“Parks and Recreations” is possible one of the funniest shows around. Although it was recently taken off the air after its seventh season, it can be found online on websites such as Netflix and Hulu. This show is perfect for any family, but be advised there may be some profanity every now and then. “Parks and Rec.” as it is often abbreviated, first aired on April 9, 2009 and has since built up a very large, very devoted fan base.

This show stars actors such as Amy Poehler, Nick Offerman, Adam Scott, and Rashida Jones. The show focuses around Amy Poehler playing Leslie Knope and her friends Ann, Andy, and Ron. Ann is portrayed by Rashida Jones, Nick Offerman plays Ron, and Chris Pratt plays Andy. Leslie Knope is a blonde hair woman with blue eyes and has a very quirky and optimistic personality. She is often underestimated and made fun of based only on the fact that she is a woman in politics. Ann is a brunette with tanned skin and she is a more down to earth and centered person. Andy is the complete opposite. He takes everything with a grain of sand. He plays around too much and in instances puts his life in danger. He is a tall young man with short brown hair and a fun yet cool personality. Ron on the other hand is a more closed off person. He is a medium build man with brown hair and a mustache.

Other characters that are shown in every episode but do not lead the show directly are Jerry, Tom, April, Ben, and Chris. April is a young girl at the beginning of the season but throughout the show she grows into a young woman.  Jerry is a middle aged man who is mostly used a source to make fun of at the office where they all work. Ben and Chris come to help the city Pawnee work out their financial problems while both developing feelings for women. Lastly Tom is a young man that believes that by making risky investments he will eventually strike it and become rich.

One of the best  episodes of this show is hands down the first episode of season one. The episodes name is The Pilot and it starts off with Leslie Knope speaking about her belief in the government and its role in helping the public. After this short speech, she heads community discussion where very few people show up, one of the people talking, Ann Perkins, brings up an empty pit located behind her home. A pit which her boyfriend, Andrew Dwyer (andy), fell into and broke both his legs. A few days later, after promising to look into what they could do with the pit, Ann and Leslie both go to see the pit, which Leslie falls into. The episode ends shortly after Leslie celebrates after being told by Ron, her boss, that he would give her permission to create an exploratory subcommittee for the pit.

Overall, Parks and Recreations deserves the huge fan base that is has built over the years. Not only that but it is also one of the funniest shows made, making it a must for all comedy lovers.