Parks and Recreation

Season 1

Pilot

1. The original pilot received mixed responses from focus group screenings, leading to parts being rewritten and new scenes shot in order to make Leslie and Mark more likable. Originally, Mark was interested in Ann and asked Ron to green-light the park project purely so he could pursue her romantically. This was rewritten so Mark asks for Ron to help Leslie because he genuinely thought she deserved to succeed.
2. Aziz Ansari improvised some of his dialogue during the pilot, including his awkward flirtation with Ann during the community forum and the things Leslie has done while drunk.
3. Ron originally had a poster of Indiana basketball coaching legend Bobby Knight in his office, but it had to be removed for legal reasons.
4. In a deleted scene, Tom explains that the autographed photo of Larry Bird on Leslie's desk (in which her name is misspelled "Lesly") was faked by him, as part of a long-running prank in which Leslie believes Tom and Larry Bird have lunch once a month.

Canvassing

1. The only episode of the entire series not to feature Jim O'Heir.
2. Andy (Chris Pratt) and Lawrence (Eric Edelstein) play neighbors at odds in this episode. The two would later go on to work together in Jurassic World (2015). Pratt plays Owen and Edelstein plays Paddock Supervisor.
3. The game that Mark, Andy and April are playing when Anne and Leslie walk in on them (when they're supposed to be canvassing) is Rock Band 2, as evidenced by the song 'My own worst enemy' by Lit.
4. Originally third in the broadcast order, "Canvassing" was swapped with Parks and Recreation: The Reporter (2009).
5. Aziz Ansari improvised much of his dialogue, including the scene in which he is on the phone hinting at bribes to gain support for the park project. The producers were initially worried this would make his character unlikable with the viewers, but the opposite happened as audiences felt this was an accurate portrayal of a typical government office.
6. The idea for this episode came from research into local municipal governments, when the writers found that residents who are supportive or neutral about projects do not bother to attend meetings, but the people who are against something always do.

The Reporter

Boys' Club

1. In the courtyard, the "boys' club" is seen drinking Upland Dragonfly IPA. Upland Brewing Company is a popular Bloomington, Indiana, brewery and brewpub, and it distributes several varieties of beer all across the state.
2. Retta's first episode in which she speaks.

The Banquet

1. Ron Swanson's nickname fore Leslie Knope's mother, Marlene Griggs-Knope, is The Iron Cock-Shredder of Pawnee. The name is bleeped out but you can read Ron's lips.
2. Well before April and Andy get together, April can be seen in a blurry background giving a look of disdain to Anne as she leaves the banquet on the phone to Andy.

Rock Show

1. Chris Pratt does his own singing and guitar playing. He also wrote the song "Ann" for the finale of the first season.
2. In order to spend more time over his directorial debut on this episode, Michael Schur was forced to pull out of a guest appearance in the Office season finale 'company picnic'. His recurring character of Mose was replaced, in that episode, by a nearly identical character, called Rolf.
3. It is revealed from the photo he shows that Leslie's date is the father of Lawrence, the neighbor who torments Andy.
4. In the episode "Rock Show," Andy's band Mouse Rat was supposed to pretend to play and sing to pre-recorded songs. While playing the scene live for DVD extras, the crew decided the jam band sound worked well, so the songs in the episode are performed live.
5. Several of Mouse Rat's songs were written by Mark Rivers, who plays the band's drummer.
6. Is the highest rated episode of the season
7. April speaks to Andy for the first time in this episode. The line she says is "I totally get what you mean."