Parks and Recreation | |
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Season 7 | |
Starring | |
No. of episodes | 13 |
Release | |
Original network | NBC |
Original release | January 13 – February 24, 2015 |
Season chronology | |
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.
† denotes an extended episode. ‡ denotes an hour-long episode.
No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | U.S. viewers (millions) | |||||||
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113 | 1 | "2017" | Dean Holland | Alan Yang & Matt Murray | January 13, 2015 | 3.75 [18] | |||||||
Three years into the future, Leslie is Midwest Regional Parks Director, Ben is still City Manager, both April and Andy are working for Leslie (with Andy having his own TV show), Jerry/Larry works for Leslie but is now called Terry, Ron left the Parks Department and owns a construction company called "Very Good", Tom is a mogul who owns Pawnee's most successful businesses, and Donna now runs her "Regal Meagle" Real Estate firm and is engaged. Ron and Leslie are now enemies due to an unexplained incident called "Morningstar". Ron and a partner from Gryzzl (a tech company now located in Pawnee) are trying to buy land from the wealthy Newport family that Leslie wants to acquire for a national park. Ben is honored at a gala as Man of the Year for helping Pawnee getting back to normal. Elsewhere, April has concerns about her life with Andy, feeling they have become a boring, mainstream married couple. | |||||||||||||
114 | 2 | "Ron and Jammy"† | Dean Holland | Harris Wittels | January 13, 2015 | 3.25 [18] | |||||||
Leslie and Ron try to sway Councilman Jamm's vote on whether the Newport land will be zoned commercial or municipal, but they put aside their differences to help Jamm break up from Ron's ex-wife Tammy II. Meanwhile, Ben helps April find her true passion in life, Andy and Tom travel to Chicago to visit Tom's ex-girlfriend Lucy after Tom misinterprets her Gryzzl post, and Joan Callamezzo is celebrated for her years as a Pawnee celebrity. | |||||||||||||
115 | 3 | "William Henry Harrison" | Tom Magill | Megan Amram | January 20, 2015 | 3.87 [19] | |||||||
Leslie continues to strengthen her case to turn Newport land into a National Park with the help of Andy, April and the Pawnee Historical Society. Ron, along with Tom and Donna, tries to get a celebrity on board to help the Gryzzl campaign. As Leslie and Ron come closer to their goals however, their rivalry comes to an all-time high. After the press conference, it culminates in Leslie and Ron screaming at the top of their lungs, forcing the others to intervene. Meanwhile, after Ben hears Terry has fulfilled a "lifelong goal" of becoming a Notary public, the two try to get documents signed. But it turns into a hassle after their efforts get invalidated over and over. | |||||||||||||
116 | 4 | "Leslie and Ron" | Beth McCarthy-Miller | Michael Schur | January 20, 2015 | 3.30 [19] | |||||||
Ben, April, Andy, Donna, Tom, and Terry trap Ron and Leslie in the old Parks and Recreation office overnight so the two can work out their differences. It is revealed that "Morningstar", the incident that drove the wedge between Leslie and Ron, was a project of Ron's construction company that involved bulldozing houses near Pawnee Commons, including Ann Perkins' old house, to make way for an apartment building. Ron reveals that after Leslie took April, Andy and Terry to work with her, and Tom and Donna left to run their businesses, he got lonely for his old friends and one day, he suddenly didn't recognize anyone in the department. He decided to ask Leslie for a job in the National Park Service during lunch the following day, but when she stood him up for lunch due to her hectic schedule, he just quit. The two finally reconcile through the power of alcohol, and the rest of the former department find a very confusing scene the next morning. Ron later meets Leslie for lunch and gives her a picture frame made of Ann's front door. | |||||||||||||
117 | 5 | "Gryzzlbox" | Amy Poehler | Donick Cary | January 27, 2015 | 3.48 [20] | |||||||
The citizens of Pawnee feel violated when Gryzzl starts invading their privacy through data mining. Looking to capitalize on the negative public opinion, Leslie and Ben investigate the problem along with Donna. Craig seeks help from April with the new Parks Department interns. Elsewhere, Tom becomes Andy's agent to help him with his TV show troubles. Tom later learns that Lucy went back to Chicago to break up with her boyfriend. | |||||||||||||
118 | 6 | "Save JJ's" | Ken Whittingham | Joe Mande | January 27, 2015 | 2.97 [20] | |||||||
Following the data mining scandal, Gryzzl ups its offer for the Newport land to $125 million, and they accept. Leslie learns that JJ's Diner is closing because of the new Pawnee economic boom, as it has been purchased by Dennis Feinstein (Jason Mantzoukas) who wants to tear it down. Leslie, Ron, April and Andy host a rally to keep JJ's open. When that fails, the group finds a way to relocate JJ's, while convincing Gryzzl to restore a rundown area of Pawnee for its new headquarters and gain some badly needed publicity points by donating the Newport land for a national park. Elsewhere, Tom surprises Donna with an early wedding gift: a "Treat Yo Self" day in Beverly Hills, CA. | |||||||||||||
119 | 7 | "Donna and Joe" | Ken Whittingham | Aisha Muharrar | February 3, 2015 | 3.45 [21] | |||||||
It's Donna's wedding day, and as her Maid of Honor, April does everything to keep Donna's family together so the wedding will run smoothly. Craig marshals Donna's wedding with an iron fist. Ben receives an offer from Jen Barkley (Kathryn Hahn) about running for Congress. Elsewhere, Ron helps Tom share his true feelings with Lucy. | |||||||||||||
120 | 8 | "Ms. Ludgate-Dwyer Goes to Washington" | Morgan Sackett | Dave King | February 10, 2015 | 3.06 [22] | |||||||
Leslie takes April to Washington D.C. on a DoI assignment that involves meeting with many Senators, but April hasn't been able to tell Leslie she no longer wants to work in government, while Leslie is told she's in line to take on a high-level leadership role at Interior. Back in Pawnee, Andy joins forces with Ben and Ron (and reluctantly Garry) to try and convince his old almost-employer Barney to hire April as a consultant. | |||||||||||||
121 | 9 | "Pie-Mary"† | Greg Daniels | Emma Fletcher & Rachna Fruchbom | February 10, 2015 | 2.47 [22] | |||||||
Leslie becomes the center of attention when at Ben's Congressional campaign, she announces that she will not participate in a "Pie-Mary" pie baking contest and is subsequently scrutinized by several opposing groups. Meanwhile, Ron, April and Andy go on a scavenger hunt to find Ron's spare key to his house that April lost. Elsewhere, Donna bonds with Garry. | |||||||||||||
122 | 10 | "The Johnny Karate Super Awesome Musical Explosion Show" | Dean Holland | Matt Hubbard | February 17, 2015 | 2.94 [23] | |||||||
Andy hosts the final episode of his children's show. Ben, Leslie, April and Ron reminisce over how far Andy has come in Pawnee. April finds it difficult to watch Andy end his TV show, knowing it is her new job that is forcing them to leave Pawnee. Note: This episode was presented as the final episode of Andy's "Johnny Karate Super Awesome Musical Explosion Show" television show. Fictional commercials for some of Pawnee's businesses are also shown. | |||||||||||||
123 | 11 | "Two Funerals" | Craig Zisk | Jen Statsky | February 17, 2015 | 2.47 [23] | |||||||
Leslie confirms that she is receiving the job at the Department of the Interior and she and Ben will be moving to Washington D.C. April and Andy also confirm that they will be moving to Washington D.C. Donna announces that she and her husband Joe are moving to Seattle, Washington. While discussing these revelations, it is announced that Mayor Walter Gunderson (Bill Murray) has died. There is a memorial service, and Ben conducts a search for an interim Mayor with April's assistance. Donna and Andy help Ron grieve when his barber, Salvatore, also dies. Encouraged by Leslie, Tom successfully proposes to Lucy. After interviewing several candidates, Ben names Garry the mayor of Pawnee. | |||||||||||||
124 | 12 | "One Last Ride"†‡ | Michael Schur | Michael Schur & Amy Poehler | February 24, 2015 | 4.15 [24] | |||||||
125 | 13 | ||||||||||||
In the last day in Pawnee, Leslie rallies the entire team for one last Parks Project: fixing a swing in a park. A series of flash-forwards show bits of what will happen to the characters over the next years and decades. Typhoon and Craig get married, Andy and April become parents, Donna sets up a non-profit with her husband, Tom becomes a best-selling author, Garry serves as Mayor until his death at age 100, and Ron finds happiness in a job as a park superintendent for the National Park Service. Ben is elected to Congress, and he and Leslie are separately courted to run for governor of Indiana. After considering who should run, Ben decides that Leslie would be a better candidate. The two then visit the Parks department and see all of their friends once more. Ann and Chris reappear and decide to move back to Pawnee. In the future Leslie serves two terms as governor, and hints at a "new, unknown challenge" in a speech; at Garry's funeral (depicted earlier in the episode, but occurring further in the future), she and Ben are accompanied by what appears to be a Secret Service detail, in a scene left intentionally ambiguous. [25] |
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, [26] [27] and ended on December 12, 2014. [28] 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. [29]
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 Recreation's 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." [30]
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." [31]
The New Yorker 's Emily Nussbaum contended that the series finale invoked "few laughs", [32] and Screen Rant 's Nathanial Eker-Male called the season "jarring and distracting". [33] The Guardian critic Diane Shipley claimed that the season "jumped the shark". [34]
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".
Parks and Recreation is an American political satire mockumentary television sitcom created by Greg Daniels and Michael Schur. The series aired on NBC from April 9, 2009, to February 24, 2015, for 125 episodes, over seven seasons. A special reunion episode aired on April 30, 2020. The series stars Amy Poehler as Leslie Knope, a perky, mid-level bureaucrat in the Parks Department of the fictional town of Pawnee, Indiana. The ensemble and supporting cast features Rashida Jones as Ann Perkins, Aziz Ansari as Tom Haverford, Nick Offerman as Ron Swanson, Aubrey Plaza as April Ludgate, Chris Pratt as Andy Dwyer, Adam Scott as Ben Wyatt, Paul Schneider as Mark Brendanawicz, Rob Lowe as Chris Traeger, Jim O'Heir as Garry "Jerry" Gergich, Retta as Donna Meagle, and Billy Eichner as Craig Middlebrooks.
Leslie Barbara Knope is a fictional character portrayed by Amy Poehler and the main protagonist of the NBC sitcom Parks and Recreation. For most of the show's run, she serves as deputy director of the Parks and Recreation Department of the fictional city of Pawnee, Indiana. An overachiever, Knope believes the government should serve the people and is unceasingly optimistic about the potential of her role within it. For her performance as Knope, Poehler has been nominated for several awards and won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy.
"Sister City" is the fifth episode of the second season of Parks and Recreation, and the eleventh overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on October 15, 2009. In the episode, Leslie welcomes a delegation from Venezuela, who act disrespectfully toward Pawnee and the United States.
The first season of Parks and Recreation originally aired in the United States on the NBC television network between April 9 and May 14, 2009. Produced by Deedle-Dee Productions and Universal Media Studios, the series was created by Greg Daniels and Michael Schur, who served as executive producers with Howard Klein. The season stars Amy Poehler, Rashida Jones, Paul Schneider, Aziz Ansari, Nick Offerman, and Aubrey Plaza.
The second season of Parks and Recreation originally aired in the United States on the NBC television network starting September 17, 2009, and ended on May 20, 2010. The season was produced by Deedle-Dee Productions and Universal Media Studios, and series co-creators Greg Daniels and Michael Schur served as executive producers. Like the first season, it focuses on Leslie Knope and her staff on the parks and recreation department of the fictional Indiana town of Pawnee. The episodes were approximately 22 minutes long each, all of which aired at 8:30 p.m. on Thursdays. The season stars Amy Poehler, Rashida Jones, Paul Schneider, Aziz Ansari, Nick Offerman, Aubrey Plaza, and Chris Pratt.
Ann Meredith Traeger, née Perkins, RN, portrayed by Rashida Jones, is a fictional character in the NBC comedy Parks and Recreation. She is a nurse and Leslie Knope's best friend.
"Telethon" is the 22nd episode of the second season of the American comedy television series Parks and Recreation, and the 28th overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on May 6, 2010. In the episode, Leslie volunteers to host a charity telethon and is given the unappealing 2 a.m. to 6 a.m. shift.
"Freddy Spaghetti" is the second season finale of the American comedy television series Parks and Recreation, and the 30th overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on May 20, 2010. In the episode, as Ron helps state auditors make governmental cuts amid a government shutdown, Leslie tries to save a children's concert starring musician Freddy Spaghetti. Meanwhile, Andy asks April to be his girlfriend, while Ann tries to cope with her renewed feelings for Andy following her breakup with Mark.
The third season of Parks and Recreation originally aired in the United States on the NBC television network between January 20 and May 19, 2011. Like the previous seasons, it focuses on Leslie Knope and her staff at the parks and recreation department of the fictional Indiana town of Pawnee. The season featured 16 episodes, most of which were approximately 22 minutes long each and aired at 9:30 p.m. on Thursdays. The season stars Amy Poehler, Rashida Jones, Aziz Ansari, Nick Offerman, Aubrey Plaza, Chris Pratt, Adam Scott, and Rob Lowe, with supporting performances from Jim O'Heir and Retta.
"Time Capsule" is the third episode of the third season of the American comedy television series Parks and Recreation, and the 33rd overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on February 3, 2011. In the episode, Leslie tries to encourage civic pride through a time capsule, but it descends into chaos as Pawnee citizens argue over what to include. Meanwhile, Chris tries to help Andy win back April.
"Harvest Festival" is the seventh episode of the third season of the American comedy television series Parks and Recreation, and the 37th overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on March 17, 2011. In the episode, Leslie and her co-workers hold Pawnee's harvest festival, the success of which will determine the future of the parks department. The festival faces several obstacles, including a supposed Native American curse, a missing miniature horse and a scandal-hungry media. Meanwhile, Ann tries to cope with her recent break-up, and April confesses her love to Andy, then becomes angry with his response.
The fourth season of Parks and Recreation originally aired in the United States on the NBC television network, and began on September 22, 2011, and ended on May 8, 2012. The season contained 22 episodes. It stars Amy Poehler, Rashida Jones, Aziz Ansari, Nick Offerman, Aubrey Plaza, Chris Pratt, Adam Scott, and Rob Lowe, with supporting performances from Jim O'Heir and Retta.
"Pawnee Rangers" is the fourth episode of the fourth season of the NBC sitcom Parks and Recreation. Unlike many episodes during the fourth season that focus on Leslie's campaign for city council, this episode hardly even mentions it. "Pawnee Rangers" garnered 3.99 million viewers, a decrease in viewers from the previous episode. The episode was written by Alan Yang and was directed by Charles McDougall.
"Win, Lose, or Draw" is the twenty-second episode and season finale of the fourth season of the American comedy television series Parks and Recreation, and the 68th overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on May 10, 2012.
The fifth season of Parks and Recreation originally aired in the United States on the NBC television network, from September 20, 2012 and concluded on May 2, 2013. This season consisted of 22 episodes. It stars Amy Poehler, Rashida Jones, Aziz Ansari, Nick Offerman, Aubrey Plaza, Chris Pratt, Adam Scott, and Rob Lowe, with supporting performances from Jim O'Heir and Retta.
"Halloween Surprise" is the fifth episode of the fifth season of the American comedy television series Parks and Recreation, and the 73rd overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on October 25, 2012.
The sixth season of Parks and Recreation originally aired in the United States on the NBC television network, from September 26, 2013, with an hour long premiere, and concluded on April 24, 2014, with an hour-long finale. It premiered in its new Thursday 8:00 pm timeslot. This season consisted of 22 episodes. It stars Amy Poehler, Rashida Jones, Aziz Ansari, Nick Offerman, Aubrey Plaza, Chris Pratt, Adam Scott, Rob Lowe, Jim O'Heir, and Retta. The show moved to Thursdays at 8:30 pm beginning with its 100th episode.
The eighth season of the American reality talent show The Voice premiered on February 23, 2015, on NBC. Adam Levine, Blake Shelton, & Pharrell Williams returned as coaches. Christina Aguilera returned for her fifth season as coach after a two-season absence, replacing Gwen Stefani. Carson Daly returned as host for the eighth season.
"One Last Ride" is the two-part series finale of the television sitcom Parks and Recreation. It serves as the 12th and 13th episodes of season 7 and the 124th and 125th overall episodes of the series. It was written by lead actress Amy Poehler and series co-creator Michael Schur, the latter of whom also directed the episode. The series finale first aired on NBC in the United States on February 24, 2015, when it was watched by 4.15 million viewers, making it the most-watched episode of the season and the highest-rated episode since "Campaign Ad" of season four.