This show is really two shows. Pre season three and post season three.Before season three the show was like the office, the main character is an idiot doing the best they can but failing. The show has very awkward humor and is really funny.Post season three the show becomes very light hearted and goes for more the comedy the show is known for. It's about a smart capable main character who is a bit weird going against a bad system.The show is really good and it can be very funny but the change is jarring and I know people who only like post season three and people who only like preseason three, I think this is also reflected by some reviews. I recommend the characters are awesome.

Contrary to ´Modern Family´, I started watching knowing that the idea of the fake documentary had been ´stolen´ from ´ER´and ´The Office´. I actually watched the first season as I was finding the episodes of ´The Office´was losing in quality. I found the fist season cumbersome and wouldn´t it have been by the writers of ´The office´, I am not sure it would have been brought to a season 2. This being said, I enjoyed seasons 2 to 4 as it became just as funny as ´The Office´or so. However, I lost interest in the scenarios from the departure of 2 of the main characters which was followed by a 3rd one. So I simply did not watch further.

This show will inevitably be compared to the Office, partially because of the similarities, the fact that its by the same producers, and that the show took over for the Office. For those of you that are not going to read this whole thing, here's what you should know................this is a great show that is definitely worth investing your time in, though there are several negative aspects that hold it back from being a true masterpiece. To go into more detail, lets get the cons out of the way. The show during its first season or two feels like it is trying to be the Office. Sure, that is probably natural, and it is certainly a pro that the show shakes that mold and becomes it's own thing. However, if I had to knit-pick, here are my serious complaints with the overall story. First, several characters have problems that I just cannot understand why the writers did not change these aspects over time. Gary/Gerry/Larry, etc is UNFAIRLY bullied the entire show. For a show that uses a lot of progressive ideas, the idea of unnecessarily bullying him is just straight up wrong. Comparisons can be drawn to Toby from the Office, but Gerry is wrongfully mistreated. He's a nice character, and though he can be clumsy he never got his story arc to where he was actually respected. Tom, can be extremely annoying throughout most of the show. Maybe its just not my type of humor, but he is annoying. He evolves and matures over time, and its a wonderful arc, but almost every scene with him in the first 4 or so seasons is unbearable. His friends John Ralfio and his annoying sister are a waste of time. The last bit of complaints is the amount of immature fart jokes. You'd think you were watching some childish Cartoon Network show. Once or twice is fine, but talking about or showing farts is just disgusting and really sad that an adult show would stoop to that level. With that out of the way, let's talk about why I love this show. Like I said before, it becomes its own show as time goes on. Almost all characters change for the better, and the little expanding that happens welcomes fresh faces that add so much to the story. I knew Ron Swanson was an internet fan-favorite, but I never knew how much I would fall in love with Chris, Rob Lowe's character. He is without a doubt the funniest character on the show. He steals almost every scene. Overall, the show has memorable characters, and almost all have their moments to shine, unlike the office. Cameos from famous politicians here and there doesn't hurt either. As the title says, Parks and Rec is better and worse than the Office at the same time. Unlike the office, almost every season is enjoyable. The final season or two of the office was almost unbearable to watch, while Parks and Rec ends on almost a high note. The characters are not as memorable or lovable as the Office's cast, but they still are solid characters. I recommend this show to anyone. It has it's setbacks for sure, and they cannot be overlooked, but this is worth some stretches of binging on Netflix. You will not regret it.

This show brought me so much joy when im down and it took my mind off so much things. I even refuse to watch the last two episodes because i don't want to believe its over. Please bring back this show! we love and miss you guys!