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| Why we’ll never see another show like ‘Parks and Recreation’ again | Why we’ll never see another show like ‘Parks and Recreation’ again |
| (about 17 hours later) | |
| “Parks and Recreation” ends for good on NBC Tuesday night. It’s unfortunate for any fan of the sunny comedy, which seamlessly blended hilarity with deft political commentary. | “Parks and Recreation” ends for good on NBC Tuesday night. It’s unfortunate for any fan of the sunny comedy, which seamlessly blended hilarity with deft political commentary. |
| Adding to the sadness? The fact that when you really think about it, we’re never going to see a show like “Parks and Recreation” again. Because a show just like it won’t be given the chance to survive. | Adding to the sadness? The fact that when you really think about it, we’re never going to see a show like “Parks and Recreation” again. Because a show just like it won’t be given the chance to survive. |
| ["Parks and Recreation" series finale: The wildly optimistic show stays true to its roots] | |
| For all its wonderful attributes (the great cast, the sharp writing, the inside jokes, the mini horse) the series also had the unfortunate distinction of being a Low-Rated Critically-Acclaimed Comedy on Network TV. And that is a model that is essentially extinct. | For all its wonderful attributes (the great cast, the sharp writing, the inside jokes, the mini horse) the series also had the unfortunate distinction of being a Low-Rated Critically-Acclaimed Comedy on Network TV. And that is a model that is essentially extinct. |
| As many have pointed out, “Parks and Rec” has already had a fairly incredible journey, lasting seven seasons on broadcast television while averaging just 4.5 million viewers a week. Even though TV ratings have dropped across the board in recent years — for comparison’s sake, this week’s most-watched comedy “Modern Family,” got about 10 million viewers — that’s still incredibly low. Yet, NBC let it last. | As many have pointed out, “Parks and Rec” has already had a fairly incredible journey, lasting seven seasons on broadcast television while averaging just 4.5 million viewers a week. Even though TV ratings have dropped across the board in recent years — for comparison’s sake, this week’s most-watched comedy “Modern Family,” got about 10 million viewers — that’s still incredibly low. Yet, NBC let it last. |
| There are multiple solid reasons for the show’s endurance, from the critical love to NBC’s, um, lack of other options on its comedy slate. Over at Vulture, Joe Adalian has an excellent, thorough breakdown of why the network kept renewing the series despite the ratings (the show attracted younger viewers, NBC wanted to keep its relationship with Amy Poehler, etc.). It’s a model that worked for NBC previously, especially with shows like “The Office” and “30 Rock,” which cleaned up at award shows. | There are multiple solid reasons for the show’s endurance, from the critical love to NBC’s, um, lack of other options on its comedy slate. Over at Vulture, Joe Adalian has an excellent, thorough breakdown of why the network kept renewing the series despite the ratings (the show attracted younger viewers, NBC wanted to keep its relationship with Amy Poehler, etc.). It’s a model that worked for NBC previously, especially with shows like “The Office” and “30 Rock,” which cleaned up at award shows. |
| [RELATED: We found the real Ron Swanson, and he's just like the one on TV] | |
| But these days that seems like an increasingly unlikely outcome for a show on broadcast TV. (Attention cable networks: Please try your best.) Sitcoms like ABC’s “Happy Endings” and “Trophy Wife” were adored by critics but quickly axed before being able to reach their full potential. NBC’s famed Thursday night comedy block is nonexistent. There’s no better example than the current (nonexistent) state of the network sitcom than “The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt,” a Tina Fey-produced comedy ordered and then scrapped by NBC once the network realized that it had little chance of surviving in the current TV climate. Netflix scooped it up, and that’s where it will stay for at least two seasons — it’s already been renewed before its March premiere date. | But these days that seems like an increasingly unlikely outcome for a show on broadcast TV. (Attention cable networks: Please try your best.) Sitcoms like ABC’s “Happy Endings” and “Trophy Wife” were adored by critics but quickly axed before being able to reach their full potential. NBC’s famed Thursday night comedy block is nonexistent. There’s no better example than the current (nonexistent) state of the network sitcom than “The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt,” a Tina Fey-produced comedy ordered and then scrapped by NBC once the network realized that it had little chance of surviving in the current TV climate. Netflix scooped it up, and that’s where it will stay for at least two seasons — it’s already been renewed before its March premiere date. |
| [RELATED: From Amy Poehler to Retta to Chris Pratt, 'Parks and Recreation' has boosted cast's careers] | [RELATED: From Amy Poehler to Retta to Chris Pratt, 'Parks and Recreation' has boosted cast's careers] |
| You’re not going to find that anywhere else. At the moment, the most likely wacky-but-intelligent network sitcom successors are shows like Fox’s “The Mindy Project” and “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” (coincidentally, “Brooklyn” is from the “Parks and Rec” producers). While both have found niche audiences, neither have the same rabid cult fanbase as the “Parks and Rec” crowd, which creates GIF after GIF of Ron Swanson’s drunk dance moves and Tom Haverford’s catch phrases. And it’s unlikely they’ll last seven seasons. | You’re not going to find that anywhere else. At the moment, the most likely wacky-but-intelligent network sitcom successors are shows like Fox’s “The Mindy Project” and “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” (coincidentally, “Brooklyn” is from the “Parks and Rec” producers). While both have found niche audiences, neither have the same rabid cult fanbase as the “Parks and Rec” crowd, which creates GIF after GIF of Ron Swanson’s drunk dance moves and Tom Haverford’s catch phrases. And it’s unlikely they’ll last seven seasons. |
| In the end, Tina Fey summed it up well in her book “Bossypants” when she discussed the improbable success of “30 Rock”: No one in TV ever really sets out to make a tiny cult favorite show. | In the end, Tina Fey summed it up well in her book “Bossypants” when she discussed the improbable success of “30 Rock”: No one in TV ever really sets out to make a tiny cult favorite show. |
| “There is one other embarrassing secret I must reveal, something I have never admitted to anyone,” she wrote. “Though we are grateful for the affection ’30 Rock’ has received from critics and hipsters, we were actually trying to make a hit show.” | “There is one other embarrassing secret I must reveal, something I have never admitted to anyone,” she wrote. “Though we are grateful for the affection ’30 Rock’ has received from critics and hipsters, we were actually trying to make a hit show.” |
| But as “Parks and Recreation” proves, sometimes the non-hit TV shows are the ones that resonate the most. And it’s a shame that these kind of series will eventually cease to exist on the biggest stage. | But as “Parks and Recreation” proves, sometimes the non-hit TV shows are the ones that resonate the most. And it’s a shame that these kind of series will eventually cease to exist on the biggest stage. |
| [RELATED: Why real-life pols love 'Parks and Recreation'] | [RELATED: Why real-life pols love 'Parks and Recreation'] |
| READ MORE: | READ MORE: |
| Hillary Clinton won’t be on “Parks and Rec” finale — because she’s a presidential candidate? | Hillary Clinton won’t be on “Parks and Rec” finale — because she’s a presidential candidate? |
| Goodbye to Pawnee | Goodbye to Pawnee |
| Harris Wittels, ‘Parks and Recreation’ executive producer, dies at 30 | Harris Wittels, ‘Parks and Recreation’ executive producer, dies at 30 |