Watched my recorded shows and that happened to be on the Thursday night list.
It was horrible. I far as I can tell it is simply the American version of The Office with different people. Amy Poeller’s character could easily have been Steve Carell’s character in drag.
How did this get picked up for a second season?
Well, you might have noticed that the American version of the Office is doing pretty well and is, by most accounts, an excellent show. So I’m not sure how comparing P&R to it somehow is in conflict with them getting picked up for a second season.
So you enjoyed it then?
Not particularly. A couple of the characters entertained me, the Indian guy and Poeller’s character’s boss are pretty funny. But that’s not really the point. I’m just pointing of the flaw in the logic of your complaint in the OP. I’m sure there are any number of criticisms for the show, but saying it’s “too much like one of the most successful shows on TV” is a pretty weak one.
When It’s Like You Know… came out I recall people saying it was too much like Seinfeld. When the American version of Coupling came out, I recall people saying it was too much like Friends. Do you know where either of those shows are today?
Because it’s from the makers of The Office, and right now they have an enormous amount of pull over NBC.
So much so, that NBC basically had a choice between P&R and My Name is Earl, and they chose P&R.
The funny thing being that Coupling was basically the BBC version of Friends. So,when Friends ends, NBC tries to replace it with…the US version of the BBC version of friends.
-Joe
Bastards. :mad:
Yeah, I’d post a cite if I could remember where I’d seen it.
I had stopped watching Earl regularly, but they’d definitely gotten their mojo back at the end there. The one with the Witch Lady was so hilarious.
-Joe
It’s not the worst show on TV, but Amy Poehler and Aziz Ansari are so incredibly funny in everything else they do, it sort of amplifies its dullness.
Maybe that’s the problem.
Poehler never does anything funny from what I saw on the show - she’s just an oblivious straight name. Aziz Ansari has funny one-liners, but for all we know he might as well be in front of a green screen. Certainly not much interaction with the rest of the cast.
And Pam, err…the guy who plays the Pam character is just like a big void IMO.
-Joe
Amy Poehler is precisely the wrong actress for this show, because she cannot perform in deadpan. Her screen presence consistently conveys, “I’m acting on TV!” and that pulls the viewer out of the verisimilitude that a program like The Office requires. Similarly, they ruined Weekend Update when they decided that the newsreaders should laugh along with the audience.
Blame Jay Leno, too. He’s taking up 5 hours of prime time a week beginning in September. That takes time away from say, three dramas and four sitcoms, or however you want to portion the time out.
I really hope that thing doesn’t have much in the way of staying power. Ugh.
-Joe
Lots of shows fail, but that doesn’t mean that every show that’s similar to a top hit is going to, or is even a black mark against it. I’ve heard “How I Met Your Mother” be described as a hipper “Friends” (Have to admit that “Friends” had a pretty good template there) and its been pretty successful.
Perhaps you are right. However, I find it telling that so far the only defense of the show has been that *my *reasons for *not *liking it are weak…
I find it a dull blatant rip-off of a mediocre show that has been going down hill. I find Amy Poeler’s character to be nothing more than a female version of Steve Carell’s character.
How often do you hear: You’ll love it! It is exactly like Star Wars, with different characters. Or: This is a great painting, it is as if you took the Mona Lisa and made her a man. But exactly like that in all other respects. Imitation may be a form a flattery, but you rarely hear it described as good. At best, you might hear it described as an homage.
Do you enjoy Parks and Recreation? For what reasons? *Because *it is like The Office?
Or is your only contribution to the thread that you think the reasons I dislike it are flawed?
I like it and I swear, it’s not just my lust for Rashida Jones.
What do I know, though? I was occasionally amused by Kath and Kim.
Her dimples could cut glass.
Now there’s a reason I could get behind! Actually, that is one of the reasons I gave it a try. She’s a cutie.
Liking Kath and Kim though, that is just… I mean to say… that is… it is too horrible for words! 
Basically ;).
And that it is too early to tell with P&R. After all, the first season of the US version of the Office was pretty bad. P&R has some interesting directions it can go and we’ll see if they take that step.
