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  • Really Nice…But Doofy


    Still from Parks and Recreation by Paul Drinkwater/NBC Photos.I did not have high hopes for the Amy Poehler mockumentary sitcom Parks and Recreation, which premiered last night, largely due to tepid previews from Nikki Finke and Slate's Troy Patterson among others. In part because my expectations were so low, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the show. In the style of the Office, the show follows a semi-inept manager of an Indiana town's parks department, this one played by the always-adorable Amy Poehler, whose considerable charm could carry even a (more) mediocre show. But Parks and Recreation is even better than mediocre, thanks to its supporting cast of Rashida Jones and Paul Schneider. I have been a fan of the low-key Schneider's since he starred in the sleepy Southern indie All the Real Girls. He is crushworthy as the object of Poehler's affection—he makes you believe that he has a soft spot in his heart for Poehler's yipping "labradoodle" of a bureaucrat (as Troy calls her). But, the show certainly has a lot of room to improve. The pacing was jerky and a few of the jokes went over like a lead balloon. I think the Rashida Jones character described Poehler and the show best when she said, "she's really nice…but doofy." Did anyone else catch the premiere? What did you think?
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