Entertainment

7 ‘Parks and Recreation’ Trivia Facts That Will Make You Miss This Show Even More Than You Already Do

You know what makes loss feel less overwhelming? Obsessing over that thing you just lost. Actually, that's probably terrible advice. But, then again, I'm sure you've received worse pearls of wisdom on the internet than this. So, if you're still not over (and never will be over) Parks and Recreation's untimely end, you may want to take a gander at the following trivia listed in relation to the beloved series. It might not be another season like you hoped for, but at least it'll still have you immersed in the Pawnee universe for a while yet.

Image: NBC

by Caitlyn Callegari

Get a Load of This Trippy Tidbit

As HitFix so aptly notes, the show got all sorts of meta on us in the series finale. They explain further, saying, “The man seeking Leslie’s help in replacing the park swing was played by Jon Daly from Kroll Show, who played the drunk Leslie chased out of the slide in the pilot (glimpsed briefly in the finale’s montage of the parks staff hard at work, Teddy Roosevelt-style). The idea is that this is the same guy a decade later, having cleaned himself up after hitting rock bottom in front of Leslie, with neither character realizing who the other is. Not something most people would notice (Daly’s all but unrecognizable in the pilot cameo), but a stealth piece of full-circle casting.”

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Brace yourselves, They Almost Didn't "Treat" Us to Donna

In the interview the cast did with Seth Meyers following the show’s series finale, Retta AKA Donna Meagle, revealed some interesting info about her character. She explained Donna and Jerry were just, ”Glorified extras,” at first. But, she also says that despite her minor part, she unknowingly nailed an improv scene with Amy. And, ya know, the rest is history.

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...Or Andy

According to IMDb, “Chris Pratt was originally scheduled to appear in only six episodes of the first season.”

A world without Andy is certainly not a place I’d like to live in.

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Andy & Leslie Could Have Potentially Fallen into the Pit a Few More Times

Mental Floss reveals some interesting information about the infamous Pawnee Pit. Basically, the site explains that the writers wanted to keep things true to life. And in real life, it takes the Parks Department a hell of a long time to get things done. So, that’d mean not taking care of the Pit and transforming it into a park until the series finale. But, as they assert, “…Because some viewers believed that the project was the only thing the show was about, the pit was filled in the middle of season two, and the writers came up with different long-term storylines to fill the creative hole.”

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Art Imitated Life

According to IMDb, Nick Offerman and Ron Swanson are kindred spirits. They said, “Nick Offerman, who plays Ron Swanson, has a woodworking hobby as does his counterpart in the show. He has released an instructional DVD in canoe building and runs a fine woodworking business on the side.” Can’t say I’m too surprised with this fact.

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...On More than One Occasion

You can thank Aubrey Plaza’s real life sister for April Ludgate and for April’s sister. IMDb says that, “The character of April has a sister named Natalie. This is the name of Aubrey Plaza’s real life teenage sister, who she uses as a source of inspiration when playing April.”

We bow to thee, Natalie. What a gal.

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You Didn't Actually See the Last of Jean-Ralphio

If you can’t make out what the label on the champagne says in the picture, I’ll read it back for you: Jean-Ralphio. As per BuzzFeed, Tumblr found the easter egg that writer Michael Schur told Variety he put in the finale. So, because of that label, it’s safe to assume Jean-Ralphio is living large in the future.

Image: NBC

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