Parks And Recreation - Season One

When the NBC sitcom Parks and Recreation premiered this past spring it already had a few strikes against it. While not a spin-off of the hit The Office, the series instantly lacked any real originality and spark by adopting an identical mockumentary style that the aforementioned series is known for (the series was also created by The Office creative team of Greg Daniels and Michael Schur).

There was the self-centered and non-self aware boss played by Amy Poehler and a cast of misfits that should have elicited instant laughs but instead just felt like pale imitators. Case in point, ratings for the series soon dropped off during the initial six episodes, but in a show of faith NBC renewed the series for a second year, which begins next week. All that said, Parks and Recreation is not entirely a dud and the first season (just released on DVD) is a show worth checking out, though clearly not a must-see.

The cast is solid enough and hopefully will grow into a more solid ensemble in season two. There are talented comic actors like Saturday Night Live alum Poehler as Leslie Knope, a mid-level bureaucrat in fictional town Pawnee, Indiana's parks and recreation department; former Office cast member Rashida Jones as a nurse who works with Leslie on the development of a new public park; and comedian Aziz Ansari, a sarcastic, underachieving public official.

The biggest problem with the show is the forced format and the spotty comedic writing in the first few episodes; it's no wonder viewers tuned out shortly after the first episode. However, viewers should stick with the show because there are signs of life that emerge in the second half of the short first season.

As for the DVD itself, the one bonus feature worth checking out is the producers' extended season finale, which is a true show of faith that this sitcom will hit its stride and separate itself from being just the ugly stepchild of the more superior The Office. Also on the DVD are episode commentary and a collection of deleted scenes.

Fingers are crossed that the show will come together in year two.