I’m not quite sure what to expect from the upcoming comedy Parks and Recreation, which debuts April 9 on NBC. The show’s concept is so-so — it follows the head of an Indiana P&R department, Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler), and her attempts to transform a barren construction pit into a park. Although I haven’t exactly been impressed by the show’s previews, I am a fan of its headlining star, Poehler. I’m also a huge Office addict, and the two programs share the same producers. But will Parks and Recreation end up being an Office rip-off?
Turns out the show is already off to a bad start. A recently-leaked focus group report about the pilot was highly negative — and complaints about resembling its hit predecessor topped the list. It’s no surprise that there are complaints, as Parks and Recreation features the The Office’s mockumentary style in addition to Poehler as a bumbling boss and an eclectic cast of characters (The Office’s Rashida Jones as a nurse, comic Aziz Ansari as a government official and newcomer Aubrey Plaza as a college intern). According to Nikki Finke’s entertainment blog, Deadline Hollywood Daily, which uncovered the outcome of the focus group, viewers saw the show as a “carbon copy” of The Office, one that risked coming off as “derivative” and “forced.”
More bad feedback was registered about Parks and Recreation’s sleazy male leads, Ansari and Chris Pratt — of Everwood fame — as well as the show’s slow pace. Viewers also were puzzled about the goals and motivations behind the documentary; some weren’t even sure what it was about.
Despite this initial criticism, there is still a lot of hope for success once Parks and Recreation debuts. First of all, why mess with a working formula? The Office has been one of the most successful comedies on television during the past few years, and it’s safe to say that many devotees like myself will stick around Thursday nights to watch this new enterprise. Plus, the American version of The Office took a while to distinguish itself from its British original; now it sports a loyal following. There’s a good chance Parks and Recreation could do the same.
As far as the dodgy status of the leading men, Entertainment Weekly PopWatch blogger Margaret Lyons put it perfectly when she wrote March 24: “Sleaze has a way of growing on you: Barney on How I Met Your Mother, Jack on 30 Rock, Chuck on Gossip Girl, Sawyer on the early seasons of Lost, and House on House could all be considered sleazy in some contexts, but that’s hardly limited their appeal.” Lyons also points out that quandaries about pacing and plot points are common when dealing with pilots.
Regardless of the poor responses for his network’s new series, NBC Entertainment co-chair Ben Silverman remains optimistic. Following the leak, he claimed that numerous other NBC pilots have received the same treatment from past focus groups. Seinfeld, for instance, almost didn’t get put on the air in the early 1990s because of negative focus group ratings — and ended up becoming a pop culture phenomenon. I’m interested to see how Parks and Recreation will hold in the face of early setbacks and how it performs when placed in prime television territory with the likes of The Office and 30 Rock. I want it to be good. The question is, has the show dug itself a pit too deep to get out of — or can it transform the crater into a thriving, verdant park?
Read More
The best albums of 2014
By Noah Zeidman | December 4, 2014Across genres, it has been a pretty great year in music.
Top 10 movies of 2014
December 4, 2014This has been an excellent year for film, offering everything from gripping blockbusters to innovative personal films.
Iggy Azalea is “Reclassified”
December 4, 2014It has become common practice among music artists to repackage their albums in an effort to simultaneously boost single sales and dish out new content by slightly renaming the album or slapping “Deluxe” onto the title.
