Knope 2012!

This is a post I’ve wanted to write for some time now, but I've been waiting to do it until we were closer to the big City Council election that this entire season of Parks & Rec has been leading up to.  Now that we’re just about at the big event, it’s a good time to take a step back and explore what a “Councilwoman Knope” might mean for one of the most consistently funny and all around best shows on TV.  Naturally, we’re all rooting emotionally for Leslie to triumph over the likable but massively unqualified Bobby Newport, portrayed so perfectly by Paul Rudd.  Over the last four years Amy Poehler has won us all over with her well meaning, always optimistic, waffle loving public servant, so of course we want to see her accomplish what she’s worked so hard to achieve.  But, just because a Knope victory is clearly the best thing for the town of Pawnee, Indiana, does that necessary mean that it will it be the best thing for Parks & Rec, in season 5 and beyond?

Change is a dangerous thing for any TV show, especially a half an hour sitcom.  Even the name itself, “situational comedy”, implies that the humor comes from the situation, which is why we don’t often see that situation drastically altered.  On occasion, when a comedy’s been on the air forever and starting to get stale, shaking things up can be preferable to more of the same, but for a show like Parks & Rec, which is in its prime and consistently firing on all cylinders, it’s easy to wonder why even consider changing anything at all.  And yet, stagnancy just isn’t in Parks & Rec’s DNA.  Hell, anyone who has ever recommended Parks & Rec to a friend has had this exact conversation: “the show is great, but its first season kinda sucks, so either just skip it, or don’t judge it until you get into the second season.”  The show could have stuck to its guns after that first season, and continued along the same mediocre or sucky path, which probably would have lead to cancellation after another season or so.  But, Parks & Rec recognized what worked and what didn’t, and made the changes it needed to, mixing up the cast, tweaking the characters, and developing the relationships that worked best.  Even when things have been going well for the show, Parks & Rec has been no stranger to change.  We’ve seen characters, like April and Andy, who were perfectly funny as as they were, if not somewhat one dimensional, begin to grow into more fully developed human beings, and the show has been better for it. We’ve seen Ben go from Leslie’s uptight boss, to nerdy co-worker, to now supportive boyfriend and campaign manager.  Rob Lowe’s eternally optimistic Chris Traiger has always very carefully toed the line between hilarious and grating, without ever stepping over it.  His character works, and the show could have easily had him continue to play that one-note until that line was finally one day crossed, but instead has challenged that eternal optimism with a series of disappointments that have helped keep the character fresh and interesting.

Even with all that, removing Leslie, even on a part time basis, from the Parks & Rec department, would be by far the biggest change that this show has taken on.  The Parks & Rec department is the center of this show.  It's the common thread that weaves all the characters together, and it's generally been our window through which we view the rest of Pawnee.  Sure, this season, for the most part, has successfully taken the focus away from the department and put it on the campaign, but it’s only for one season, and by having the Parks & Rec employees also serve as Leslie's campaign staff, it's seamlessly been able to incorporate the rest of the cast.  In contrast, the implications of a long term shift away from the Parks and Rec department, and more towards the operations of elected local government, threaten the very nature of the show itself.  Or you know what, maybe it doesn’t.  Despite what Ron Swanson would have you believe, the show is not as much about the Parks and Rec department as it is about the good things that government can accomplish when good people set out with good intentions.  If the show can find a way to keep the rest of the cast engaged in interesting and funny ways, a shift to Leslie Knope’s trials and tribulations as a member of the Pawnee City Council may be the perfect way to raise this theme to the next level, and to continue to explore it in ways that don’t involve parks and public drinking fountains.  I’m certainly not sold, but considering this show’s track record, if Leslie comes out victorious, I’m prepared to go into season 5 optimistic and with an open mind.

Knope 2012!