Pawnee, Indiana, to know it is to love it, and over the past seven seasons of “Parks and Recreation” we’ve all come to know and love this town and its inhabitants. Tonight, we bid a fond farewell to a town (and a show) that’s taught us the importance of hard work, enthusiasm, and breakfast food.
Fans of the show have had to say goodbye to beloved characters before, Chris Traeger, Ann Perkins, and of course, Lil’ Sebastian, but tonight will be brought to you by Kleenex, I have no doubt.
But let’s not dwell on the leaving and the crying, but on the great laughs we’ve had along the way. Because, it has been fabulous.
What started as a show that resembled an Amy Poehler led spin-off of “The Office,” quickly found its own voice, and it’s been making us laugh ever since.
The show wouldn’t be what it is without the ensemble of crazy characters that made up the staff of the Pawnee Department of Parks and Recreation—Ron, April, Donna, Andy, Tom, and Gary/Jerry/Larry—but the glue that held them all together (whether they liked it or not) was the fiercely productive Leslie Knope. She’s everyone’s best friend, and the ultimate career role model. The woman is prepared for everything. This is the woman who invented Galentine’s Day. Does anything else need to be said?
No, but I’m going to anyways—The world would be a better place, if there were more Leslie Knopes in it. So, while we may be saying goodbye to Pawnee, I hope the spirit and light-heartedness of its residents will stay with us all, in syndication and beyond.
…bi-daily smile…
Just warming up your tear ducts for you. You’re welcome:
