Parks and Recreation Trivia | 60 facts about the popular sitcom

A sitcom is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who carry over from episode to episode. Parks & Recreation is one of the most popular.

Let’s find out more about the sitcom Parks and Recreation!

1. Parks and Recreation is an American political satire mockumentary sitcom television series.
2. It is also known as Parks and Rec.
3. It was created by Greg Daniels and Michael Schur.
4. The series aired on NBC.
5. It aired from April 9, 2009, to February 24, 2015.
6. It had totally 125 episodes, over seven seasons.
7. A special reunion episode aired on April 30, 2020.
8. The series stars Amy Poehler as Leslie Knope, a perky, mid-level bureaucrat in the Parks Department of Pawnee, a fictional town in Indiana.
9. The ensemble and supporting cast features Rashida Jones as Ann Perkins, Paul Schneider as Mark Brendanawicz, Aziz Ansari as Tom Haverford, Nick Offerman as Ron Swanson, Aubrey Plaza as April Ludgate, Chris Pratt as Andy Dwyer, Adam Scott as Ben Wyatt, Rob Lowe as Chris Traeger, Jim O’Heir as Garry “Jerry” Gergich, Retta as Donna Meagle, and Billy Eichner as Craig Middlebrooks.
10. The writers researched local California politics for the series.
11. They also consulted with urban planners and elected officials.
12. Leslie Knope underwent major changes after the first season.
13. This happened in response to audience feedback that the character seemed unintelligent and “ditzy”.
14. The writing staff incorporated current events into the episodes, such as a government shutdown in Pawnee inspired by the real-life global financial crisis of 2007–08.
15. Real-life politicians have cameos in later episodes.
16. For example John McCain, Joe Biden, and Michelle Obama appered in some episodes.
17. Parks and Recreation was part of NBC’s “Comedy Night Done Right” programming during its Thursday night prime-time block.
18. The series received mixed reviews during its first season.
19. The reviews were similar to that of The Office, a sitcom also produced by Daniels and Schur.
20. After a re-approach to its tone and format, the second and subsequent seasons were widely acclaimed.
21. Throughout its run, Parks and Recreation received several awards and nominations, including 14 Primetime Emmy Award nominations.
22. Two for Outstanding Comedy Series, a Golden Globe Award win for Poehler’s performance, and a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy.
23. In Time‘s 2012 year-end lists issue, Parks and Recreation was named the number one television series of that year.
24. In 2013, received four consecutive nominations in the category.
25. Parks and Recreation won the Television Critics Association Award for Outstanding Achievement in Comedy.
26. Nick Offerman (Ron Swanson) has a woodworking hobby, as does his counterpart on this show.
27. He has released an instructional DVD in canoe building, and runs a fine woodworking business on the side.
28. Ron Swanson’s staunchly anti-government government official was based on a real city planner whom the show’s producers met and interviewed when doing research.
29. The planner was a Libertarian who admitted to them, “I don’t believe in the mission of my job.”
30. The Ann Perkins character was added to show when Amy Poehler said she wanted the program to show a true female friendship, which she thought many TV programs lacked.
31. Chris Pratt (Andy) was such a good physical comedian that frequently the writers would just write “Andy does something physical” into the script, trusting he would come up with something in the moment.
32. Ron’s second ex-wife (Tammy Two) was played by Megan Mullally, who, in real life, is married to Nick Offerman (Ron).
33. In reality, the cast and crew all loved working with Jim O’Heir (Jerry, the office scapegoat).
34. The writers felt so bad about constantly being so mean to his character, and by extension, him, that they gave Jerry the picture perfect home life: three beautiful daughters, a beautiful house, and a happy marriage to his wife Gayle, as well as being well endowed.
35. Gayle was played by former supermodel Christie Brinkley.
36. Amy Poehler, afraid they were going to turn Leslie Knope into a “female Michael Scott,” requested that starting in season 2, they show her character to be talented and successful at her job, with the humor coming from her quirky behavior and eager enthusiasm.
37. The writers listened and went that route starting in season 2.
38. In season six, episode one, “London parts 1 & 2”, Ben (Adam Scott) asked Andy (Chris Pratt), “So all you did is stop drinking beer?”, and Andy replied, “Yeah, I lost like fifty pounds in a month.” This is a reference to Pratt’s real-life weight loss for his role in Guardians of the Galaxy (2014). He lost sixty pounds (27.2 kilograms).
39. The character of April had a younger sister named Natalie.
40. This is the name of Aubrey Plaza’s real-life younger sister, whom she used as a source of inspiration when playing April.
41. The show was initially conceived as a spin-off of “The Office.”
42. Parks and Recreation” was originally announced as a spin-off of “The Office,” with Steve Carell slated to appear on the series premiere (presumably as Michael Scott).
43. But co-creator Greg Daniels wanted the comedy to be an unrelated show with an “Office”-like tone, and his idea eventually won out over NBC’s insistence on a spin-off.
44. The show’s original title was “Public Service.”
45. When The New York Times asked NBC Entertainment co-chairman Ben Silverman why the show’s creators decided to change the title to “Parks and Recreation,” he explained, “Can’t make fun of public service! Worried because we don’t want to seem mean about it.”
46. Chris Pratt was cast because of his work on “The O.C.”
47. The actor played an activist on nine episodes of the teen drama “The O.C.” Co-creator Michael Schur’s wife, J.J. Philbin, wrote on the show at the time and recommended Pratt for the role of Andy Dwyer.
48. In order to make sure that the world of “Parks and Recreation” was grounded in reality, Daniels and Schur spent time visiting different local governments while developing the show.
49. One anonymous Burbank official ended up inspiring Ron Swanson (Nick Offerman), Leslie’s anti-government, libertarian boss.
50. Andy wasn’t originally supposed to be a main character.
51. The character was initially only written as Ann’s deadbeat boyfriend.
52. He would be written off “Parks and Recreation” after season one.
53. However, the writers liked Pratt’s performance so much that they decided to make Andy a lovable series regular for the rest of the show.
54. Some main characters were created specifically for the actors.
55. Such characters were April Ludgate and Jerry Gergich.
56. Jim O’Heir, who plays Jerry Gergich, initially auditioned to play Ron.
57. However, Daniels and Schur told the actor that they wanted him on the show regardless and came up with the part of Jerry.
58. The exterior of Pawnee City Hall is a real city hall building.
59. In reality, Pawnee City Hall is actually Pasadena City Hall in California. The building has also appeared in Charlie Chaplin’s classic movie “The Great Dictator,” and on other TV shows like the “Mission: Impossible” series and “The Big Bang Theory.”
60. The theme song was selected via a contest.