Parks and Recreation

Parks and Recreation is an American comedy television series on NBC led by Amy Poehler, who stars 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. The show has run for three full seasons and is currently airing its fourth. It uses a single-camera, mockumentary filming style. The Parks and Recreation staff 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. Unlike the tightly scripted English version of The Office, improvisation is encouraged, and often makes the final cut. 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.
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