An Open Letter to NBC

Hey NBC. What's up? 

Let me start out by saying that I love you guys. Seriously. You've always been my favorite network. Ever since I was old enough to start watching The Office and Saturday Night Live, I've had total faith in your ability to showcase comedies that other networks might shy away from. While you may not have a flair for the dramatic like CBS or a weird obsession with animated comedies/Seth Macfarlane (I'm looking at you FOX), you've always stuck with your roots and delivered some really solid, hilarious, heartfelt shows. Let's be honest; you had your heyday back in the late 90s when you struck gold with Seinfeld and Friends, but since then, you've had The Office, the cult hit Community, and the critical darling that was 30 Rock. I like to ignore Whitney and Animal Practice altogether and just say that, hey, you've done a pretty great job.

But that's not why we're here today, NBC. You know that, and I know that, so let's not beat around the bush: it's time to stop fucking with Parks and Recreation. By now, any fan of the show has probably heard about how you've only given the Pawnee crew 2 new episodes in the month of November (postponing the Halloween episode until a few weeks after the actual holiday) and won't be airing new episodes after that until mid-January, when Community is also slated to return. In it's stead, you'll be airing reruns of the Voice, SNL clip shows, and....The Sound of Music. Vulture broke the news here and, as I'm sure you know, all hell immediately broke loose. Adam Scott, who plays Ben Wyatt on Parks and Rec, tried to cover your ass by saying that this was your intention all along and that you weren't just prepping the show for cancelation, but some of us are displeased either way.

I know what your strategy is here, NBC: your Thursday night comedies are quickly losing ground in the ratings battle, and you blame Parks and Rec for being a bad lead-in to your new shows Welcome to the Family (which was already canceled, ouch) and the Sean Hayes anchored sitcom Sean Saves the World. You want viewers at any cost. It's a business, I understand. But - if I may put things extremely bluntly - your business model sucks, as do your new shows.

Parks and Recreation is adored by everyone, fans and critics alike, myself (quite largely) included. It has a great ensemble cast, extremely witty writing, and is heartfelt to boot. It's just an all around great American show. It's far better than your biggest Thursday night competitor, The Big Bang Theory; we all know that, but the general American public seems to have missed the boat on that one. That's ok though. With a strong presence on Netflix and a good start to it's sixth season, Parks has the potential to really hit it's stride....if only you'd let it.

NBC, Sean Hayes is blaming you for the poor ratings his show is getting, and I personally agree with him, though in an altogether different way. Your ads for this show are absolutely obnoxious; and not just the commercials, but the little stupid banner ads you play 24/7 that show Sean jumping over a couch, trying to look all cutsie and single goofball dad-ish and shit. Stop. Please. This show is not good now, and I'll be damned if it's ever going to get good anytime in the future. Instead of trying to pander to the wider, mindless crowd that flocks to CBS sitcoms, give us more shows like Parks and Rec, not less. Build your comedy lineup around it; maybe even advertise it or something. I'd be happy if you even aired a single episode in the month of December.

I'm sorry if I lost my temper there, NBC, but this is something that is very near and dear to my heart. I look to Ron Swanson as the incredibly mustachioed, bacon-and-egg fueled role model I never had, and to Leslie Knope as the strong, positive leader that Pawnee - hell - that America needs right now. You've got a real gem on your hands here NBC, and while I don't know what your plans for the future are, I just want to say this: the citizens of Pawnee may want to get Leslie Knope out of office, but all I'm asking is that you don't impeach Parks and Recreation just yet.

Reasons Why I Love Parks and Rec

The beginning of the school year always brings new and different things back into my life. New classes and clubs starting, seeing my friends after the long summer, and a cold. I always see getting sick as an excuse to binge watch Netflix for a few days until I'm feeling better. This time I chose to start watching Parks and Recreation. It seemed as if all of my friends watched this show so I figured, why not? I love a good television sitcom. And now, as I just finish episode 15 of season 3, I completely realize the appeal of the show. I'm basically addicted to it. Here are some of the reasons why I absolutely am in love with this show:

First off, show creators Greg Daniels and Michael Schur came up with such an original concept. They manage to show something as completely mundane as a local government in a small town and make it hysterical, witty, and endearing. Leslie Knope, played by the always laugh-worthy Amy Poehler, just has the most contagiously positive energy and always makes the show memorable along with her other, equally funny costars. There isn't a character that I don't like. They all are so different from each other, but when you put them all together, they are genius.

The show is just so happy. The writers of this show have created something that just leaves the viewer in such a positive spirit. I definitely was in a much better mood after watching this show even though I was feeling under the weather. Knope is just this ball of sunshine that just loves what she does and all of the people around her. This positive energy and pure happiness is so different from any show that I've ever watched because there are literally no sad moments. I never found this constant positivity a detraction to the show. The characters were not flat and the episodes have substance.



I also love the strong female roll in this show. Poehler plays Leslie Knope so perfectly. She is driven, hard-working, smart (though I would say only book-smart), and she is well-respected. I always love a strong female character. The friendship between Leslie and Ann Perkins (Leslie's nurse friend played by Rashida Jones) is another reason why I'm in love with this show. Their friendship is so true. There is no cattiness or competition between the two friends, like many female friends are portrayed on television. They just have a true, almost sisterly bond for each other.

I love this show and I can't wait to watch the next episode right after I post this!