I did a couple of searches, and it doesn't look like this thread has been started, so here it goes, minus a clever title...

I really, really want this show to do well because of the cast (I've loved Amy Poehler since her days as Andy Richter's little sister on Conan, and Asiz Ansari is great), and because of the topic. OK, I may be the only one, but I don't think that there's ever been a tv show--comedy or drama--about municipal government. Sort of fascinating, because anyone who has lived in any city or town can tell you, there's a lot of comedy and/or tragedy to mined from that.

The news today is that it didn't do well with focus groups (Deadline Hollywood and EW). So, it seems like some of the criticism about how it's too much like "The Office" is fair and all that, but this is the one that irked me the most:

Wow, this sort of has me floored in the implications of women as consumers of comedy. I mean,yes, I do enjoy laughing at AND crushing on lots of funny guys, but I think I'm still capable of finding something funny if I don't find the men attractive. Huh. I have only seen the promos, so I can't comment on whether Aziz's character falls into the "sleazy" category, but I also feel like there may some underlying racial/ethnic reasons why he might not be considered "datable." I hope not.

I wonder how the potential fans of this show divide up – percentage of Office fans vs. percentage of Amy Poehler fans. I’m the latter – big-time Amy fan - and not an Office fan. (I only watch 30 Rock.)

I’ve had doubts about the premise. The producers take a conceit (mockumentary) that wasn’t even theirs to begin with and apply it to another show? It sounded like a lazy lack of creativity on their part. Also, how much do these producers know about the world they’re trying to write. (I’ve worked in nonprofits/ government so I know there is plenty of dysfunctional, absurdist stuff going on.) I’m also not certain the Office-type dry humor is most suited for Amy’s style. I wonder if she ever tried to pitch a series to NBC (or another network).

That said, I’m more than willing to give the show time to find its voice.

I'm definitely going to give it a shot, and am willing to wait it out for a few episodes even if the first one doesn't grab me, because I like Amy Poehler, I like Rashida Jones, and I like Paul Schneider. But while the promos are amusing, it looks so much like a female-centered retread of The Office. And what I've read about it only furthers that idea: socially-awkward but goodhearted protagnist (Michael Scott/Poehler), weirdo sidekick (Dwight/Ansari), and cute guy with a huge crush on his taken coworker (Jim and Pam/Rashida and Paul). I hope it's better and more original than it looks like it's going to be (The Office certainly wasn't great right off the bat), but I'm kind of thinking all of these actors deserve better.

Spin City.



There's such a limited view of our demographic. Personally, I don't care whether characters are male or female, or if there's any romantic tension at all, as long as the show is good. I loved the first few years of Law & Order just as they were, and never thought, "Hey, what this show really needs is a woman!" Then they added interesting women characters, and I thought it was a fantastic show then, too (although I did miss Robinette). So now, apparently, we won't watch a show unless there's a dreamy guy in it? Make up your mind, TV!

I hope this is creative and wonderful and funny, and I'm definitely going to give it a shot. But even if it's just a retread of The Office in a different kind of office, it's still got a good chance of being better than an awful lot that's on right now.

Granted, but at the same time, I'm fairly sure that the NYC Mayor's Office setting is nowhere close to that of the Parks & Rec department of the seventh-largest city in Indiana... :)

Is this replacing The Office on the schedule? I was hoping it was going to replace the disaster of Kath & Kim.

If it helps at all, Seinfeld got terrible remarks from focus groups, and we all know how that story ended...

It is replacing Kath and Kim at 8:30 (EST), at least for the remainder of this season.

What odd complaints from the focus groups, "no datable men" . Oh dear. Is that all they want in a TV series, some eye candy?
I'm still looking forward to this, although i can't really support it, since i'm not in the US.

Aww, I love Kath & Kim. I'm sad to see it go. I think the writing is sharp and the characters are vivid. I'm a bit peeved that Parks & Recreation is taking its place. The previews for Parks & Rec leave me empty. It looks so gray and boring. Nothing about the previews makes me want to watch this show. Admittedly I'm not familiar with the work of Amy Poehler, so maybe I'll warm up to her. I'll try my best to give the show a fair shake and not hold any personal bias against it. We'll see.

The ads just aren't doing anything for me. I like The Office, and this seems like another variation of it. In other words, I'm not really sold, because I already have a show to watch if I want cringe-worthy humor about a clueless leader.

I'm actually really looking forward to this. It doesn't seem exactly like the Office to me.

Way too close to the hijinks in my real-life job. No thanks; I live that life for 9-10 hours a day, don't need it at night too.

Lots more caveats and conditions than I was responding to, though. :)

It is nice to see shows set outside NY and LA, though--I've lived in or near both, and love both, but there's a whole country out there!

Well, I'm a fan of The Office, and I liked Amy Poehler on SNL, so I'm definitely planning to tune in. At the very least, it looks funnier than Kath & Kim...

fyi Amy's doing a fair amount of publicity for the show. She'll be on Kimmel Wed. night. 4/1-2. She was on Leno Tues. night, showing a clip from the show that I hadn't seen yet and looking cute in a black dress. (And her hubby was on Kimmel last night, also looking cute, but not in a black dress).

http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117940013...yid=32&cs=1

OKish review from Variety. It kind of confirms what I thought the show might be like. A bit too much like The Office (and not as good). I guess it might make a nice little show to pass 30 minutes.

hollywood reporter review good to great review.

I miss Amy Poehler on SNL so I'm definitely going to give her show a chance. She's funny as hell...wish she would return to SNL for some guest spots. Or at least do something with Tina Faye.

I forgot this was premiering tonight until I checked to see why there was a half-hour gap between the 2 episodes of The Office that I set my DVR to record. Looking forward to it!

Didn't do anything for me at all. Sad because I like AP a lot.

I really liked ep 1. I've never watched full episodes of The Office, so I can't make that comparison, good or bad. I hope P&R gets a chance.

It was what I expected, which wasn't much. Granted I didn't like the 30 Rock premiere that much and now it's my favorite show. So I'll give it a couple more shots.

Iaughed much more than I'd expected to. But I'm not certain this is really something I'd want to stick with. However, if it doesn't last it'll still look good on Amy's resume - she's really carrying show.
The guy who plays her crush (Paul Schneider?) is cute. They must've redone his scenes - he was more sympathetic than I thought he'd be.

Flat and lifeless. Amy does silly so well, and this seems like such a letdown.

I laughed a few times, but never at the AP scenes. She's trying too hard or something. I just didn't think she was funny, and the boss guy was way weird.

I liked the pieces I saw so far. It looks like there are a lot of political/governmental elements up for satire, especially the characters' different approaches to government. Hopefully it comes together well.

Aziz Ansari's character was hard for me to get a handle on and the slapstick stuff was easy to see coming and seemed kind of out of place (it was obvious she was going to fall in the pit. Still kind of funny to see it, though).

I live in Indy so I was a little nervous about how doofy they were going to make us look. I did laugh out loud when she mumbled, "my clavicle IS broken."

Mr. Whosures and I cracked up at the Bobby Knight poster behind the boss man. He seems like one of the people who are still hanging on to Bobby as the King of Indiana.

I definitely got a Michael vibe when she was sitting in her office talking about sleeping with her co-worker.

Interesting how they're going with a strong story arc right off the bat, something The Office inched its way towards until season three. Going by Rashida Jones' presence this isn't actually a spinoff like I'd assumed, but still a fun way to pass the time.

I don’t know any character names yet, so I’ll just refer to the actors. At the beginning, I did think it was a little too much like The Office. When Amy finally got her lot, though, I thought the story nicely came together and showed some real potential. I sense some good friendship possibilities between Amy’s and Rashida’s characters. I might like to see Amy’s right hand man there turn down the douchiness factor, though: hitting on women while married and enjoying Amy nearly killing herself in the pit was a little too much.

I didn’t really understand what motivated Paul to call in the favor for Amy. He wasn’t moved by her optimism when they first met to talk about the lot, so what changed when later, he was talking somewhat admiringly about how Amy hadn’t lost her spirit in six years of municipal government experience? Was it just because he finally remembered their past relationship? Regardless of that, though, I liked the dynamic that has started to develop between Amy and him. All in all, I liked the show. Light years ahead of the dreadful Kath & Kim.

Maybe my expectations had been appropriately lowered, but I liked it a lot more than I expected. I laughed a few times, and I liked the idea of the Rashida Jones and Amy Poehler relationship being at the core of the show-- I thought they worked well together in their scenes. And I think there is something admirable about Leslie's dopey can-do attitude, so I felt myself rooting for her. I'm definitely willing to give it a few episodes to figure itself out.

The reviews I read were mixed -- some average, some good -- so I was surprised when I flat out loved the show on first viewing. I laughed a lot. Of course, I adored Poehler on UCB and think Aziz Ansari can do no wrong.

I think it has great potential and fits in really well with The Office and 30 Rock.

Amy's character is not Michael Scott. She isn't so much incompetent as naive. She somehow doesn't know she's caught in a bureaucratic dead end and she's so sincere in her desire to do her job, that it makes the cringing not so much at her expense as on her behalf. Michael is obnoxious and incompetent and annoying. He makes everyone else uncomfortable with his oblivion, but Amy's character's oblivion is just kind of there.

I didn't even recognize Chris Pratt at first. And I was looking for him!

I was hoping and expecting to love this show and I loved the pilot. LOVED IT. Of course I was expecting to love it.

Favorite aspects were Amy, Rashida, Rashida's nasty boyfriend, and the hot love interest. I'm digging him - TOTALLY my type. Also I frickin' loved the conspiracy guy at the town house meeting - the one who was ranting about the Police Chief being a 9th degree Mason or whatever. I hope we see more of him!

Least favorite aspect was the sleazy sidekick. I was just grossed out by him. Not really feeling the college intern character either, but I guess we really need to see more of her first.

They made such an effort to showcase references to Indiana (Larry Bird photo, badly photoshopped Bobby Knight poster, state seals everywhere), but they couldn't find out something as basic as the fact that Indiana doesn't have a DMV, they have a BMV (Bureau of Motor Vehicles, not Department). I know I'm the only freak in the world who was bothered by that, but still, I was.

I just found this painful to live through, despite having enjoyed some of the actors in other things. But then I have often had that reaction to The Office too. Just not my kind of humor, I guess -- but that being so, I have to confess I have trouble even seeing where the humor is supposed to be. Oh well.

I'm going to say that he was clearly impressed with her persistance to get a yes or no answer about the lot. Days had went by since she asked for the lot and still wasn't getting answers, but she wouldn't keep trying. That what impressed him and why he went to bat for her.

I really like the show. The sleaze of the right hand man didn't bother me. I've seen the actor before and I knew what I was going to get with him before watching the show. I like his brand of humor though. I actually found his one track mind to ask out the nurse while she was clearly not interested and involved hilarious. The fact that he did that in a meeting capped it off nicely. He doesn't give a damn about his job so finding things to amuse him in his childish way is not suprising to me.

Other than the mockumentry format, I don't feel like this is a office clone at all. These days in hollywood there will always be shows and movies that have similar themes or material done already. What sets projects apart, IMO, is how you present the material. We already three characters Amy, Rashida and Paul's character who seem genuiely kind with there hearts in the right place. Also, the show actual has a plot arc to carry out rather then just watching the lives of these characters. For these things, I feel like it has a very different voice than The Office and I look foward to seeing more.

it doesn't hurt that Amy Poelher can do no wrong in my book.

Don't get me wrong...I've always loved Amy Poehler on SNL, but I wish I had that half hour of my life back. That was one of the worst shows I've ever seen. I didn't even laugh once. I really don't think that show is going to last, unfortunately.

It doesn't help that I think Rashida Jones is terrible at comedy.

I liked it. Has great potential. Amy always makes me happy no matter what she's doing. It was still ten times as funny as According to Two and a Half Men.

I am trying to remind myself how much I didn't like the 30 Rock pilot, so I think I will give this one some time to sort itself out.

I thought his line "And I have a few things to say about Laura Linney" (or something) was the funniest line of the night. I have to attend public meetings for my job and there is always some idiot who will not shut up about some completely unrelated matter. It might just be me, but I thought the show was funniest when it was dealing with these absurdities of local government. (Also, I have been in a City Manager's office that was so tricked out with Florida Gators' merchandise, that it put that Bobby Knight stuff to shame. To Shame.)

I didn't LOVE the pilot - but on the other hand, I didn't like 30 Rock/The Office's pilots either. I didn't connect with any of the characters right off the bat, but sometimes these things take time.

P&R will get a season pass from me solely based on the presence of Amy Poehler and Rashida Jones. (And Chris Pratt! But I guess he's just a guest star. Can we dump the college intern and keep Chris Pratt?)

Was that Loudon Wainwright, who played the dad in Judd Apatow's short-lived TV show Undeclared?

I immediately knew the poster in Amy's boss' office was of Bobby Knight before they showed it fully! To Zach the TWoP reviewer who didn't know who he was I highly recommend looking him up. The fact that he is the mustached guy's hero says A LOT about him!

It was an OK pilot. There were some funny moments and I think they were just trying to introduce the characters more so than get huge laughs right off the bat.

That Bobby Knight poster is distracting. I found myself staring at it in every scene with the boss.

I'm pretty sure it was.

That "Laura Linney" line cracked me up, too.

I thought it was only OK, but it had a lot of work to do laying the groundwork of introducing characters and developing the reasons for building the new park. I think it could get a lot better now that all that is set.

As someone who has begrudgingly worked for the government, I appreciated the different views of government employees. You have the anti-government boss, who thinks the whole thing is a farce. You have Paul and his "personal rules" for surviving. And then you have Amy's character who just can't be beaten down and wants to do the right thing. Those people all exist.

I thought that Paul's calling in his favor made perfect sense. There is this horrible dichotomy working in government where (1) you are totally disgusted with the waste and ridiculous nature of it all, and (2) you feel guilty about not embracing the system and just trying to do something with tax payer money. But then the system beats you right down. I think Paul sees in Amy someone who won't be beaten down, which, however futile, is still admirable. Ugh, government jobs. I feel you, show.

Yeah, I've worked for the federal government in the past and work in local government now, and a lot about this show feels familiar to me, if a bit exaggerated (which is to be expected; it's a TV show after all). I saw little glimpses of myself in Amy's character, though I'd like to think I'm not quite that naive.

That said, I was a little bored by the pilot, but I think it's because I saw most of the best parts in the online "preview" before it aired. I'll keep an open mind and see where it goes.

It wasn't just you, I cringed every time Knope said "DMV." It wouldn't have bugged me too much if it had been just once, but "DMV" popped up at least twice in that episode and looks as if it could become a recurring joke.

IMO, the pilot showed potential. Like others upthread have stated, the 30 Rock and Office pilots didn't entice much, but once both shows found their groove and the writers became more comfortable, it was a different story. P&R, I think, has good character and friendship sketches thus far, and the AP/RJ partnership is certainly going to be interesting to watch develop. My one con with the show thus far: Tom was a little too much subtle douche for my taste, and in not a very funny way either. Hopefully he'll be developed more as well, and will be given more layers.

As for the Leslie/Michael comparison, there are some parallels; the two are both naive in their own ways, ie: Leslie and her dream park, Michael believing it's possible to be everyone's friend, but they are both two completely different kinds of naivety, if that makes sense. I think saying the show is reminiscent of The Office following only its pilot is a little unfair. It's by Greg Daniels and is in the same format of TO, so of course, if you go in with the mindset that TO and P&R are essentially the same, it's going to seem like that. But nothing's been too developed yet, so I'm going to give it a chance to do so before evaluating whether the two shows equal one another.

I wasn't thrilled by the show, but it did have it's funny moments. Frankly, I will be watching mainly for Aziz Ansari, who played the right-hand guy. He's a comedian and a pretty brilliant one, IMO. I think he adds some well-needed actual humor to the show.

Here's hoping it gets better from here on out.

I think you answered your own question (except it had nothing to do with their past hookup). Sometimes someone else's enthuisasm can end up inspiring you again. I thought his gesture was sincere.



I really hated that part. It wasn't funny and his persistence, resulting in an unmitigated come-on, was simply uncomfortable. I guess they had to go there in order to make the payoff (Rashida pulling away in disgust when he shows up at her door and the whole scene at her house) worth it, but for me it was a bit much and went too far. I don't mind tooly characters in comedies, but he was just a straight up douche.



Agree in part. My problem with The Office--either iteration--is that the main character is so utterly unlikeable that it's beyond me why anyone would want to to work with him (or why he hasn't been gunned down or sued for various forms of workplace harrassment). He's like a living version of Eric Cartman, minus the racism. Amy Poehler's character is the complete opposite. Yes, she's awkward, but it's only because her enthusiasm and (albeit somewhat manic) sincerity make her the odd-woman-out in a cynical world.

I think Parks and Recreation has a lot of potential and I will stick with it for the remainder of the season. As many have stated, the pilots for 30 Rock and The Office sucked something spectacular and both have improved (thought I still dislike The Office).

People keep saying the Office pilot sucked. Wasn't it almost word for word the same as the English? I remember watching the first night of the American version and being horrified; I'd loved the English version and it really weirded me out to have other characters saying those lines. But then they re-ran it after the American Office had been for at least a year, and I liked the American pilot pretty much as much as the English one because I loved the American characters, too, now, and was completely comfortable with other actors in the parts.


The only thing I still miss from the British version vs the American is Tim calling up Gareth and saying, "You're a cock! You're a cock!" in a high voice. I guess they can't do that here.