Parks and Recreation season 7

The seventh and final season of Parks and Recreation aired in the United States on the NBC television network from January 13, 2015, until February 24, 2015.^[1] The season consisted of 13 episodes.^[2] It stars Amy Poehler, Aziz Ansari, Nick Offerman, Aubrey Plaza, Chris Pratt, Adam Scott, Jim O'Heir, and Retta, with a supporting performance from Billy Eichner.

This season differs from any other season of Parks and Recreation, in that it details a much larger story arc for the characters, showcasing their growth over the course of the show. Set in 2017, three years after the events of Season 6, the season includes Leslie Knope's (Amy Poehler) new career as Regional Director of the National Park Service, in addition to her two-year-long fallout with former boss Ron Swanson (Nick Offerman). Also included is the rise of fictional tech company Gryzzl taking over Pawnee, Leslie's plea to Sweetums for a Pawnee National Park, and the eventual career departures of the gang from the Parks department.

Cast

Main

Amy Poehler as Leslie Knope, a passionate government employee who loves her home town. She has not let politics dampen her optimism; her ultimate goal is to become President of the United States.^[3] Poehler departed from the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live, where she was a cast member for nearly seven years, to star in Parks and Recreation.^[4]^[5] It was only after she was cast that Daniels and Schur established the general concept of the show and the script for the pilot was written.^[6]
Aziz Ansari as Tom Haverford, Leslie's former sarcastic and underachieving subordinate,^[7] who has left his city hall job to pursue his own entrepreneurial interests.^[8] Daniels and Schur had intended to cast Ansari from the earliest stages of the development of Parks and Recreation.^[6]^[9]
Nick Offerman as Ron Swanson, the former parks and recreation director who, as a libertarian, believes in as small a government as possible. As such, Ron strives to make his department as ineffective as possible, and favors hiring employees who do not care about their jobs or are poor at them.^[7] Nevertheless, Ron consistently demonstrates that he secretly cares deeply about his co-workers.^[10]
Aubrey Plaza as April Ludgate-Dwyer, a cynical and uninterested former parks department intern who now works for Leslie at the National Parks Department.^[11] The role was written specifically for Plaza; after meeting her, casting director Allison Jones told Schur, "I just met the weirdest girl I've ever met in my life. You have to meet her and put her on your show."
Chris Pratt as Andy Dwyer, a goofy, dim-witted but lovable slacker. Pratt was originally intended to be a guest star and the character Andy was initially meant to appear only in the first season, but the producers liked Pratt so much that, almost immediately after casting him, they decided to make him a regular cast member starting with season two.^[12]
Adam Scott as Ben Wyatt, a brilliant but socially awkward government official trying to redeem his past as a failed mayor in his youth.^[13] Scott left his starring role on the Starz comedy series Party Down to join the show.^[14]
Jim O'Heir as Garry Gergich, a sweet-natured but painfully incompetent longtime city employee who is the main target of the office's petty unkindness, yet enjoys his life as the husband of a gorgeous woman and the father of three beautiful daughters. He reached retirement with a full pension in season 5, but returned to the Parks office to work as an intern. As of season six, the other characters have taken to calling him "Larry Gengurch," after he accidentally called himself that name. In a flashforward at the end of the season 6 finale, he is now called Terry. By the end of the season 7 episode "Donna & Joe", his friends finally call him by his real name Garry, thanks to Donna.
Retta as Donna Meagle, the confident and competent former office manager for the Pawnee Parks and Recreation Department. She is now accepting of her former coworkers, previously dismissing them as boring. She currently works as a real estate agent. She has little tolerance for stupidity, can sometimes be selfish, enjoys casual dating, and is irresistible to many men. Donna loves her car, a Mercedes-Benz M-Class SUV.

Starring

Billy Eichner as Craig Middlebrooks, the hot-tempered director of the Pawnee parks department. After appearing in numerous episodes throughout the sixth season, Eichner was promoted from a recurring role to a starring role in the cast, beginning with "Leslie & Ron," the fourth episode of season seven.

Recurring

Natalie Morales as Lucy, Tom's ex-girlfriend and bartender at The Snakehole Lounge. She is later hired to manage Tom's Bistro.^[15]
Megan Mullally as Tammy Swanson (also known as "Tammy Two"), a librarian and Ron's sex-crazed ex-wife.^[15]
Ben Schwartz as Jean-Ralphio, Tom's best friend and frequent business associate.^[15]
Mo Collins as Joan Callamezzo, a Pawnee talk show host known for her ludicrous behavior and time on the show Pawnee Today.
Jay Jackson as Perd Hapley, a popular Pawnee television journalist and the host of news programs Ya Heard? With Perd! and The Final Word with Perd!.
Jon Glaser as Jeremy Jamm, a Pawnee councilman and Leslie's long time arch-rival.
Susan Yeagley as Jessica Newport, former Miss Pawnee 1994 & CEO of the Sweetums Corporation.
Jenny Slate as Mona-Lisa Saperstein, Tom's crazy ex-girlfriend and Jean-Ralphio's sister.
Marc Evan Jackson as Trevor Nelsson, a lawyer who provides legal assistance for the Newport Family.
Jonathan Joss as Ken Hotate, leader of the Wamapoke people and owner of the Wamapoke casino in Pawnee.
Blake Anderson as Mike Bean, CEO of tech-company "Gryzzl".
Jorma Taccone as Roscoe Santangelo, vice-president of Cool New Shiz at tech-company "Gryzzl".
Kathryn Hahn as Jennifer Barkley, a blunt, supercharged political consultant who was Bobby Newport's campaign manager when he was running against Leslie.^[16]
Henry Winkler as Dr. Saperstein, a local gynecologist and the wealthy father of Jean-Ralphio and Mona Lisa.
Helen Slayton-Hughes as Ethel Beavers, an elderly Pawnee government worker who publicly reveals her 46-year affair with Mayor Gunderson.
Keegan-Michael Key as Joe, a school principal and Donna's husband.^[15]

Guest stars

Rashida Jones as Ann Perkins, a nurse who gradually becomes more involved in Pawnee government through her friendship with Leslie. She is also Chris' girlfriend and mother to Oliver and Leslie.^[15]
Rob Lowe as Chris Traeger, an excessively positive and extremely health-conscious government official. He is also Ann's boyfriend and father to their children Oliver and Leslie.^[15]
Werner Herzog as Keg Jeggings, the owner of a creepy house April and Andy purchase.^[17]
Dax Shepard as Hank Muntak, station manager at Pawnee Community Access, the public television network that broadcasts the "Johnny Karate" television show
Peter Serafinowicz as Lord Edgar Covington, Andy's former employer
Sam Elliott as Ron Dunn, the former head of the Eagleton parks department.
Josh Groban as himself
Questlove as Levondrious Meagle, Donna's estranged younger brother.
Ginuwine as a fictionalized version of himself as Donna's cousin.
Barbara Boxer as herself
Kirsten Gillibrand as herself
John McCain as himself
Cory Booker as himself
Orrin Hatch as himself
Madeleine Albright as herself
John Cena as himself, one of the guests on the final episode of Andy's show.
Paul Rudd as Bobby Newport, a dimwitted multimillionaire heir of the Sweetums Candy Company fortune, and former candidate for city council running against Leslie.^[15]
Bill Murray as Walter Gunderson, mayor of Pawnee
Jon Hamm as Ed, a former incompetent employee of the National Park Service.
Kevin Symons as Bill Dexhart, a Pawnee councilman who is a self described pervert.
Yvans Jourdain as Councilman Douglass Howser, a Pawnee councilman who is the leader of the council.
Joe Biden as himself
Jill Biden as herself

Episodes

^† denotes an extended episode.^‡ denotes an hour-long episode.

Production

All 13 episodes were aired in seven weeks by airing two each week, back-to-back (with the exception of one week).^[1] Production began on August 11, 2014,^[26]^[27] and ended on December 12, 2014.^[28] Although the program initially premiered in NBC's Must See TV Thursday night block, the final episodes were moved to Tuesdays, possibly in an attempt to compete with ABC's dramas.^[29]

Reception

The seventh season of Parks and Recreation largely received positive praise from critics. Rotten Tomatoes gave the season an 89% rating based on 27 critic reviews. The critical consensus reads: "Parks and Recreation's closing chapter deftly incorporates time-skip gags into the everyday bureaucracy of Pawnee, all while delivering a moving farewell to a cast of characters audiences have grown to love like family."^[30]

IGN reviewer Matt Fowler gave the series finale a perfect 10 out of 10 score, saying "Doing what the show does best, Parks knocked it clear out of the park with "One Last Ride." A remarkably irresistible swirl of love and satire. The writers knew it wasn't enough to just send everyone off into the future. They knew we needed to see that future. Not just for peace of mind, but because we've all become so lovingly invested in the characters. This final season proved to us that we could withstand a time jump and still remain attached to everyone. And this finale used that to hop through the Pawnee gang's futures, creating an exciting, heartwarming journey."^[31]

The New Yorker's Emily Nussbaum contended that the series finale invoked "few laughs",^[32] and Screen Rant's Nathanial Eker-Male called the season "jarring and distracting".^[33] The Guardian critic Diane Shipley claimed that the season "jumped the shark".^[34]

Accolades

The seventh season of Parks and Recreation was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series and Amy Poehler received her sixth Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for her performance in the series finale, "One Last Ride".

References

^ a b Kondolojy, Amanda (December 1, 2014). "'Parks and Recreation' Final Season to Premiere Tuesday, January 13th". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on December 3, 2014. Retrieved December 2, 2014.
^ Goldman, Eric (May 12, 2014). "NBC Reveals Episode Number For Parks and Recreation's Final Season". IGN. Retrieved May 12, 2014.
^ Dawidziak, Mark (April 7, 2009). "'Parks and Recreation': New NBC comedy is uneven but promising". The Plain Dealer. Archived from the original on October 14, 2012. Retrieved June 17, 2011.
^ Stasi, Linda (April 9, 2009). "Raiders of the Lost 'Park': Amy Poehler quit "SNL" for "Parks and Recreation"". New York Post. Archived from the original on May 25, 2024. Retrieved April 11, 2009.
^ Grossberg, Josh (September 16, 2008). "Amy Poehler Moves Up SNL Exit". E! Online. Archived from the original on March 27, 2011. Retrieved June 15, 2011.
^ a b Itzkoff, Dave (March 26, 2009). "It's Not 'The Office.' The Boss Is a Woman". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 11, 2012. Retrieved April 11, 2009.
^ a b Tobias, Scott (April 23, 2009). "Parks and Recreation: Season 1: Episode 3: "The Reporter"". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on November 24, 2010. Retrieved April 26, 2009.
^ Snierson, Dan (May 19, 2011). "'Parks and Recreation' co-creator Mike Schur gives 10 hints about tonight's season finale". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on June 19, 2011. Retrieved June 17, 2011.
^ Sepinwall, Alan (July 21, 2008). "Sepinwall on TV: Leno undercover, 'Office' non-spin-off". The Star-Ledger. Archived from the original on October 11, 2011. Retrieved June 17, 2011.
^ Snierson, Dan (January 27, 2011). "'Parks and Recreation' scoop: Amy Poehler and co-creator Mike Schur dish on Leslie's big gamble, romantic possibilities, and tonight's episode 'The Flu'". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on May 9, 2011. Retrieved January 29, 2011.
^ Sepinwall, Alan (January 15, 2010). "Parks and Recreation, "The Set Up": Will Arnett dates Leslie". The Star-Ledger. Archived from the original on April 5, 2011. Retrieved January 17, 2010.
^ Sepinwall, Alan (September 17, 2009). "Parks and Recreation: Interviewing co-creator Mike Schur". The Star-Ledger. Archived from the original on August 19, 2010. Retrieved January 1, 2010.
^ Meslow, Scott (February 18, 2011). "'Parks and Recreation': (Awkward) Love Is in the Air". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on September 12, 2011. Retrieved June 18, 2011.
^ Martin, Denise (March 4, 2010). "'Party Down' star Adam Scott joins the cast of NBC's 'Parks and Recreation'; plus, more details on Rob Lowe". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on February 7, 2011. Retrieved March 15, 2010.
^ a b c d e f g Hayner, Chris (December 30, 2014). "All the 'Parks and Recreation' characters returning for the Final Season". Zap2it. Retrieved December 30, 2014.
^ Snierson, Dan (January 14, 2015). "Kathryn Hahn returning to 'Parks and Recreation'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
^ Wickman, Forrest (January 14, 2015). "Watch Werner Herzog's Cameo on Last Night's Parks and Rec". Slate. Retrieved January 23, 2015.
^ a b Kondolojy, Amanda (January 15, 2015). "Tuesday Final Ratings: 'Person of Interest' & 'NCIS: New Orleans' Adjusted Up". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on January 17, 2015. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
^ a b Bibel, Sara (January 22, 2015). "Tuesday Final Ratings: 'The Flash' & 'MasterChef Junior' Adjusted Up; 'Parks and Recreation' & 'Supernatural' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on January 23, 2015. Retrieved January 22, 2015.
^ a b Kondolojy, Amanda (January 28, 2015). "Tuesday Final Ratings: 'MasterChef Jr.' & 'Marry Me' Adjusted Up; 'Supernatural' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on January 29, 2015. Retrieved January 28, 2015.
^ Bibel, Sara (February 4, 2015). "Tuesday Final Ratings: 'Supernatural', 'Marry Me', 'The Mindy Project' & 'About A Boy' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on February 5, 2015. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
^ a b Kondolojy, Amanda (February 11, 2015). "Tuesday Final Ratings: 'NCIS', 'The Flash', 'Parks and Recreation', 'NCIS: New Orleans', 'Person of Interest' & 'About a Boy' Adjusted Up". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on February 12, 2015. Retrieved February 11, 2015.
^ a b Bibel, Sara (February 19, 2015). "Tuesday Final Ratings: 'The Flash' & 'NCIS' Adjusted Up; 'Supernatural' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on February 21, 2015. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
^ Berkshire, Geoff (February 24, 2015). "'Parks & Recreation' Finale: Mike Schur on 'Sopranos' Inspirations, Easter Eggs and the White House Question". Variety.com. Retrieved February 26, 2015.
^ Kondolojy, Amanda (February 25, 2015). "Tuesday Final Ratings: 'The Voice' Adjusted Up; 'NCIS', 'NCIS: New Orleans', 'Fresh of the Boat', 'New Girl' & 'TV's Hottest Commercials' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on February 26, 2015. Retrieved February 25, 2015.
^ Retta (August 11, 2014). "Retta Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
^ Ausiello, Michael (August 20, 2014). "Scoop: Parks and Rec Brings Back Megan Mullally, Revives Lost 'Jammy' Plot in Season 7". TVLine. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
^ Iannucci, Rebecca (December 12, 2014). "Parks and Recreation Wraps Filming — See Stars' Photos From the Set!". TVLine. Retrieved December 13, 2014.
^ Barsanti, Sam (December 12, 2014). "NBC Has Officially Killed Its Thursday Night Comedy Block". The A.V. Club. Retrieved May 30, 2022.
^ "Parks and Recreation: Season 7". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
^ Fowler, Matt (February 24, 2015). "Parks and Recreation: "One Last Ride" Review". IGN. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
^ Nussbaum, Emily (February 25, 2015). "We'll Always Have Pawnee". The New Yorker. Retrieved May 30, 2022.
^ Eker-Male, Nathanial (April 17, 2022). "How Parks And Rec Season 7 Nearly Ruined The Show Forever". Screen Rant. Retrieved May 30, 2022.
^ Shipley, Diane (June 18, 2018). "When good TV goes bad: how Parks and Recreation got sickly sweet". The Guardian. Retrieved May 30, 2022.

External links

Official Parks and Recreation website at NBC.com
Parks and Recreation at IMDb