities..."Eating the Reverend", yikes! I also laughed at Chris considering Jerry as a potential partner since he technically contributed 50% of Millicent's DNA.

The scavenger hunt was amusing and I didn't expect Ron to be so into it. The guy at the snowglobe museum looked familiar. Wasn't he in Freaks & Geeks and some of Apatow's other productions?

Hope they explore the Ann/Tom angle for a while...see some comedic potential there :)

Since Chris wasn't with Ann, we still need to find out why the music got changed.

The scavenger hunt was amusing and I didn't expect Ron to be so into it. The guy at the snowglobe museum looked familiar. Wasn't he in Freaks & Geeks and some of Apatow's other productions?

yes
that is Martin Starr

he was also in Party Down (with Adam Scott)

Since Chris wasn't with Ann, we still need to find out why the music got changed.

Maybe he hooked up with Jerry's gigolo :)

The scavenger hunt was amusing and I didn't expect Ron to be so into it. The guy at the snowglobe museum looked familiar. Wasn't he in Freaks & Geeks and some of Apatow's other productions?


Biggest laugh for us was when he "fixed" the broken snow globe.

Wow, Louis C.K. is on this week's episode!

Could be really, really good :p

Wow, Louis C.K. is on this week's episode!


Surprised to see that his character is returning, but yeah, could be good.

Wow, Louis C.K. is on this week's episode!

A comic mega-genius, this promises nothing but good.

And remember he was a soft-spoken, non-profane policeman with a big crush on Leslie in his earlier appearances.

Good episode :D

I thought it was a decent episode but nothing really special. Never been a big fan of Louis CK's character so maybe that had something to do with it.

I did enjoy April helping Ron hide his musical identity. Chris's stunned reaction to Tom and Ann dating was also funny.

I thought it was a decent episode but nothing really special.

I agree. "The Office" episode was significantly better than P&R this week.

watched it again and it was a little better second time around.
liked duke silver and ben's phobia of cops.

did a little searching, and yeah!! new ep tonite.

Good episode.

Andy and his dog :D

Ann and Tom's relationship is so silly.

Ron's story about the sheet metal factory when he was in middle school was good too.

i love this show but if they continue with Tom and Anne i'm gonna stop watching. i find Tom amusing (chicky-parm is gold) but him and Anne together just annoys the hell out of me for some reason. Andy and April is making gold out of nowhere, this is the complete opposite.

Ron's story about the sheet metal factory when he was in middle school was good too.

That was great. I like how the conversation started with him working there as if it was a paying job, then to him doing it for no salary, and finally to him only being a child.

I can't think of a better way to teach a child good work ethic. :D

"Don't half-ass two things, whole-ass one thing"...another great Swansonism :)

another great show! the laughs just keep on coming.

and no one else cares? p & r ratings must be getting worse.

hate to lose my favorite sitcom.

I liked this past weeks episode.

i loved the way ron yelled no when chris told him he was going to hire a replacement for leslie.

even tops vader's noooooo on the bd star wars release.

Every time someone would put their whole mouth on the water fountain I would crack up!:D
Really funny episode.

Good episode tonight.

Loved when Ron ordered another steak, his 3rd one. Then he suggested to go out to eat omelettes for dessert. Amazing he was able to sleep with that Linda lady.

Jerry reminded me of myself :p
I'm really skilled at sorting and organizing in the office. Ha

Leslie's interview went well :eek:

I think my crush is transferring onto Ann Perkins. ha

I think my crush is transferring onto Ann Perkins. ha

Get in line buddy! :p

Ha.

Oh yeah, no new episodes until April 19th :(

Get in line buddy! :p

It is a loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong line!

I love this show.
Donna isn't given much to do but she slamdunks every line she's given.
I'm SOOOOOOOO hoping Ann and Tom stay broken up. It just seems forced. I suppose if it was funnier I wouldn't care but... it just doesn't work.
Does anyone else notice how Andy is being "dog-ified?" Last nite with the treats and a few weeks back there was a scene with everyone seated at a table and April was scratching him behind the ears.