Thursdays make everything better. Why? Because at 8:30 EST on NBC, I get to watch the best comedy on TV: “Parks and Recreation.”*

Image from Entertainment.Time.Com
I love this show for far too many reasons to count. I love this show so much that this is my second post about it. I love smart, ambitious, occasionally-selfish but fundamentally-generous Leslie Knope. I love kindhearted finance geek Ben Wyatt. I love ultra-masculine Libertarian Scotch lover Ron Swanson, douchebag-with-a-heart-of-gold Tom, sarcastic April, dopey Andy, and everyone else in the fictional town of Pawnee, Indiana, right down to the crazies who show up at Leslie’s public forums.
What’s that, you say? You don’t watch “Parks and Recreation”? Well, I think you should! Yes, even if you watched some of Season 1 and didn’t like it. (Especially then.)
To help you figure out if it’s worth giving “Parks and Recreation” a try, here are some of my all-time favorite TV shows: ”Buffy,” “Firefly,” “Community,” early “How I Met Your Mother,” “Chuck,” early “The Office,” “Arrested Development,” “Mad Men,” “Veronica Mars,” and “Freaks and Geeks.” Do you like most or all of those shows? Then you owe it to yourself to give “Parks and Recreation” a chance.
If I’ve convinced you to try “Parks and Recreation,” just follow my three easy steps for falling in love with the show. You’ll be quoting this quirky, wonderful gem before you know it.
Step 1: Figure out how to watch old episodes of “Parks and Recreation”
Americans: Do you have Netflix? You now have access to Seasons 1-3 of “Parks and Recreation” on streaming video. Do you have Hulu Plus? You have access to every single “Parks and Recreation” episode! Brits/Canadians: You may need to rent the DVDs.
Step 2: Forget Episodes 1-5 (this is a CRUCIAL step)
A number of smart people with excellent taste gave up on “P&R” in the first season. The show hadn’t quite figured itself out yet and there were some pretty cringe-inducing episodes. But trust me: it gets better. A lot better.
If you are a P&R newbie or someone who bailed during that rough first season, I suggest starting with either the last episode of Season 1 (“Rock Show”) or the first episode of Season 2 (“Pawnee Zoo”). ”Rock Show” is my personal favorite entry point — it’s their first genuinely successful episode, it sums up everything important about the relationships between the characters, and it introduces a recurring joke, Pawnee rock anthem “The Pit.” But if you’re renting the DVDs it might sound a bit silly to rent all of Season 1 just for the single episode. Skipping right to Season 2 is perfectly fine as well.
Step 3: Watch “Parks and Recreation”, Seasons 2-4 (Season 4 is currently in progress)
If going in order doesn’t appeal to you and you’d rather start with the high points of season 2 to find out if the show is for you, watch the following episodes:
“Practice Date”
“Greg Pikitis”
“Hunting Trip”
“Tom’s Divorce”
“Sweetums”
“Summer Catalog”
“The Master Plan”
“Freddy Spaghetti”
If you’re not in love with Leslie Knope by the end of “Practice Date” (Season 2, episode 4), I will be shocked.
Anyone else want to help me sell new viewers on “Parks and Recreation?”
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* It definitely doesn’t hurt that it’s in a time bloc with the 2nd-best comedy on TV, “Community” at 8:00 EST on NBC.