Parks and Recreation

Parks and Recreation is an American comedy television series on the NBC television network, starring Amy Poehler as Leslie Knope, a perky, mid-level bureaucrat in the parks department of Pawnee, a fictional town in Indiana. It was conceived by Greg Daniels and Michael Schur and debuted on April 9, 2009. Currently in its fifth season, it uses a single-camera, mockumentary filming style, with the implication being that a documentary crew is filming everyone.
The writers researched local California politics for the show, and consulted with urban planners and elected officials. The Leslie Knope character underwent minor changes after the first season in response to audience feedback that she seemed unintelligent and "ditzy". The writing staff tried to incorporate current events into their episodes, such as a government shutdown in Pawnee inspired by the real-life global financial crisis. Several guest stars have been featured in the show, and these characters often appear in multiple episodes.
Parks and Recreation received generally mixed to negative reviews during its first season; many critics saw it as too similar to The Office. More recently, the Parks and Recreation staff has tried to differentiate their show from The Office through differences in filming technique, and decided in favor of multiple camera angles and frequent jump cuts. After a reapproach to its format and tone, its second and subsequent seasons received much higher critical acclaim. Parks and Recreation has received several awards and nominations, including an Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Comedy Series and three Emmy nominations for Poehler's performance. The show also has a large online fan base devoted to the character Ron Swanson. In Times 2012 year-end lists issue, Parks and Recreation was named the number one television series. Despite the critical acclaim, Parks and Recreation has struggled in the Nielsen ratings throughout its run on NBC.