The ensemble and supporting cast features Rashida Jones as Ann Perkins, Aziz Ansari as Tom Haverford, Nick Offerman as Ron Swanson, Aubrey Plaza as April Ludgate, Chris Pratt as Andy Dwyer, Adam Scott as Ben Wyatt, Paul Schneider as Mark Brendanawicz, Rob Lowe as Chris Traeger, Jim O'Heir as Garry "Jerry" Gergich, Retta as Donna Meagle, and Billy Eichner as Craig Middlebrooks.

Local nurse Ann Perkins demands the construction pit beside her house created by an abandoned condo development be filled in after her boyfriend, Andy Dwyer, fell in and broke both legs.

[3] Leslie and her staff, including her assistant Tom Haverford and intern April Ludgate, try encouraging community interest in the pit project, but meet resistance.

The principal cast starting in season one included:[11] Several cast members were introduced or developed after the first season: Numerous actors have made recurring guest appearances throughout the series, including Pamela Reed as Leslie's mother and fellow politician Marlene Griggs-Knope,[22] Ben Schwartz as Tom's fast-talking friend Jean-Ralphio and Jenny Slate as his twin sister Mona-Lisa,[23] Jama Williamson as Tom's ex-wife Wendy,[24] Mo Collins as morning talk show host Joan Callamezzo, Jay Jackson as television broadcaster Perd Hapley,[25] Alison Becker as newspaper reporter Shauna Malwae-Tweep,[26] Darlene Hunt as conservative activist Marcia Langman,[27] and Andy Forrest as Andy's frequent shoeshine customer Kyle.

[31][32] Other such celebrity guests included: Blake Anderson,[33] Fred Armisen,[34] Will Arnett,[35] Kristen Bell,[36] H. Jon Benjamin,[37] Matt Besser,[38] Chris Bosh,[39] Louis C.K.,[40] The Decemberists,[33] Sam Elliott,[41] Will Forte,[42] Ginuwine,[33] Michael Gross,[43] Jon Hamm,[33] Nick Kroll,[38] John Larroquette,[44] Andrew Luck,[45] Letters to Cleo,[33] Natalie Morales,[46] Parker Posey,[47] Kathryn Hahn, Andy Samberg,[31] J. K. Simmons, Roy Hibbert,[48] Detlef Schrempf,[49] Justin Theroux,[44] Wilco,[33] Henry Winkler,[50] Peter Serafinowicz, and Yo La Tengo.

[4] Before the title Parks and Recreation was chosen, the name Public Service was considered, but ultimately rejected because network officials did not want to be accused of mocking the idea.

[74] Poehler departed from the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live, where she was a cast member for nearly seven years, to star in Parks and Recreation as Leslie Knope.

Offerman was originally considered for another role, but NBC felt that he wouldn't fit for a character who would later kiss Jones at some point in the series; he was cast instead as Ron Swanson.

[89][90] Rob Lowe was introduced as Chris Traeger alongside Scott and was originally expected to depart after a string of guest appearances,[91][42] but later signed a multi-year contract to become a regular cast member.

[108] Frequent Parks and Recreation directors include Dean Holland, Randall Einhorn,[109] Troy Miller,[110] and Jason Woliner,[111] with several others guest-directing one or two episodes such as Jeffrey Blitz,[26] Paul Feig,[112] Tucker Gates,[113] Seth Gordon,[22] Nicole Holofcener,[114] Beth McCarthy-Miller,[115] Michael McCullers,[116] and Charles McDougall.

[67][70] Scott Albright, a California city planner, provided direct feedback for the Mark Brendanawicz character,[13] and the inspiration for Ron Swanson's anti-government convictions came from a real-life encounter Schur had in Burbank with a libertarian government official who admitted, "I don't really believe in the mission of my job.

[20] While researching whether such a project could realistically last several months or longer, Schur spoke to urban planners in Claremont, California who said it was entirely plausible because they had recently broken ground on a park that had been in various planning stages for 18 years.

[66] The original script portrayed Leslie and Mark as slightly less likable than they appeared in the final draft, and they were changed to be more appealing in response to feedback the episode received from focus groups and press tour screenings.

[20] Daniels felt due to pre-expectations from viewers familiar with The Office, the first-season episodes were "just about trying to tell people what we weren't", and that the writers had a better understanding of the characters by season two and could better write to their strengths.

Schur explained The Contender was about a female politician trying to succeed amid intense scrutiny in a political arena dominated by men, which is similar to challenges Leslie Knope occasionally encounters.

[10][20] For the romance arc between Leslie and Ben in seasons three and four, The Remains of the Day was used as an inspiration, as a story about two people who are forced not to convey their romantic feelings for each other due to a repressive social system, which Schur compared to modern-day government.

[123] Like The Office, Parks and Recreation was filmed with a single-camera setup in a cinéma vérité style simulating the look of an actual documentary, with no studio audience or laugh track.

This technique was inspired by The Five Obstructions, a 2003 experimental documentary directed by Lars von Trier and Jørgen Leth, which Daniels watched at the suggestion of actor Paul Schneider.

[136][137] NBC chief executive officer Jeff Gaspin said this move was not a reflection on Parks and Recreation, and suggested the extended hiatus would not only have no negative effect on the show, but could actually build anticipation for its return.

[134] The move proved frustrating for the cast and crew of Parks and Recreation,[6][138] although Poehler also pointed out it gave them additional time to go back and re-edit episodes or shoot and add new material.

[151] Parks and Recreation was broadcast in the 8:30 pm timeslot Thursdays on NBC, in the United States, during its first two seasons, as part of the network's Comedy Night Done Right line-up.

[165][166] The pilot episode also served as the first official broadcast of FX sister network, FXX, when it launched on September 2, 2013, followed by an all-day marathon, marking the first time the NBC comedy appeared off-network.

In April 2020, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, NBC announced they would air a new, special episode of the series, centered on Leslie trying to stay connected with the other current and former residents of Pawnee during social distancing.

After the first season ended, she said, "I think it was something we had to work through in the beginning, and I'm kind of hoping we're on the other side of that and people will start to judge the show on its own, for what it is and realize it's just a completely different world in a similar style.

Daniel Carlson of The Hollywood Reporter, who felt the season needed some time to mature, wrote that Poehler was its strongest element and that "she proves instantly she's got the comic intelligence to carry a series like this one".

The show's belief in the power of government to make people's lives better — and, more broadly, in the obligation members of a community (be they friends, family, or, as Ron Swanson once put it, "workplace proximity associates") have to help one another in times of need — made it the standard-bearer for the hopefulness of the Obama era.

[228]The conservative political magazine National Review argues; Even television shows that are legitimately funny, such as NBC's Parks and Recreation, are designed to flatter the sensibilities of those in charge.

In Parks and Rec, self-proclaimed nerds and wonks have adopted liberal bureaucratic functionary and occasional elected official Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) as one of their own.

[240] Michael Schur partially attributed the continually low viewership to a decline in ratings for NBC in general, as well as changing viewer trends due to a large number of available channels.

They included extended episodes for "The Master Plan" and "Freddy Spaghetti", as well as two-and-a-half hours of deleted scenes, a third season preview, and additional video clips.