The second season of Parks and Recreation originally aired in the United States on the NBC television network starting September 17, 2009, and ended on May 20, 2010.

Like the first season, it focuses on Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) and her staff on the parks and recreation department of the fictional Indiana town of Pawnee.

The season stars Amy Poehler, Rashida Jones, Paul Schneider, Aziz Ansari, Nick Offerman, Aubrey Plaza, and Chris Pratt.

It also featured guest appearances by Louis C.K., Megan Mullally, Fred Armisen, Will Arnett, Justin Theroux and John Larroquette.

Nevertheless, Parks and Recreation continued to struggle in the Nielsen ratings and averaged about 4.68 million household viewers per week, lower than Thursday night NBC shows Community, 30 Rock, and The Office.

[27] Tucker Cawley, who had been a consulting producer during first season of Parks and Recreation, did not return and instead created the short-lived ABC sitcom Hank, starring Kelsey Grammer.

[32] All principal cast members from the first season returned for the second, including Amy Poehler, Rashida Jones, Aziz Ansari, Nick Offerman, Aubrey Plaza and Paul Schneider.

[38] Rob Lowe and Adam Scott joined the Parks and Recreation cast starting in the penultimate second-season episode, "The Master Plan".

Jama Williamson continued her recurring role as Wendy, Tom Haverford's ex-wife who becomes a romantic interest for Ron Swanson.

[48][49] Mo Collins and Jay Jackson made repeated appearances as Pawnee journalists Joan Callamezzo and Perd Hapley.

[48] The second season also included several prominent guest appearances, something that distinguished Parks and Recreation from Greg Daniels' other comedy series, The Office.

[55][56] Schur said Mullally's appearance was well received and not overly distracting to viewers, which made the Parks and Recreation producers feel more comfortable about using future guest actors.

[57] Paul Scheer, who appeared in the MTV sketch comedy show Human Giant with Aziz Ansari, played a charity leader in "Kaboom".

[64] Michael Gross, best known for his role as Steven Keaton from Family Ties, appeared in "Summer Catalog" as a former parks department director who loves marijuana.

[46][72] Likewise, "The Stakeout" included a parody of the arrest of Henry Louis Gates, a black Harvard University professor who was arrested after police mistakenly thought he was breaking into his own home in Cambridge, Massachusetts,[71] and a sex scandal involving a Pawnee councilman in "Practice Date" mirrored the real-life 2009 scandal of South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford, who publicly admitted to a long-term extramarital affair with an Argentinian woman.

[46][74] Schur said while the pit project was originally conceived as a device to bring all the characters together working toward a common goal, and it was expected to only become a park during the series finale.

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 effect on the show's momentum, but could actually build anticipation for its eventual return.

[81][82] There's something really special about watching a show — particularly one you've been rooting for — begin to come together, learn from its mistakes, and grow into a formidable and wholly satisfying half hour of television.

[88] Time magazine writer James Poniewozik included Parks and Recreation in his list of the 10 best television shows of 2009,[94] and IGN declared it the best comedy series of 2009.

[26] Commentators said the supporting cast was now working with better material and that Poehler's character had improved and become less over-the-top and more human than in the first season,[nb 3] and more distinct from Michael Scott.

[101] Several reviewers praised the decision to drop season one subplots that risked becoming stale, like whether Andy and Ann would keep dating, and Leslie's long-standing crush on Mark.

[nb 4] Jonah Weiner of Slate magazine declared Swanson "Parks and Recreation's secret weapon" and "vital to the show's improvement".

[114][115] This marked Poehler's third Primetime Emmy nomination, having previously received twice for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series during her time on Saturday Night Live.