My how time in Pawnee flies!
Seems it was just yesterday a wide-eyed, optimistic and highly spirited young lady by the name of Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) was thrilled to be the deputy director of the Parks and Recreation department of this idiosyncratic city in Indiana, dream of turning a pit into a park, and
Now she’s a member of the city council itself, married to the handsome Ben Wyatt (Adam Scott), BFF with the soon to depart Ann (Rashina Jones), who’s leaving town with her beau Chris Traeger (Rob Lowe) and still working alongside one of the quirkiest, and by extension, funniest, groups of colleagues to ever find themselves in the same workplace.
Parks and Recreation is proof that a lot can happen in 100 episodes, that magic milestone when syndication to anyone who will have the show kicks in, but if you think that Amy Poehler is done with the show, which just kicked off its sixth season, you’d be wrong, as she explained to ontheredcarpet.com (see video below as well):
“They’re going to have to pry this show out of my cold, dead hands. I’m not going anywhere, but I know that we have loved working here and want to continue if we can, how we can, and NBC has been very kind to keep us on the air in many cases and I’d like to think that we’ve showed them and have been showing them the kind of show that we are proud of doing. I think they’re proud of it too.”
Quite whether the show will get much beyond a sixth season is open to debate, with NBC scheduling it against rating juggernaut The Big Bang Theory before placing it on hiatus until 2014, but if Amy Poehler is that confident it can go on and on, then so shall I be!
After all when did Leslie Knope ever shrink from a fight?
The 100th episode of Parks and Recreation will air on 9 January at 8.30pm.
And if you were wondering if Dan Harmon’s revived Community would ever make it back onto the small screen this side of the zombie apocalypse – it would be just like NBC to scheduled it when we’re all running for our lives – it has a date, AND helpfully for those who are not Doctor Who, a time!
The show, which will hopefully recapture the glory days of season 1 through 3 now Harmon is back on board for the unexpected season 5, will debut with a double episode block from 8 to 9/7 to 8 C on 2 January 2014, with single episodes then scheduled from 8pm on 9 January followed by Parks and Recreation‘s 100th episode at 8.30pm.
Even with Harmon back in charge though it’s going to be a slightly different show to what’s gone before with Chevy Chase as Pierce Hawthorne completely out of the picture and Danny Glover’s Troy only appearing for five episodes before the successful actor/rapper leaves to pursue other opportunities.
But to make up for the departure of these core cast members, there will be guest stars!
Oh how there will be guest stars!
Nathan Fillion (Castle) is popping in for a visit as is Walter Goggins from Justified and Jonathan Banks from Breaking Bad, and season 5 will see the welcome return of lawyer Alan Connor (Alan Corddry), Abed’s cute-as-a-button crush Rachel (Brie Larson) and quite possibly one of the worst professors ever in the history of Greendale, and that’s saying something, the hilariously bad Prof. Ian Duncan (the supremely talented John Oliver).
Harmon is promising everything from a disaster movie spoof to a fully animated episode to go with all these amazing guest stars, all of which means season 5, which I repeat now has a start date, is shaping up as the best yet!
Get ready Human Beings, time to prep the paint ball guns!
Community season 5 airs 8/7c for a double episode on 2 January 2013.