Parks and Recreation

TV Series (2009–2015)

Table of Contents

Show Trivia

Ron's second ex-wife ("Tammy Two") is played by Megan Mullally, who in her real life is married to Nick Offerman (Ron).The writers didn't know Nick Offerman could already play the saxophone when they made his character, Ron Swanson, a secret saxophone player.Ron Swanson's staunchly anti-government government official was based on a real city planner whom the show's producers met and interviewed when doing research. The planner was a Libertarian who admitted to them, "I don't believe in the mission of my job."Nick Offerman, who plays Ron Swanson, has a woodworking hobby as does his counterpart in the show. He has released an instructional DVD in canoe building and runs a fine woodworking business on the side.Chris Pratt, who plays Andy, was such a good physical comedian that frequently the writers would just write "Andy does something physical" into the script, trusting he would come up with something in the moment.Nick Offerman originally auditioned for the role of Mark Brendanawicz before being cast as Ron Swanson.The character of April has a younger sister named Natalie. This is the name of Aubrey Plaza's real life younger sister, whom she used as a source of inspiration when playing April.Mayfair Games, makers of Settlers of Catan, were contracted to make Ben Wyatt's Cones of Duneshire look like a professional board game. Instead, Mayfair Games made a playable game with a full set of rules. However, it's complex and dense, so it has not been produced for the market. It was played at GenCon 2014 in Indiana, where 33 people paid $100 each for a ticket to play and the Ledgerman position (the scorekeeper who doesn't play) was auctioned off. The event made more than $20,000 for an Indiana food bank.In the episode "London parts 1 & 2" Ben says to Andy "So all you did is stop drinking beer?" and Andy replies "Yea I lost like 50lbs in a month." This is a reference to Chris Pratt's real life weight loss for his role in Guardians of the Galaxy. He actually lost 60lbs.The map of Pawnee is a flipped version of the map of Muncie, Indiana.Jay Jackson, the actor who plays the comically literal Pawnee newscaster Perd Hapley, was for many years an actual print and broadcast journalist and anchor at news outlets in San Diego and Los Angeles. After he retired from journalism in the mid-2000s, through a friend's manager he got a small role as a reporter on a 2007 episode of Dexter. He agreed to allow the manager to send him on other auditions, but only as long as they only were for reporter roles, since that was his professional background, so he ended up also playing reporters on TV shows such as Scandal, Revenge, The Closer, The Mentalist, Body of Proof, and Braindead, as well as in movies such as Battleship and Fast Five.Andy was only supposed to appear as a guest in the first season, but everybody liked Chris Pratt so much he was promoted to series regular for season 2.The character Tom Haverford changed his name from Darwish Sabir Ismael Gani. The actor who plays Tom, Aziz Ansari, chose that as Tom's original name because it is his cousin's name. Ansari also shares with Tom the biographical fact that although his parents were originally from India, he was born and raised in a small town in South Carolina.Jim O'Heir who plays Jerry, originally auditioned for the role of Ron Swanson. The producers liked him so much that they kept him on the show just "to see how it would play out."The series was originally planned as a direct spin-off of The Office (2005). It was later re-designed to be an original workplace story that would keep the "mockumentary" format used for the other series, which P&R executive producers Greg Daniels and Michael Schur had both worked on (Daniels as creator, Schur as a writer and producer).After shooting each scene a few times verbatim, the actors then shot a few more when they improvise to make the scene funnier if possible.The gag reels on the DVDs contain fake commercials, including ones for Tom's Bistro, Rent-a-Swag, Jamm's Orthodontics, and classic Perd episodes.Chris Pratt modelled Andy's singing voice after Eddie Vedder, frontman of the band Pearl Jam, of whom Andy Dwyer is a huge fan.In Amy Poehler's book, "Yes Please" (2014), Amy Poehler writes about her cast mates in a way that Aubrey Plaza describes in an interview as something Leslie Knope would do. Poehler sat them down in a meeting to read about her favourite memories with her cast mates when the show was about to wrap up for its final season.The exterior shots of City Hall is Pasadena City Hall in California.Six of the sixteen episodes of season 3 were filmed along with the 24 episodes of the second season because Amy Poehler was pregnant, so when the show was moved to mid season, the network ordered 10 more to have a complete season to air.Jean-Ralphio was almost one of Leslie's love interests, but the producers felt he was too young.The exterior shot of J.J.'s Diner is actually Landmark Diner on Cheshire Bridge Road in Atlanta, Georgia.The network gave the show an original order of 13 episodes, but Amy Poehler was pregnant, so only 6 episodes were finally produced.The show correctly predicts the winner of the 2016 world series. In season 7 episode 2, taking place in early 2017, Lucy tells Tom and Andy that everyone in Chicago is in a good mood because the Cubs won the series. This episode aired in January 2015 While a guest on "The Diane Rehm Show," Rob Lowe said that when he first interviewed for the role of Chris Traeger, the Parks and Recreation writers told him that they had based their show on Lowe's previous series The West Wing. He said that they told him, "'we're comedy writers. We're going to write a comedy, but what would the comedy version of "The West Wing" look like?' And the answer to them was, it wouldn't be the White House. It would be Parks and Recreation."Octavia Spencer auditioned for the role of Donna Meagle.Nick Offerman (Ron) and Aubrey Plaza (April) share the same birthday, June 26 The rusty "sculpture" in Ron Swanson's office is actually a "Czech Hedgehog," a World War II anti-tank obstacle.The idea for this program originally came from the Parks and Rec staff, specifically the lifeguard staff, in El Segundo, California.In Season 7 Episode 12, one of the children trick or treating at Andy and April's house is wearing a Star Lord costume. Chris Pratt (Andy Dwyer) played the character of Star Lord in Marvel's Guardians of The Galaxy (2014).Amy Poehler and Chris Pratt were named Harvard University's Hasty Pudding Club's Woman and Man of the Year in 2015.For a few episodes in Season 2, Leslie Knope dates a lawyer played by Justin Theroux. In S2E16 "Galentine's Day" costarring Justin, Leslie discusses soul mates in a talking head and says to the camera "Oh Jen[nifer Aniston], I really want you to be happy." Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux were married five years after this episode aired.Ben Schwartz originally auditioned for the role of Dave Sanderson before being later cast in the different role of Jean-Ralphio Saperstein.Series producer Alan Yang (89 episodes) can be seen in several episodes as Mouse Rat's bouncing bassist.The green rectangular object on Ron Swanson's desk is a U.S. military M18A1 "Claymore" anti-personnel mine. It is notable for having the words FRONT TOWARDS ENEMY stamped on the front.Ellie Kemper auditioned for the role of Ann Perkins.The two statues featured in the opening credits are two landmarks on Highway 18 in Montpelier, Indiana, a town located in the East-Central region of the state. The first is the Ice Cream Giant at Tin Lizzy, an ice cream shop just outside the town, and the second is the Muffler Man Indian in the center of town.Co-stars Nick Offerman and Rob Lowe starred together in one episode of The West Wing in 1999.Two out of the three Lonely Island members have had guest apperances in the show (Andy Samberg as a park ranger in season two and Jorma Taccone as a Gryzzle employee in season seven).Thomas Lennon auditioned for the role of Ron Swanson.One of the show's creators, Michael Schur, often appears in the background as an extra.In the episode, "Ron and Tammy," Tammy has a bookcase with nonfiction books, two of which are, "Sperm Suicide" and "World War III."Despite being based in Indiana, the whole show is actually shot in different parts of California.Throughout the series, Ron can be seen sitting at his desk completing crossword puzzles Adam Scott (Ben Wyatt), Kathryn Hahn (Jennifer ), Paul Rudd (Bobby Newport), and Rashida Jones (Anne Perkins) all starred in the movie, Our Idiot Brother (2011), together.Amy Poehler has been pregnant twice during the series' run.Matt Walsh and Mike O'Malley auditioned for the role of Ron Swanson. Walsh would later guest star as Leonard Tchulm and O'Malley would guest star as Bill Butler.Pawnee was founded in 1817, which is likely a reference to the founding of the University of Michigan, located in Ann Arbor, the home town of one of the show's creators Michael Schur. There are also several other references to the city of Ann Arbor throughout the show.Kulap Vilaysack auditioned for the role of April Ludgate and later guest starred as Ulani.Adam Scott (Ben Wyatt) and guest star Kathryn Hahn (Jennifer Barkley) also appear in the same films "Step Brothers" and "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty".Both S2E16 & S6E16 are titled "Galentine's Day".In season 4: episode 19, there's an Easter egg in councilman Pillner's office. To begin the scene, the camera holds on a framed napkin, with "Pillner for Pawnee" written on it. That's a reference to the show the actor of Larry Pillner starred in, The West Wing, in that the president in the series had a napkin framed that read "Bartlet for America."The chairs that Anne and Leslie sit on in Leslie's office at the end of 'Dopplegangers' also appear in the introduction of every episode.The outside footage of Eagleton's city hall in Season 6 Episode 2 (The Pawnee-Eagleton Tip Off Classic) is actually footage of Las Vegas's city hall.Ben is supposed to be one year older than Leslie when in real life Amy is two years older than Adam.The character played by Herny Winkler, the father of Jean-Ralphio and Mona-Lisa Saperstein, is also Ann's ob/gyn. His name (Dr. Saperstein) and profession (obstetrician/gynecologist) are both references to the the doctor (Dr. Sapirstein, played by Ralph Bellamy) in the movie Rosemary's Baby who helps trick Rosemary into giving birth to the devil's child.Along with Nick Offerman (Ron) and Kathryn Hahn (Jennifer), Kevin Dorff (Derek) also appears in 'We're The Millers'.Aubrey Plaza (April) is self-proclaimed as being "50% Puerto Rican."Tatiana Maslany, who plays the doctor Tom fakes an English accent to impress, is Canadian and stars in the show Orphan Black, in which she speaks with an English accent.Stars of the show Aubrey Plaza and Nick Offerman were both born on June 26th. Jason Shwartzman, who guest appears on the show, also shares the birthday.In 2010 the show was nominated for Outstanding Main Title Theme Music at the Emmys. However the nomination was revoked as this was the show's second season and the nominated theme was the same as the one used in season one. Emmy rules dictate that a show's main title theme is only elegible for its first sesson unless it changes (such is the case of Monk which won this award twice for season one and then again for season two, but only because the theme changed). The producers submitted the song for season one when the show got zero nominations and decided to try again the following year and succeeded. Once it was brought to the Academy by an user of Awards site Goldderby, they revoked the nomination and replaced it with Legend of the Seeker.In the Season 4 episode Live Ammo, on Larry Pillner's desk, there is a framed napkin with "Pillner For Pawnee" written on it. This is a reference to The West Wing and Josiah Bartletts "Bartlett For America" framed napkin that Leo McCary wrote. Larry Pillner was played by Bradley Whitford, one of the main characters of The West Wing.After Mark Brendanawicz leaves at the end of season 2 he is never mentioned again. He is also the only ex-series regular not to return for the series finale.Leslie's pregnancy with triplets was foreshadowed in season 2 episode 13, entitled "The Set-Up" when she goes on a date with Will Arnett's character who gives her an MRI scan. He comments on how she has 'a great oven' and said "If you wanted to, you could go triplets right off the bat."In reality, the cast and crew all loved working with Jim O'Heir, who plays Jerry, the office scapegoat. The writers felt so bad about constantly being so mean to his character, and by extension him, that they gave Jerry the picture-perfect home life: three beautiful daughters, a beautiful home, and a happy marriage to his wife Gayle (played by former supermodel Christie Brinkley).Rob Lowe and Rashida Jones left the show on good terms. The decision was mutual among them and the showrunners as their departure made sense for the characters and allowed the actors to move on to other projects. Jones, in particular, wanted to focus more on writing.Originally show creators Greg Daniels and Michael Schur were going to have Leslie date a lot of different men through the course of the show. However, after Leslie and Ben became a couple, they felt so guilty about the prospect of breaking them up that they had them get married instead.Paul Schneider claims that his character changed a lot from season 1 to season 2, so he wasn't surprised when Mark was written out at the end of season 2.In an interview with the cast, Amy Poehler (Leslie Knope) said she wished Bill Murray would play the mayor of Pawnee. Bill Murray made an appearance as the mayor in episode 11 of season 7 which was titled "Two Funerals".In a season 7 episode, Tom's future wife Lucy, makes a comment about how the people in Chicago are friendlier now that the Cubs had won the series. Though the episode aired in 2014, it had the 3 year time jump, correctly predicting the Cubs 2016 series win.Ron Swanson has three brothers, named Don, Lon and Vaughan Swanson.Donna and Tom were the only characters in the show to have a proper wedding on the set date and all according to plan.Andy's son is named Jack, the same name as Chris Pratt's real son Jack Pratt.If you watch the Pilot Episode and S4:E20 "The Debate", the camera angle and the way it follows Leslie as she walks out on stage are exactly alike, ingeniously tying together the critically emotional moments of her very first Town Hall meeting and her growth, maturing and confidence as a woman and politician as she gets ready to debate Bobby Newport for her soon-to-be-but-almost-not-but-then-yes-again City Council seat.In a season two episode, Tom expressed a desire to open a business called Tom's Bistro. At the end of season six, Tom opens a restaurant called Tom's Bistro.None of the main female characters fully took their husband's last name when they got married. But April had her name legally hyphenated to Ludgate-Dwyer after their wedding. In turn, all of their children had hyphenated names.Jerry, played by Jim O'Heir, gets a trip to his favorite city in Indiana, which is Muncie. The Pawnee map is just a flipped map of Muncie.In the episode "Sweetums", Nick Newport Jr. is shown. He is not mentioned again through the remainder of the series. When Nick Newport Sr.'s son runs for city council against Leslie, his name is Bobby Newport. Nick Sr. and his wife also are in the show several times with no mention of Nick Jr.In season two, Leslie goes on a date with Will Arnett. He gives her an MRI and tells her she has a nice uterus and could "go triplets right off the bat." That's what in fact happens when Ben and Leslie finally have children.Donna and Joe are the only ones to have a traditional wedding. April and Andy have a surprise wedding at their house, Leslie and Ben have a spontaneous wedding at city hall, and Ron and Diane elope when they discover she's pregnant.In the season 6 finale, Moving Up, Joan Calamezzo shows up at Tom's Bistro for the Unity Concert after party and tells Tom that she would like a "Joan", which consists of "a tumbler of gin with crushed aspirin sprinkled around the rim." Seconds later, she can be seen standing in the restaurant with a glass that has a small, white and rocky substance around the rim, which can only be assumed to be the aspirin she's talking about.In the season 4 premiere, Leslie is wary of running for city council so Ben gives her a rectangular box containing a "Knope 2012" button telling her to follow her dream. This is the same as in the season 4 finale when Ben is wary of going to Washington and Leslie gives him a rectangular box with the Washington Monument inside telling him to go. This is cleverly tying together their individual times in the spotlight.In season 2 episode 17, Ron is made "Woman of the Year" by a women's equality publication, giving him credit for Leslie Knope's success with the "Athena Project". Ron mistakenly calls the project the "Xena Project". Later in season 5 episode 3, Ron meets a Pawnee resident, Diane, while fixing a pothole in front of her house. They will date and eventually marry. Diane is played by the actress, Lucy Lawless, famous for her role as Xena, Warrior Princess from 1995 to 2001.In the series finale, during the flash-forward scene with Andy and April; when Andy answers the door for the trick-or-treaters, the child on Andy's left is dressed as Marvel's Star Lord, a character Chris Pratt plays in Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy (2014).

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