Parks and Recreation season 7 explained

Season Number:	7
Bgcolour:	2AA0DF
Showrunner:	Michael Schur
Num Episodes:	13
Network:	NBC
Next Season:	"A Parks and Recreation Special"
Episode List:	List of Parks and Recreation episodes

The seventh and final season of Parks and Recreation aired in the United States on the NBC television network from January 13, 2015, until February 24, 2015.^[1] The season consisted of 13 episodes.^[2] It stars Amy Poehler, Aziz Ansari, Nick Offerman, Aubrey Plaza, Chris Pratt, Adam Scott, Jim O'Heir, and Retta, with a supporting performance from Billy Eichner.

This season differs from any other season of Parks and Recreation, in that it details a much larger story arc for the characters, showcasing their growth over the course of the show. Set in 2017, three years after the events of Season 6, the season includes Leslie Knope's (Amy Poehler) new career as Regional Director of the National Park Service, in addition to her two-year-long fallout with former boss Ron Swanson (Nick Offerman). Also included is the rise of fictional tech company Gryzzl taking over Pawnee, Leslie's plea to Sweetums for a Pawnee National Park, and the eventual career departures of the gang from the Parks department.

Cast

Main

• Amy Poehler as Leslie Knope, a passionate government employee who loves her home town. She has not let politics dampen her optimism; her ultimate goal is to become President of the United States.^[3] 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.^{[4] [5]} It was only after she was cast that Daniels and Schur established the general concept of the show and the script for the pilot was written.^[6]
• Aziz Ansari as Tom Haverford, Leslie's former sarcastic and underachieving subordinate,^[7] who has left his city hall job to pursue his own entrepreneurial interests.^[8] Daniels and Schur had intended to cast Ansari from the earliest stages of the development of Parks and Recreation.^[9]
• Nick Offerman as Ron Swanson, the former parks and recreation director who, as a libertarian, believes in as small a government as possible. As such, Ron strives to make his department as ineffective as possible, and favors hiring employees who do not care about their jobs or are poor at them. Nevertheless, Ron consistently demonstrates that he secretly cares deeply about his co-workers.^[10]
• Aubrey Plaza as April Ludgate-Dwyer, a cynical and uninterested former parks department intern who now works for Leslie at the National Parks Department.^[11] The role was written specifically for Plaza; after meeting her, casting director Allison Jones told Schur, "I just met the weirdest girl I've ever met in my life. You have to meet her and put her on your show."
• Chris Pratt as Andy Dwyer, a goofy, dim-witted but lovable slacker. Pratt was originally intended to be a guest star and the character Andy was initially meant to appear only in the first season, but the producers liked Pratt so much that, almost immediately after casting him, they decided to make him a regular cast member starting with season two.^[12]
• Adam Scott as Ben Wyatt, a brilliant but socially awkward government official trying to redeem his past as a failed mayor in his youth.^[13] Scott left his starring role on the Starz comedy series Party Down to join the show.^[14]
• Jim O'Heir as Garry Gergich, a sweet-natured but painfully incompetent longtime city employee who is the main target of the office's petty unkindness, yet enjoys his life as the husband of a gorgeous woman and the father of three beautiful daughters. He reached retirement with a full pension in season 5, but returned to the Parks office to work as an intern. As of season six, the other characters have taken to calling him "Larry Gengurch," after he accidentally called himself that name. In a flashforward at the end of the season 6 finale, he is now called Terry. By the end of the season 7 episode "Donna & Joe", his friends finally call him by his real name Garry, thanks to Donna.
• Retta as Donna Meagle, the confident and competent former office manager for the Pawnee Parks and Recreation Department. She is now accepting of her former coworkers, previously dismissing them as boring. She currently works as a real estate agent. She has little tolerance for stupidity, can sometimes be selfish, enjoys casual dating, and is irresistible to many men. Donna loves her car, a Mercedes-Benz M-Class SUV.

Starring

• Billy Eichner as Craig Middlebrooks, the hot-tempered director of the Pawnee parks department. After appearing in numerous episodes throughout the sixth season, Eichner was promoted from a recurring role to a starring role in the cast, beginning with "Leslie & Ron," the fourth episode of season seven.

Recurring

• Natalie Morales as Lucy, Tom's ex-girlfriend and bartender at The Snakehole Lounge. She is later hired to manage Tom's Bistro.^[15]
• Megan Mullally as Tammy Swanson (also known as "Tammy Two"), a librarian and Ron's sex-crazed ex-wife.
• Ben Schwartz as Jean-Ralphio, Tom's best friend and frequent business associate.^[15]
• Mo Collins as Joan Callamezzo, a Pawnee talk show host known for her ludicrous behavior and time on the show Pawnee Today.
• Jay Jackson as Perd Hapley, a popular Pawnee television journalist and the host of news programs Ya Heard? With Perd! and The Final Word with Perd!.
• Jon Glaser as Jeremy Jamm, a Pawnee councilman and Leslie's long time arch-rival.
• Susan Yeagley as Jessica Newport, former Miss Pawnee 1994 & CEO of the Sweetums Corporation.
• Jenny Slate as Mona-Lisa Saperstein, Tom's crazy ex-girlfriend and Jean-Ralphio's sister.
• Marc Evan Jackson as Trevor Nelsson, a lawyer who provides legal assistance for the Newport Family.
• Jonathan Joss as Ken Hotate, leader of the Wamapoke people and owner of the Wamapoke casino in Pawnee.
• Blake Anderson as Mike Bean, CEO of tech-company "Gryzzl".
• Jorma Taccone as Roscoe Santangelo, vice-president of Cool New Shiz at tech-company "Gryzzl".
• Kathryn Hahn as Jennifer Barkley, a blunt, supercharged political consultant who was Bobby Newport's campaign manager when he was running against Leslie.^[16]
• Henry Winkler as Dr. Saperstein, a local gynecologist and the wealthy father of Jean-Ralphio and Mona Lisa.
• Helen Slayton-Hughes as Ethel Beavers, an elderly Pawnee government worker who publicly reveals her 46-year affair with Mayor Gunderson.
• Keegan-Michael Key as Joe, a school principal and Donna's husband.

Guest stars

• Rashida Jones as Ann Perkins, a nurse who gradually becomes more involved in Pawnee government through her friendship with Leslie. She is also Chris' girlfriend and mother to Oliver and Leslie.
• Rob Lowe as Chris Traeger, an excessively positive and extremely health-conscious government official. He is also Ann's boyfriend and father to their children Oliver and Leslie.
• Werner Herzog as Keg Jeggings, the owner of a creepy house April and Andy purchase.^[17]
• Dax Shepard as Hank Muntak, station manager at Pawnee Community Access, the public television network that broadcasts the "Johnny Karate" television show
• Peter Serafinowicz as Lord Edgar Covington, Andy's former employer
• Sam Elliott as Ron Dunn, the former head of the Eagleton parks department.
• Josh Groban as himself
• Questlove as Levondrious Meagle, Donna's estranged younger brother.
• Ginuwine as a fictionalized version of himself as Donna's cousin.
• Barbara Boxer as herself
• Kirsten Gillibrand as herself
• John McCain as himself
• Cory Booker as himself
• Orrin Hatch as himself
• Madeleine Albright as herself
• John Cena as himself, one of the guests on the final episode of Andy's show.
• Paul Rudd as Bobby Newport, a dimwitted multimillionaire heir of the Sweetums Candy Company fortune, and former candidate for city council running against Leslie.
• Bill Murray as Walter Gunderson, mayor of Pawnee
• Jon Hamm as Ed, a former incompetent employee of the National Park Service.
• Kevin Symons as Bill Dexhart, a Pawnee councilman who is a self described pervert.
• Yvans Jourdain as Councilman Douglass Howser, a Pawnee councilman who is the leader of the council.
• Joe Biden as himself
• Jill Biden as herself

Episodes

See also: List of Parks and Recreation episodes. denotes an extended episode. denotes an hour-long episode.

Production

All 13 episodes were aired in seven weeks by airing two each week, back-to-back (with the exception of one week).^[1] Production began on August 11, 2014,^{[18] [19]} and ended on December 12, 2014.^[20] Although the program initially premiered in NBC's Must See TV Thursday night block, the final episodes were moved to Tuesdays, possibly in an attempt to compete with ABC's dramas.^[21]

Reception

The seventh season of Parks and Recreation largely received positive praise from critics. Rotten Tomatoes gave the season an 89% rating based on 27 critic reviews. The critical consensus reads: "Parks and Recreations closing chapter deftly incorporates time-skip gags into the everyday bureaucracy of Pawnee, all while delivering a moving farewell to a cast of characters audiences have grown to love like family."^[22]

IGN reviewer Matt Fowler gave the series finale a perfect 10 out of 10 score, saying "Doing what the show does best, Parks knocked it clear out of the park with "One Last Ride." A remarkably irresistible swirl of love and satire. The writers knew it wasn't enough to just send everyone off into the future. They knew we needed to see that future. Not just for peace of mind, but because we've all become so lovingly invested in the characters. This final season proved to us that we could withstand a time jump and still remain attached to everyone. And this finale used that to hop through the Pawnee gang's futures, creating an exciting, heartwarming journey."^[23]

The New Yorkers Emily Nussbaum contended that the series finale invoked "few laughs",^[24] and Screen Rants Nathanial Eker-Male called the season "jarring and distracting".^[25] The Guardian critic Diane Shipley claimed that the season "jumped the shark".^[26]

Accolades

The seventh season of Parks and Recreation was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series and Amy Poehler received her sixth Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for her performance in the series finale, "One Last Ride".

External links

• at NBC.com

Notes and References

1. Web site: 'Parks and Recreation' Final Season to Premiere Tuesday, January 13th. https://web.archive.org/web/20141203195019/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2014/12/01/parks-and-recreation-final-season-to-premiere-tuesday-january-13th/334282/. dead. December 3, 2014. Kondolojy. Amanda. TV by the Numbers. December 1, 2014. December 2, 2014.
2. Web site: NBC Reveals Episode Number For Parks and Recreation's Final Season. Goldman. Eric. IGN. May 12, 2014. May 12, 2014.
3. News: Dawidziak . Mark . 'Parks and Recreation': New NBC comedy is uneven but promising . . April 7, 2009 . June 17, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121014185628/http://www.cleveland.com/tv/index.ssf/2009/04/parks_and_recreation_new_nbc_c.html . October 14, 2012 . dead .
4. News: Stasi . Linda . Raiders of the Lost 'Park': Amy Poehler quit "SNL" for "Parks and Recreation" . . April 9, 2009 . April 11, 2009 . https://archive.today/20240525022556/https://www.webcitation.org/5uFT48U0y?url=http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/tv/item_umJh87f8R6ECABbfNzupNP;jsessionid=E4F5B3A81760222D3DE01C71511C42BC . May 25, 2024 . dead .
5. News: Grossberg . Josh . Amy Poehler Moves Up SNL Exit . . September 16, 2008 . June 15, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110327182012/http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/b29224_amy_poehler_moves_up_snl_exit.html . March 27, 2011 . dead .
6. News: Itzkoff . Dave . It's Not 'The Office.' The Boss Is a Woman. . . March 26, 2009 . April 11, 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120511091316/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/29/arts/television/29dave.html . May 11, 2012 . dead .
7. News: Tobias . Scott . . Parks and Recreation: Season 1: Episode 3: "The Reporter" . April 23, 2009 . April 26, 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20101124085823/http://www.avclub.com/articles/the-reporter,27100/ . November 24, 2010 . dead .
8. Snierson . Dan . 'Parks and Recreation' co-creator Mike Schur gives 10 hints about tonight's season finale . . May 19, 2011 . June 17, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110619061103/http://insidetv.ew.com/2011/05/19/parks-recreation-mike-schur-leslie-knope-season-finale/ . June 19, 2011 . dead .
9. News: Sepinwall . Alan . Alan Sepinwall . Sepinwall on TV: Leno undercover, 'Office' non-spin-off . . July 21, 2008 . June 17, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20111011192139/http://www.nj.com/entertainment/tv/index.ssf/2008/07/sepinwall_on_tv_leno_undercove.html . October 11, 2011 . dead .
10. Snierson . Dan . 'Parks and Recreation' scoop: Amy Poehler and co-creator Mike Schur dish on Leslie's big gamble, romantic possibilities, and tonight's episode 'The Flu' . . January 27, 2011 . January 29, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110509213853/http://insidetv.ew.com/2011/01/27/parks-and-recreation-amy-poehler-the-flu/ . May 9, 2011 . dead .
11. News: Sepinwall . Alan . Alan Sepinwall . Parks and Recreation, "The Set Up": Will Arnett dates Leslie . . January 15, 2010 . January 17, 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110405071556/http://www.nj.com/entertainment/tv/index.ssf/2010/01/parks_and_recreation_the_set_u.html . April 5, 2011 . dead .
12. News: Sepinwall . Alan . Alan Sepinwall . Parks and Recreation: Interviewing co-creator Mike Schur . . September 17, 2009 . January 1, 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100819084231/http://www.nj.com/entertainment/tv/index.ssf/2009/09/parks_and_recreation_interview.html . August 19, 2010 . dead .
13. News: Meslow . Scott . 'Parks and Recreation': (Awkward) Love Is in the Air . . February 18, 2011 . June 18, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110912010045/http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2011/02/parks-and-recreation-awkward-love-is-in-the-air/71261/ . September 12, 2011 . dead .
14. News: Martin . Denise . 'Party Down' star Adam Scott joins the cast of NBC's 'Parks and Recreation'; plus, more details on Rob Lowe . . March 4, 2010 . March 15, 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110207040207/http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/showtracker/2010/03/party-down-star-adam-scott-joins-the-cast-of-nbcs-parks-and-recreation.html . February 7, 2011 . dead .
15. News: Hayner . Chris . All the 'Parks and Recreation' characters returning for the Final Season . . December 30, 2014 . December 30, 2014.
16. Kathryn Hahn returning to 'Parks and Recreation'. Entertainment Weekly. Dan. Snierson. January 14, 2015. October 10, 2018.
17. Web site: Watch Werner Herzog's Cameo on Last Night's Parks and Rec. Slate. Forrest. Wickman. January 14, 2015. January 23, 2015.
18. Web site: Retta Twitter. Twitter. Retta. August 11, 2014. August 20, 2014.
19. Web site: Scoop: Parks and Rec Brings Back Megan Mullally, Revives Lost 'Jammy' Plot in Season 7. Ausiello. Michael. TVLine. August 20, 2014. August 20, 2014.
20. Web site: Parks and Recreation Wraps Filming — See Stars' Photos From the Set!. Iannucci. Rebecca. TVLine. December 12, 2014. December 13, 2014.
21. Web site: NBC Has Officially Killed Its Thursday Night Comedy Block . Barsanti . Sam . December 12, 2014 . . May 30, 2022.
22. Web site: Parks and Recreation: Season 7. Rotten Tomatoes. April 10, 2020.
23. Web site: Fowler. Matt. Parks and Recreation: "One Last Ride" Review. IGN. April 19, 2015. February 24, 2015.
24. Nussbaum . Emily . We'll Always Have Pawnee . The New Yorker . February 25, 2015 . May 30, 2022.
25. Web site: Eker-Male . Nathanial . How Parks And Rec Season 7 Nearly Ruined The Show Forever . Screen Rant . April 17, 2022 . May 30, 2022.
26. Web site: Shipley . Diane . When good TV goes bad: how Parks and Recreation got sickly sweet . The Guardian . June 18, 2018 . May 30, 2022.