I'm a really big fan of The Office. When I saw that Greg Daniels (creator of the U.S. version of The Office) had a new series coming out on NBC following the same style, I was intrigued but also a little weary. Was it going to be the same as The Office but with just a different cast? Was its dependence on the same style and kind of humor going to make it just a pale imitation? With talent such as Amy Poehler, Rashida Jones and Aziz Ansari involved, I figured it had to be at least entertaining. Right?
Well, as it turns out, the pilot episode for Parks and Recreation was pretty unwatchable. I started watching it this past Thursday night with my friends Zach and Caleb. We watched it though the first commerical break and then for a few more minutes. Finally, Caleb asked, "Do you guys mind if we stop? Does anyone wanna keep watching?" We agreed to just watch something else. Until that point (which was a good ten minutes into the show), none of us had laughed once.
To be fair and write a balanced review, I got on Hulu yesterday and watched the entire episode (including the first ten minutes that I had already suffered through once). Luckily for me, the episode did actually get a little better after the point on which we turned it off. Still, it did not get good enough for me to really enjoy it, find it funny or give it a good review.
I'm not sure why this show was so bad. It's just not funny in any way. The only line that made me chuckle a little was when the guy in the meeting started to say, "And now a little bit about Laura Linney," and that's just because it's really random. It almost feels like they're trying too hard to be funny and it just completely falls flat every time. Amy Poehler feels awkward and out of place. Like everyone else in the show, she isn't given very good material to deal with and that is a shame because she can be funny given the right project. Everything she does feels forced. I really liked Rashida Jones from her runs on The Office and Boston Public (did any one else watch this show? I'd kill for the DVDs to be released) but she really isn't given much to do here. Much like Poehler, Ansari really feels off. I don't know if it was the way his character was written or if he was just trying too hard.
Basically, the entire show feels forced.
As the show went on, I did find myself liking Paul Schneider's character. His scene with Poehler outside was actually kind of pleasant and I liked what he did for her character towards the end. Other than this, I didn't really find much to like about this show. This is a shame because I really like everyone involved. It may be premature to judge the show this harshly as it was just a pilot but even The Office pilot (which many people see as the worst episode of the series) was still pretty funny and set a good tone for the series. If this is what the show is going to be like, I don't want to watch the rest of it. Parks and Recreation relies too much on the same formula and style of The Office but it lacks the same warmth, great characters, emotion, hilarity and overall heart. As far as I'm concerned, it is as forced and artificial as a show can be at this point.
2/10
Feel free to watch the Pilot episode below and see if you agree with me. I wouldn't recommend it though.
Video Source: Hulu
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