Parks and Recollection

Dust off your podium - Jim O’Heir (Jerry Gergich himself!) and writer Greg Levine are back to discuss “The Debate”! In this episode, Jim and Greg break down Leslie Knope’s face-off with a slew of Pawnee’s City Council hopefuls (including local porn star Brandi Maxxxx and Sweetums heir Bobby Newport), Andy Dwyer’s one-man reenactment of the movie “Roadhouse”, and Ron Swanson’s scaling of a telephone pole. Plus, they dive into which character’s backstory would make the best prequel series in our Town Hall segment. Get your rebuttal ready and go ahead and treat yo’ self!

The writer most compared to Leslie Knope, Aisha Muharrar (Parks and Rec, Hacks, The Good Place) joins Jim O’Heir and Greg Levine to discuss “Bus Tour”. In this episode, Aisha breaks out her Parks notebook recounting the time Amy Poehler helped her out of a jam, the logistics of maneuvering a full-sized campaign bus through a small Los Angeles neighborhood, the hidden sweetness of April Ludgate, and just how many pies to the face Jim had to endure while filming.

Adam Scott (Ben Wyatt himself!) joins Jim O’Heir and Greg Levine to discuss his character’s surprising plot twist in Parks & Recreation’s season four finale: “Win, Lose, or Draw”. Plus, the instant connection he felt to Amy in their first scene together, the ballroom dance lessons he took with Jim, and the cryptic note Aubrey Plaza passed him during his first table read.

Senator cameos, D.C. location shoots, AND a live pig named Tom—Jim O’Heir and Greg Levine break it all down in this week’s walkthrough of “Ms. Knope Goes to Washington.” In Parks & Recreation’s season five premiere, Leslie is off to the Capitol to visit Ben and apply for a federal grant to clean up Pawnee’s riverbed, leaving Ron Swanson in charge of the The Leslie Knope Employment Enjoyment Summerslam Grill Jam Fun-Splosion.

Broadway star Mary Faber joins Jim O’Heir and Greg Levine to discuss her recurring role as Pawnee’s Restaurant Association member Kathryn Pinewood. In this episode, they discuss soda cups large enough to hold a liquified toddler, the first cries for Leslie Knope’s recall, and the underlying attraction between Pinewood and another one of Leslie’s nemeses, Councilman Jamm.

You just got JAMMED! Jon Glaser (Jeremy Jamm himself!) joins Jim O’Heir and Greg Levine in this week’s walkthrough of “How a Bill Becomes a Law” to break down Leslie Knope’s first encounter with the Pawnee councilman we love to hate, the 311 hotline that leads Ron Swanson to find the love of his life, and the reason Ben and April can’t make it out of the parking garage. Plus, Jon reveals the origin story of his character’s iconic quaff and how well Jeremy Jamm would fit into today’s political landscape.

STDs, paper iPhones, and a robotic congressman—Jim O’Heir and Greg Levine discuss it all in this week’s walkthrough of “Sex Education”. In this episode, Leslie Knope launches a safe sex initiative for Pawnee’s senior citizens, Tom goes on a technology detox after crashing his car while texting, and April and Ben try to decipher if Congressman Murray is actually a robot. Plus, Darlene Hunt (The Big C) joins Jim and Greg to discuss her recurring role as Pawnee’s morality watchdog Marcia Langman.

Rolling Stone’s chief TV critic Alan Sepinwall joins Jim O’Heir and Greg Levine to break down the “fart attack” heard ‘round the world and Ben and Leslie’s heartwarming proposal. Plus, Alan discusses the joys of sitting in on the Parks writers room, the challenge of writing a negative episode review for a show that you love, and the satisfaction of gleaning a wildly successful career out of watching television.

It’s the war of the Wyatts! Jim O’Heir and Greg Levine break down every jab in this week’s walkthrough of “Ben’s Parents.” In this episode, Leslie presents a unity quilt to Ben’s divorced parents (Jonathan Banks and Glenne Headly), Tom and Jean-Ralphio aim to make Ron a ground-level investor in Rent-A-Swag, and Chris goes on a rollercoaster of emotion. Plus, Greg talks about writing his first solo episode of Parks and Rec: everything from the Goldilocks story outline he created, to reworking jokes on set, to the corkboard full of notes he never brought back to the Radford lot.

“Calc-you-later!” Ben receives a slew of job offers, Andy launches a full-scale investigation into his missing computer, and Leslie and April go toe to toe over a dog park project proposed for Lot 48; Jim O’Heir and Greg Levine get into all of it in this week’s episode walkthrough of “Leslie vs. April.” Plus, John Balma stops by to talk about playing Pawnee’s most enthusiastic accountant, Barney Varmn.

Special Agent Burt Macklin (aka Andy Dwyer) hangs up his shades, Tom gets Rent-A-Swag up and running, and Leslie and Ben cross the border into Pawnee’s smug sister city Eagleton to collaborate on a park design for Lot 48. Jim O’Heir and Greg Levine are breaking it all down in this week’s rewatch of “Pawnee Commons.” Plus, Jim and Greg think up vanity license plates for our main characters in this week’s Town Hall segment.

“Diane Lewis? More like Diane Sawyer!” In this week’s episode, Jim O’Heir and Greg Levine break down Leslie and Diane’s first meeting, Jerry Gergich’s surprisingly lovely home life with Gail (played by supermodel Christie Brinkley), and the sexual hurricane that is Tammy II. Plus, Jim and Greg give their top pick of who they think would be the last Pawneean standing on a Pawnee access television version of “Survivor” in this week’s Town Hall segment.

“It’s time for the Gettysburg UNDRESS!” Jim O’Heir and Greg Levine break down the highs and lows of Ben and Leslie’s bachelor and bachelorette parties in this week’s walkthrough of “Two Parties.” They cover it all, from Leslie digging in the dirt with gummy penises, to Andy catching a pass from Colts quarterback Andrew Luck, to Newt Gingrich’s unplanned cameo at St. Elmo Steakhouse. Plus, Jim and Greg read a touching tribute to Crown Point, Indiana’s real-life version of Lil’ Sebastian in this week’s Town Hall segment.

“TWEEP!” Alison Becker (Shauna Malwae-Tweep herself) joins Jim O’Heir and Greg Levine to break down Shauna’s “situationship” with Chris Traeger, Leslie and April’s day fighting misogyny within the sanitation department, and Ron’s failed attempt as a babysitter. Plus, Alison recounts finding out she was cast on the “Unnamed Amy Poehler Project” and how she became a member of Mensa.

Ann’s on a quest for a sperm donor amid Pawnee’s shallow pool of candidates, April sets fire to Leslie’s impressive collection of pantsuits, and Ben, Ron, and Chris are stricken with an epic case of food poisoning. Jim O’Heir and Greg Levine break it all down in this week’s walkthrough of “Ann’s Decision.” Plus, improv genius Matt Besser joins Jim and Greg to discuss his recurring role as half of Pawnee’s rock jock DJ duo, Crazy Ira and The Douche.

Comedian and writer Joe Mande (Parks and Rec, The Good Place, Delocated) joins Jim O’Heir and Greg Levine to break down Pawnee’s response to a hypothetical avian flu outbreak, Andy’s attempt to pass the police entrance exam, and Ron’s surprisingly good appearance on Pawnee Today. Plus, Joe discusses the ins and outs of writing his first episode of Parks, his recurring role as Morris Lerpiss, and the real story behind Tom Haverford’s paper iPhone in “Sex Education” (S5E4).

Rashida Jones (Ann Perkins herself!) joins Jim O’Heir and Greg Levine to discuss the early days of Parks and Recreation, how being a close friend of Mike Schur did not do her any favors in the casting process, and all the ways Ann Perkins and Leslie Knope’s unbreakable bond parallels her and Amy Poehler’s real life friendship. Plus Rashida, Jim and Greg rehash what is arguably the best television wedding of all time in this week’s breakdown of “Leslie and Ben.”

Rob Lowe is back to help Jim O’Heir and Greg Levine host one big Town Hall and you’ll never believe where they’ve set the scene. This week we tackle some of our listeners’ most burning questions, like how the characters from “The Outsiders” would fit into the world of Pawnee, what a Chris Traeger ice cream flavor would taste like, and who would reign supreme in a Josh Lyman/Leslie Knope debate.

Leslie is back from her Hawaiian honeymoon, but there’s no time to bask in the glow. Leslie’s speech has been stolen and she’s on the prowl to find the culprit. Meanwhile, Ben embarks on a new career as head of the Sweetums Foundation and Ann works up the nerve to ask Chris to be her sperm donor. Jim O’Heir and Greg Levine break it all down in this week’s walkthrough of “Correspondents' Lunch.” Plus, Jamie Denbo (aka Leslie’s nemesis Kim Terlando) joins Jim and Greg to rehash her early improv days with Amy Poehler, all the fun she had on set, and how she landed her latest role as Co-EP on Grey’s Anatomy.

Mona Lisa Saperstein just rolled into town and *spoiler alert*, she’s the woooooorst! Jim O’Heir and Greg Levine break down every cringeworthy moment, along with April and Ann’s forced friendship, Chris’ poor attempt at parenting Tom, and the future of the Pawnee Video Dome in this week’s walkthrough of “Bailout.”

Writer Dave King (Parks and Rec, The Good Place, Workaholics) joins Jim O’Heir and Greg Levine to break down Ben’s disillusioning return home to Partridge, Indiana, Chris and Ann’s overt lack of compatibility, and the events leading up to Ron’s “Self-Jamm.” Plus, Dave discusses the many references to he and Mike Schur’s favorite novel, “Infinite Jest” sprinkled throughout the episode.

Pawnee’s got a pest problem, and it’s up to Leslie to find a new head for the Department of Animal Control. Meanwhile, Ben approaches fragrance mogul Dennis Feinstein about a large charitable donation for the Sweetums Foundation, and Ann helps Ron get over a bad case of strep throat. Jim O’Heir and Greg Levine break it all down in this week’s walkthrough of “Animal Control.”

Comedian Patton Oswalt joins Jim O’Heir and Greg Levine to break down his epic Star Wars filibuster as Garth Blundin (the Pawneean with a passion for history), his old-timey wager with Leslie at the historical house, and the waffle iron battle royale between Ann and Ben.

Writer Aisha Muharrar (Parks and Rec, Hacks, The Good Place) returns to help Jim O’Heir and Greg Levine break down (what was almost) Jerry’s last day at the Parks Department, Tom’s slow morph into the “New Jerry,” and Ann and Chris’ decision to throw out the notion of artificial insemination to try for a baby the old-fashioned way. Plus, Jim describes the dread he felt when he received the script for this episode and what it was like to have his sleeve catch fire on set.

Burly and The Backstabbers take the stage, the future of the Pawnee Palms Putt-Putt hangs in the balance, and Tom tries everything to break up with Mona-Lisa. Jim O’Heir and Greg Levine break it all down in this week’s episode of “Swing Vote.” Plus, actor Andrew Burlinson joins Jim and Greg to discuss his role as Mouse Rat’s guitar player, his early days as a Blue Man, and the perks that come along with being Mike Schur’s “nepo baby.”

Retta (Donna Meagle herself!) joins Jim O’Heir and Greg Levine to discuss the early days of Parks and Recreation, her first epically embarrassing experience improvising a talking head with Greg Daniels, and what it was like sharing a double banger trailer with Jim. Plus Jim, Greg, and Retta break down Burt Macklin's search to discover who in the Parks Department is pregnant, the Founder’s Week public forum gone wrong, and Leslie Knope’s possible recall election in the season five finale, “Are you Better Off.”