Parks & Recreationcontinued to make inspired decisions throughout its seven-season run, and the sitcom’s most beloved episodes are proof that it stands apart from other shows in the genre. ThebestParks& Recepisodesbelong in the upper echelon for various reasons, but the quality of the sitcom’s greatest installments can’t be denied. Although there are severalsadParks & Recmoments, the show is largely remembered for its terrific sense of humor. That being said, the sitcom’s best episodes often combine both elements of what made it so great.
Parks & Recquotescontinue to be part of the zeitgeist to this day, forming the basis of countless memes and other references to the show. Almost every member of the main cast has continued the success they found while on the show, and many have transitioned into impressive dramatic roles - such as Nick Offerman’s part inThe Last of Usseason 1 cast, and Adam Scott being named as the leader of theSeverancecast. The immense versatility oftheParks & Reccast is a big part of what helped the sitcomavoid experiencing a common pitfall.
Parks & Recreation’s Top 5 Highest-Rated Episodes Are All From The Sitcom’s Final 4 Seasons
“One Last Ride” takes the top spot
Sitcoms almost always have a golden eraand can often tail off toward the end. Even if later efforts are still pretty good, it can be tough to reattain the same standard from a few years earlier.Parks & Recreationwould appear not to have experienced this unfortunate phenomenon, as the show’s top 5 episodes onIMDball fall within the last four seasons. What makes this achievement even more impressive is the fact that the top 2 are both from the sitcom’s final run of episodes.
7
12
9.5/10
“Leslie and Ron”
4
6
22
9.2/10
“Leslie and Ben”
5
14
“Win, Lose or Draw”
9.0/10
Of course, the top spot going to the sitcom’s final episode, “One Last Ride,” isn’t a huge surprise. The emotion and poignancy of a sitcom finale is quite often enough to make it one of a show’s best offerings - even if the comedic elements can sometimes be pushed into the back seat as a result. The real surprise is thatanything beforeParks and & Recseason 4 doesn’t make the list until sixth place.
Parks & Recreation Is A Rare Example Of A Sitcom Getting Better Throughout Its Run
The NBC mockentary carried on improving throughout all seven seasons
Even some of thebest sitcoms of all timebecome objectively worse as they go on.Parks & Recdoesn’t have that issue, as the show continued to get better and better and ended at its peak. Starting withParks & Recreationseason 1, which was not great, the sitcom learned from its mistakes and was careful not to focus on any story too long. That being said, it still managed to include many of the traditional sitcom tropes. As such,Parks & Recreationis arguably one of the most inconsistent sitcoms ever made - but in the best possible way.
Parks and Recreation
Cast
Parks and Recreation is a television series that premiered in 2009, focusing on Leslie Knope, a mid-level bureaucrat in Pawnee, Indiana. She encounters various challenges from bureaucrats and citizens while striving to beautify the town through her role in the Parks and Recreation Department.
