![]() Why It’s On This List: See #20, or for that matter #7. The Story: it’s the second time we’ve seen Ron’s ex Tammy II, and this is the one where she re-enters his life and this is the one where the two wind up in jail with him wearing cornrows and a kimono. Ron and Tammy: Part Two (Season 3, Episode 4) Instead, there was one more season, but that didn’t spoil this almost-capper’s bottomless good vibes. The season’s final two episodes have the air of a series finale, and if that were so it would have gone out big, with the Lil Sebastian hologram, the reveal of Duke Silver, and no less than then-First Lady Michelle Obama. There was every reason to believe its sixth season would be its last, even if few involved wanted that to be the case. Why It’s On This List: Parks and Rec spent much of its run on life support, always ready to be cancelled but somehow persevering. Elsewhere, Tom’s latest business venture is, actually, both good and a success, the Unity Concert is a hit, and everyone’s lives seems to be going in good places. The Story: While on a trip to San Francisco, Leslie is offered a job at the National Parks Department. They have no interest in not being together, and watching them duke it out over childish things underlines and puts in bold and italics how much they belong together. ![]() Why It’s On This List: Leslie is maybe at her funniest when her feelings are raw, when that veil of professionalism slips and her emotions run rampant. When both get involved in a model U.N., they take out their frustrations in public. The Story: Leslie and Ben Wyatt (Adam Scott) have been forced to break-up, but they still have to see each other on the regular. Yes, the gimmick sags here and there, but for sheer outside-the-box chutzpah, it’s a delight. That changed with its final season - an unusual one, set two years in the future and thus the perfect time to surrender an entire episode over to man-child Andy and his bizarre interpretation of television for actual children. Why It’s On This List: Parks and Rec had no problem going wacky, but until its final season it never went high-concept à la Community. The Story: It’s the final episode of Andy Dwyer’s (Chris Pratt) public access children’s show, as he’s following April (Aubrey Plaza) to D.C. The Johnny Karate Super Awesome Musical Explosion Show (Season 7, Episode 4) What’s more, you get to see some of Jerry’s home life when he throws his annual holiday party and doesn’t invite some of his co-workers. The former isn’t cool with how chummy Leslie is with her new man, and the episode questions the nature of their unusual platonic relationship. ![]() The real beef winds up being not between Diane and Tammy II but Diane and Leslie. There’s a spectacular showdown, but what makes this one special is that Tammy II is, as it turns out, a red herring. Why It’s On This List: Every episode featuring a Ron ex is gold, and each one is different. Alas, lying in wait is his much-feared ex, Tammy II (Megan Mulally). The Story: Ron Swanson (Nick Offerman) has a new girlfriend, Diane (played by no less than Lucy Lawless), and he takes her to the most Ron shindig imaginable: a woodworking award show that’s honoring him. ![]() Because of this, it was tough to pick only the 20 best episodes out of a total of 125 for this list, but somehow, we managed. Quality control was consistently high for its run, making it an easy show to rewatch (episodes can currently be found on Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu). Predictably, there were a lot of stand-out episodes. Over seven seasons, from 2009 to 2015, Parks and Rec walked a fine line between batty comic invention and good vibes, able to toss off a bizarre one-liner as easily as it could find the space to pluck at the heartstrings. The same went for her gaggle of weirdo co-workers, who populated the fictional Indiana town’s eponymous department. Specifically, it got better once it realized its main hero, Middle American bureaucrat Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler), was worthy of affection, not ridicule. Although it began in a more satirical bent, the show found its footing when it realized it wasn’t a mere clone of The Office. Parks and Recreation has only been off the air for five years, but it’s already hard not to miss Pawnee and those who lived there.
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