I have been to Indiana twice in my life — once to pick up my puppy when I was 7 years old, and again to visit Indiana University Bloomington when I was 17. But considering how many times I’ve felt lost and opened Netflix to remind myself who I am, I might as well have been to Indiana a million times.
When I was recommended “Parks and Recreation” — set in the fictional town of Pawnee, Indiana — in middle school, I thought it was OK. The jokes were fine, the love triangle was cliche and Mark Brendanawicz (Paul Schneider, “Florida Man”) was the Vanessa Abrams (Jessica Szohr, “Gossip Girl”) of the show — a character with just enough personality (or lack thereof) to be completely malleable to the will of the writers. I stopped watching “Parks” a season in. I went back to my friend who had recommended it to me, telling him how bored I was. He told me to stick with it.
After two seasons, a writing glow-up and an “all-timer” character trade (shoutout Ben (Adam Scott, “Severance”) and Chris (Rob Lowe, “(9-1-1: Lone Star”)), “Parks and Rec” became my favorite show of all time. I slowly but surely began to fall in love with the show’s quick-witted writing, as well as the characters and their relationships. It certainly helped that Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler, “Duncanville”) exemplified the woman I wanted to grow into — someone ambitious, who pursued her passions without compromising her values or personality in the face of adversity, all with a loyal group of friends by her side. I’ve loved a million sitcoms and I worship everything producer Michael Schur (“The Office”) has ever touched, but “Parks” always keeps me coming back. It’s full of small-town charm and goofy, heart-warming characters right at home in its Midwestern setting…