Hi! Here's a new poll, I hope you'll like it and I hope many people will vote even if it's a comedy, which I personally think is harder to have debate with, but still, Parks and Rec is not an usual comedy, it deserves a poll, there's a lot to talk about. I didn't post this poll until today because I decided to make these polls last throughout the summer.
Thus, from now on I will post only 4 polls a week, from Mondays to Thursdays. And yesterday was a national holiday in the US so I didn't post a new poll because I figured most people who're frequently visiting and posting on this site wouldn't check their computer. Besides, I planned out the whole thing and this series of polls will end with a bang on Thursday, September 8th with Sons of Anarchy.
To make a more rich post and because I'm a big fan, here's a small recap of Parks and Recreation's history :
During the fall of 2007, rumors of a The Office spin-off started to emerge, as the 4th season of the show premiered. The writers' strike delayed that project which was put away until May 2008. At that point, NBC announced this spin-off was still alive and that they picked it up for the 2008/2009 season.
But a few weeks later, it was announced there were some creative issues and it wasn't going to be a spin-off of The Office after all. In the end, Rashida Jones (Karen Filipelli in season 3 of The Office), the mockumentary style and the setting in a workplace of a small american town are the only things The Office and Parks and Recreation have in common (and also being must-see comedies).
Finally, on April 8th 2009, the pilot of Parks and Recreation premiered at 8:30pm. 5 more episodes aired alongside the final 5 episodes of the 4th season of My Name is Earl (which was ultimately cancelled a few weeks later), and the show was picked up for a full 22-episode season.
During the 2009/2010 season, Parks and Recreation struggled in its 8:30pm timeslot (right after freshman comedy Community) but the show had gained critical acclaim this year and was renewed for a third season. However, due to Amy Poehler's pregnancy, the show couldn't premiere in September.
The parks and recreation department of the great city of Pawnee, Indiana had to wait until January 20th 2011 at 9:30pm to open its doors again. This third season, which has only 16 episodes, gained both critical acclaim and even high ratings (The Office aired before at 9pm). So it was no surprise when NBC renewed Parks and Recreation for a fourth season of 22 episodes.
Parks and Recreation season 4 will premiere on September 22nd at 8:30pm after Community, let's hope the two of them will do okay in this tough time slot.
But we're not there yet. Here we'll focus on the first 3 seasons. What is your favourite season ? And why ? Vote in the poll below and tell us everything !
You can still participate to the first three polls :
- What is your favourite season of Breaking Bad ?
- What is your favourite season of True Blood ?
- What is your favourite season of Burn Notice ?
I would have to go with season 3.
ReplyDeleteLast season, Parks and Recreation was the best comedy on the air on networks, hands down. Sharp, smart, with perfect actors, original characters and funny stories, there's nothing more to say. But I loved season 2 too, so what makes me say I prefer season 3 ? Simple : Adam Scott and Rob Lowe.
Rob Lowe is literally making an Emmy-worthy performance as Chris Treager. His optimism all the time, the way he talks to people and the way he behaves are just priceless, he would be funny even if he was standing still in the corner of a room for 20 minutes. The writing has a lot to do with it but it wouldn't be as funny if someone else had been casted instead. Besides, Rob Lowe + Adam Scott > Paul Schneider any day of the week.
Because as much I loved season 2, I've never been a fan of Paul Schneider's character, it makes sense they had to let him go because he was kind of useless and not funny most of the time. But anyway, season 2 was very good and showed a huge improvement over season 1. I remember there were great guest stars (Will Arnett, Louis CK) and I laughed a lot, something I didn't experience the previous season, so it was a pleasant surprise.
Indeed, I didn't like the 1st season at all, and that is weird because I didn't like the 1st season of The Office (6 episodes too) either, and then the show became extremely good in season 2 too. I'm comparing Parks and Rec to the Office because Parks and Rec is kind of an unoffical spin-off (the early development of the show started on this premise) and clearly, they both had weak, short first seasons before they showed their true potential. And now, the student has become the master, Parks and Rec is currently funnier than The Office if you compare seasons 2 and 3 of Parks and Rec with the 6th and 7th seasons of The Office.
I can't wait to see what they have in store for season 4. Given that so far, each season of P&R is better than the previous one, I bet I'll be laughing my ass off every week in a few months.
I honestly didn't think TV comedy could get any better than Parks and Rec season 2. I couldn't be more mistaken; the show's third season delivered some of the most incredible and laugh-out-loud funny episodes in recent memory. I probably laughed more during "The Flu" than the entire fourth season of The Big Bang Theory. And this is coming from a huge TBBT fan.
ReplyDeleteIf there was one show that clearly exemplifies the characteristics of a stellar TV comedy, P&R season 3 is it.
I agree with most of what you said. I'd even go further and argue that Parks and Rec's second and third seasons are exponentially better than The Office's 2nd and 3rd seasons.
ReplyDeleteI prefer the 2nd season - one of the best seasons of a comedy in many years, imo. Season 3 had the Leslie and Ben romance, which sadly I never warmed up to.
ReplyDeleteSeason 2 for me. I loved S1 as well but it was too short to be considered for me personally.
ReplyDeleteSeason 3 had quite a few boring episodes but I still enjoyed it very much :)
Thanks for the history by the way, as a pretty new viewer I didn't know that.
I would go with season 2! because it was crazy funny, lots of story progression i also love season 3 but i found it to be more tame.
ReplyDeleteyea same
ReplyDeleteI also dislike Ben and ? Rob Lowe, not sure why they had to bring them in :(
I'm going with season two even though the first few episodes were just as terrible as season one. The show became astronomically better after those first few season two shows.
ReplyDeleteTough call between two and three. Season one introduced a bunch of good characters but it wasn't till season two that they really figured themselves out -- best example, Andy getting with April instead of Ann.
ReplyDeleteSeason three has just gotten better. Dropping Mark and bringing Ben and Chris was a great move. I guess Rob Lowe is polarizing but personally I think his character is one of the greatest comedic inventions in recent history.
I have to go with S3 for me, as I felt that there wasn't a weak episode in the season.
ReplyDeleteI watched the pilot and the next and thought Amy Poehler had made a terrible mistake and felt embarrassed for her. I stopped watching until I heard through the grapevine (here?) that the show had taken a turn for the better, caught myself up, and watched from S2 on. I liked Leslie's spunk in season 2 (the one where she met with the older, male, former parks directors and they explained that women can't run a government agency because they get periods -- funny!). Loved season 2, but I think I'll have to go with season 3, because once they brought in Rob Lowe, the joint started hopping.
ReplyDeleteSeason 3 hands down.
ReplyDeleteI loved it from the start, and it keeps getting better. fingers crossed for next season.
I thought season 1 was a really boring and disappointing season but because i'm a big fan of amy poehler i stayed on. I couldn't be happier for amy, after season 1 the episodes just got better and better! I am now a fan of the whole ensemble and not just amy! I hope parks and rec would grab lots of emmy's they deserve it!
ReplyDeleteThe show wasn't truly great without Chris Trager and Ben Wyatt.
ReplyDelete