First Impressions: Parks and Recreation

When I heard the folks behind the US version of The Office had recruited Amy Pohler for their non-spin-off I was ecstatic. As much as I loved the lady on SNL, it was time for her to take the next step in her career and follow the Jane Curtains and Tina Feys of the world. The addition of Human Giant vet and short lived Scrubs standout, Aziz Ansari, and Rashida Jones, from the Stamford branch of Dunder Mifflin, got me even giddier. Sadly my excitement was not reciprocated by the folks behind their new show, Parks and Recreation. The first episode seemed like TV on dope, as every thing moved so slow. I was waiting for one of the characters to tell me how amazing the human hand is. It was one of the most tedious half hours of my recent TV life, but it’s not all bad news. The talent is still all there. Jones in particular shone brightly. Pohler seems desperate not to be a Michael Scott copy and just needs to try a little less. Ansari needs his character to flushed out a little more and you know what, I think that will happen. Remember folks this is just a pilot and while the first episode was borderline horrible I think we can all remember how uncomfortable the first meeting between Liz and Jack was on 30 Rock or more recently, the jaw droppingly slow start of the now kickass Dollhouse. So keep hope alive and let’s see if Leslie Knope follows Larry B’s advice sinks that shot.