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Welcome, everybody. You know, today is...
A big day. We have the legendary Jim O'Hare. I haven't seen Jim in a bit. Who's so famous they named an airport after him. They sure did. He is on the pod. And Alan, how are you? I feel like it's been, I mean, it's been almost a week since we've seen each other. It's been, it feels like forever, but you know what? It's good to see you again and it's great to see Jim. You too, you guys. I miss everybody. I miss you.
I know. Well, this is why we do this. This is because we get to relive the glory years together. But it's always better when we have an OG on like you. Yeah, well, God knows I've been around. Yeah, the show, I got to tell you, it has been certainly the life changer, career changer for me over the years. I was super lucky before Parks. I was a busy guy. But Parks is just...
It's nuts. And what a gift. Well, that's why we are here. This is Parks and Recollection, where we go show by show over our favorite show, Parks and Recreation. And today, what episode have we chosen for Mr. O'Hare? This is his...
This is like a very special ep for Jerry Gary. This is a big tour de force for Jim. And, you know, we had... You know, look, season one, we had kind of, you know, Retta and Jim in the show, and they had lines here and there. But season two, they started becoming really, really, really important characters. And this one...
Kind of features Jerry. It's kind of all about him, and he's kind of the crux of the episode. You know, should we just go through the synopsis, and then we can chat with Jim fully? Yeah, we're going to bring everybody up to speed on this landmark performance. As we walk them through. This episode is called Park Safety. Park Safety, episode 19 of season 2, first aired March 18, 2010. Think about that. Think about that, Jim. That makes no sense. Yeah.
Yes, it was written by my good friend Aisha Muhar, my former roommate. And it was directed by Michael Trim, who was also the DP on the show for a while. All-star crew, all-star crew. I'll walk us through just a real quick summary of the episode. This is the synopsis from my synopsisters and brothers. Here we go, Rob. Here we go, Jim. Here we go. Fasten your seatbelts. Here it comes. Here it comes. Here comes the show. Leslie holds a drawing to determine who will fill the park's hummingbird feeders. Jerry is chosen because everybody writes down his name instead of their own.
No.
but everyone holds back laughter at Leslie's request. Leslie meets with Carl Lorthner, played by Andy Samberg, a park security ranger who is incredibly loud but oblivious to that fact. Leslie suggests Carl get more help for the park to be safe. Carl says the park is largely unprotected due to budget cuts, so Leslie vows to get more funding. The mayor offers $2,500 to help fix the park.
But at a press conference about the money, Jerry confessed to Leslie that he wasn't mugged. He actually dropped a breakfast burrito in a creek, then fell while trying to grab it. Leslie relates Jerry's story to Mark, but he stops her short when he says that Jerry was too scared of his co-workers to be honest with him. Carl, offended by Leslie's statements about park security...
plans to show footage of Jerry falling into the creek on Pawnee today. Leslie negotiates, and instead they talk during the show about how much they enjoyed the film Avatar. The office goes back to mocking Jerry, but Jerry confides that he doesn't really care because he's just two years away from retiring on a full pension. Very quickly in the B story, the love triangle between Andy, April, and Ann deepens. Ann says Andy's a fun person but was a terrible boyfriend because he's completely reliant on others.
Until later, she sees him give April a muffin, which makes Anne think Andy has changed.
packed episode and really just all about Jerry, all about Jerry. I mean, before this happened, let me tell you guys, uh, I don't know where earlier in the season, because for those who don't know, Retta and I, and even Pratt at the time, we did not come on a series regulars, right? So they were actually told upfront, we don't even know what's going to happen with these characters. Uh, my agents actually kind of hinted that I shouldn't do it because they didn't want me to feel like I was doing some background work. Um, but,
But for me, it was these people who created The Office and look at what happened to those background folks. So for me, it was a no-brainer. But so we did the first six and then we come back for season two and now Red and I are just guest stars every week. And Morgan Sackett, our amazing line producer, came up to me, I forget at what point in the season early, and he goes, "You're getting an episode." And I'm like, "What?" He goes, "You're getting an episode."
I was blown away. Number one, I still wasn't a regular. I was just guesting every week. And so that blew my mind. And I went from incredible excitement to absolute terror. Like this could make or break whether they're going to bring me along. Anyway, it was a...
you know, typical actor BS, happy, sad, scared, terrified, excited, the whole, the whole gamut. So yeah, it was, um, and then I even got some feedback from some of the office folks who I love all those guys who were like, you got an episode in your second season. Um,
you know, because it took a while, I guess, over there. So, yeah, I was thrilled, obviously, thrilled and terrified, and I ultimately thrilled with how it came out. Yeah, I mean, it really is a testament to you, Jim, as a performer, and Retta as well. Of course, we beefed up her character along the way, but
you know, we quickly realized, I think as a writing staff and as a creative team, how valuable you were to the show. And, you know, in a way that character was so funny. I mean, that was the biggest thing. It was like, we got so many funny jokes, uh,
at Jerry's expense, but the way Jim, you played him was so lovable. You never felt bad. It almost was this way that the show used you and Jerry as kind of a release valve where the characters could get jokes off and it was such a warm, positive show. We kind of built in this thing where Jerry, he could take it. You know what I mean? It's like, you could get all these jokes that were kind of borderline mean, but then you just knew this guy was fine. You knew he was fine. We kept
bolstering you over and over again with those jokes. Yeah, and as I tell because so many people are like, oh, it really bothered me when they would, you know, whatever. Ultimately, whenever it mattered throughout the series, they always had Jerry's back when it counted. When there was real trouble, when Ben and Chris show up, you know, when you guys show up, Rob, and you guys are like, well, we got to cut this, we got to cut that. And Ben says to Leslie and Ron, well, listen, what about this Jerry Gergich? And Leslie immediately pipes in, well, we can't do it without him.
So, I mean, they had Jerry's back. He was, as Ron would say, the Shlemiel and the Shlemazel. I mean, he was both of the series, and I wear it as a badge of honor.
That's one of my there's so many great bits in this episode. The you reference the schlemiel in the schlemazel and those of us who grew up at a certain age watching Laverne and Shirley, where they talk about schlemiel, schlemazel, hoff and pfeffer incorporated. OK, it's true. I'm 90 fucking years old. Clearly, I never knew what that meant until this show. And and and the schlemiel is goes to a fancy party and has soup spills his soup.
The schlamazel is who he spills the soup on. And Jerry is both, as we say in this episode. It's wonderful. And I also love the tiny joke as Ron Swanson introduces that idea. He's like, this story was told to me by David Myers, the Jewish guy who works here at City Hall. So it's like there's one Jewish guy who works in the entire government. A little joke laid in by some of our Jewish writers, Dan Gore and Harris Whittles and all these people. So yeah, it was part of it. It has to be said. It can't be said enough.
The greatest writing team that certainly I've ever worked with. Just geniuses, all of you guys. Just absolute geniuses.
We had such a great time on the show. It was just a fun group, too. It was a fun group. We talked about this on the show before, how the writing staff was kind of a family and the cast was kind of a family. And then we all got together and we'd hang out together, too. So it was really this kind of harmonious thing. And that's why I think the Jerry character was so beloved, because so many people are so nice on the show, but they get to actually have some teeth when they make fun of Jerry. And it's just...
It's just so delightful. And that set piece in this one where you split your pants is truly a classic in terms of Parks and Rec.
Leslie, Leslie, Amy said to me after the table read, cause you know, for those who don't know this, Amy is, uh, I am, I think I'm nine, perhaps 10 years older than Amy, but Amy was the mother of that set. And she was a mother to me. She was a mother to everybody on that set. And she always wanted to make sure we were good. We were comfortable. And so after that table read, she comes up to me and she's like, no, Jim, are you comfortable with this? And I go, Amy, I'm not.
I get to fart. I get to split my pants. I was born for this. This is absolutely what I was born for. But she was so that's just who Amy is. I mean, anyone who knows her, she's incredibly kind and she will forego a very good, funny bit if it would make anybody uncomfortable. That's that's just who Amy is.
Yeah, again, it all starts from the top. You know, Mike and Greg, great showrunners, and Amy, an amazing number one. Tell us a little bit about how you started on the show. I mean, it's kind of an interesting story, actually, if I remember how you got started, Jim. I auditioned for Ron Swanson. Like everybody else in L.A., there was heat around this because it was the untitled Amy Poehler project coming off of SNL, and the word had gotten out. It wasn't a pilot. It was straight to series.
Six episode order, I believe. I don't know if I'm correct about that. But anyway, so there's... The way typical Jim O'Hare fashion, I can be down on myself like I think a lot of actors. And so I never in a million years went in there thinking I would get that. But I did know it was...
Greg Daniels and Mike Schur. And I wanted to impress them so that if there was ever a guest star rolled on the line, if there was ever, you know, on the office, maybe they would like me and consider me, you know, just, I've always believed you go in, you know, you don't know what else they're working on. So I went in, I did my research.
my Ron Swanson version of what I thought of... Do you remember your Ron Swanson? Can you give us a little bit of it? I wish I did. I mean, first of all, the thought of anyone other than Offerman, I can't even... I know. Like, my head can't go there. I'm sure it was... You know...
I don't think I embarrass myself because I do remember leaving thinking you did exactly what you wanted to do. Because, you know, you can leave auditions and you get in your car and you're like, son of a bitch. Oh, my God. Or you relive it and I should have done this. I do remember thinking, wow, such great guys in the room. And, you know, Greg and Mike. And I remember it was Allison. Allison Jones. Allison Jones, casting director, who, of course, is just amazing.
The sweetest. Anyway, so it was a lovely room because actors go into a lot of different rooms and they're not always great rooms. We've all been there. And this was a great room. I did have a little bit of a connection to chat with them about because I worked with Carell in –
Chicago, one of the last gigs I did was a voice job with Steve and I did for, I feel like it was Miller Beer. I don't know what the hell it was for. But anyway, so it's always nice to have something you can chat. So we could talk about Carell a little bit and stuff like that. But I left the room thinking this was good. Not at all thinking Ron Swanson good that they'd call me for that. But these guys like me and maybe they'll have something down the road.
And then I think it was around two weeks later, they call and say, would Jim consider reading for this role of Jerry? Well, of course. So I go in and I get into the waiting room and it's fat guys, thin guys, tall guys, short guys. They did not know. You know, they didn't know who Jerry was, obviously, at that point, which is it's interesting.
It leaves the door open, which can be good and bad. And so, again, I went in there, and they created a scene, Hal. And if I remember, there was no jury material. I think they created something. Yeah. New sides. They created this audition material, and I did it. And, again, I felt really good about the room. I felt good about my back and forth with Mike and Greg, and
But again, you leave and you have to let it go because, you know, you never know. And then we get the call a couple weeks later.
And my agent goes, Jim, they want to book you on this untitled Amy Poehler project. And I go, oh, which role? Because I really, not that I ever thought I was getting Ron Swanson. But anyway, so needless to say, it was Jerry. And then what I loved what they did was they were very honest. When they booked this, they told my reps that we don't know what's going to happen here. We have six series regulars that we have got to hire.
you know, cater to basically there are, there are people. Um, and so we don't know what's going to happen. And that's why, what I mentioned earlier, my agents feel like maybe you don't want to do this. But again, like I said, it was a no brainer for me, even if it had all, even if I had done those six and walked out the door to have had that experience of even those six episodes, I would have no regrets. So the fact that it turned into what it did, and I'll never forget, I was in a airport in Miami, uh,
And my manager calls, and she said, well, I just got a call, and they would like to negotiate to have you be a series regular on Parks and Recreation. And I literally, in some Miami airport, screamed, holy – I don't know if we can swear on this thing. No, we can swear. We'll do it. It's mostly swears, Jerry. And people are looking at me. It's true.
You know, because I certainly wanted it to go that way, but it doesn't mean it's going to, just because I wanted it to. So that was kind of... And then all of a sudden, I'm a series regular on Parks and Recreation. So yeah. You made the right bet. You made the right bet, Jim. And it's really a testament to you and your audition for Ron, because people don't know Jim auditioned for Ron. How wild is that to think about?
about, you know? It's so cool. And actually, I wish I could see the audition myself because, you know, it was how many years ago? 10, 11 years ago. I don't remember exactly what I did, but I would like to see what my version was now knowing what Nick has done with it because, again... And Alan, you can answer this. Was Nick their guy from the beginning?
You know, it's funny you mentioned that you want to do well in those rooms for the producers, right? For Mike and Greg, you want to make an impression because quite honestly, I think that's what had happened years ago with Nick and Mike Shore. Because I know, you know, Mike tells the story. He had just literally written down the name Nick Offerman and put it on a little yellow post-it note and he just had it on his computer.
And he just like in, like in his mind, you know, and, and by the way, it wasn't a straight offer to Nick, you know, Nick wasn't, you know, a super, super established actor. He had been in a lot of stuff. He'd acted a lot, but he wasn't, you know, a huge series regular on previous shows. So I remember, and the auditions, I remember your audition. I remember seeing Nick's audition and I saw Michael Malley's audition. Michael Malley did a great job, obviously very seasoned, funny actor. And, and, and, you know, I think Nick,
you know, obviously did an incredible job and really embodied that character, but it was by no means, in my mind, a done deal. Again, I was not making the decisions. They were, you know, they were so kind and generous to show some of the writers some of the auditions so we could all discuss the cast together. But, you know, he had them in mind. And that's what happens with
All the actors out there, it's a marathon. It's a marathon. Someone you remember from a show, I'll remember people who auditioned for Parks. I had someone show up in my new show a couple weeks ago, and she acted on Parks 10 years ago. I was like, I remember you from Parks. It's real. When I talk to kids in different theater schools and stuff, it's all about...
You don't know who's going to be in a room. You don't know what you're auditioning for. Always, you know, give it your best. But, you know, Nick and I, we've talked about this a hundred times. We were both Chicago journeyman actor. We both had good careers in Chicago and then we moved to LA and we're doing theater. And then, you know, we were both very fortunate that a lot of guest spots, like I think it was, it was either Fallon or, um,
Kimmel, I know one of them, when I sat down on the couch, the first question they asked me was, what show haven't you been on? Because I had, you know, if you look me up, I have guested on a lot of shows over the years. And so Nick and I really were very fortunate before Parks. Like things were busy. But then you stick it out long enough and a show like Parks comes along. And the thing about Parks that is so different is
Uh, these billions of shows that I've been on over the years, they come and go, they just come and go. It's the nature of it. Shows come and go. Uh, we've all done them. You never see them again. Uh, that's the end of that. But somehow parks has broken through and it is not going anywhere. Uh, I was at, I was shooting a film in, uh,
uh, the hell was, uh, Oh, New Orleans a couple months ago. And I'm at breakfast somewhere and a man comes up to me from India and he is all excited and worked up and like, it just blows my mind. It blows my mind. It's real. Yeah. And Nick sent us a video once, you know, Nick does that amazing one man show of his and, um,
He was in London, I believe. And he sent us this video where at the end of the show, the audience and he are singing Bye Bye Little Sebastian. And they're all holding up their phones or lighters. And I'm telling you, we were all like near tears. It was so...
I don't know. And, you know, Amy always called Parks and Recreation lightning in a bottle that so much great stuff came together, you know, between writers and actors and production, the greatest crew that ever walked the planet. And so, I don't know. It's amazing. Just amazing. Yeah. I mean, you're talking to two guys who are literally recapping every episode and we're quite busy. So we really love the show. Exactly. Exactly.
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Jim, I got a question for you. Did you, in the episode, did you do the stunt of falling into the creek? Because that looks, if you did, that's a great job. Or is that a stunt? Here's the thing. I was, I know. Here's the thing. And, you know, when I did it, I did a Brooklyn, a couple of Brooklyn Nine-Nines. And Dan, there was a stunt in there. And they're like, Jim's going to want to do it. He's going to want to do it. I wanted to do the stunt. What they let me do was, they wouldn't let me head first into it because it was so shallow. And I was like, I'm going to do it.
And they said, if you hit your head, we're screwed, blah, blah, blah. So the stunt guy, he did the fall, and then I laid my body into the river and whatever. You retrieved the burrito. I retrieved the burrito that I have dropped in there because, God forbid, you waste a good burrito.
And by the way, Jim ain't lying about, like, I'm sure he would have done it, but, you know, Parks and Rec is a Universal production, and, you know, pretty much every show I've ever worked on is Universal. That's where my deal is. They're really cautious about allowing actors to do anything. Oh, yeah. We were talking, I was talking to my co-writer on this new show, Matt Hubbard, who was also a Parks writer, and he was like, yeah, I just did a pilot for Universal, and they said no one could run. We couldn't shoot someone running. Like,
It's like, okay, so people should just be lying down on a bed, like, covered in blankets, and that's all we can shoot. And then I think, you know, in our pilot, like, they wouldn't let an actor just jump into a pool. I'm like, people can jump into pools. It's like, that happens. But anyway, it's all legal liability stuff. There's an episode that you guys will get to in the future. Matt Walsh was guesting on it. And I think I'm running home to save my family. And so the bit is I'm running, I hit a curb, and I fall.
I had to fight for a half hour to let them. I said, I'm just running and falling like that. They would never let you do it. It was a whole thing. But so no, Rob, it was I got to I got to lay in the creek and then they had me eat some some charcoal tablets afterward. Like it was it was a whole thing. No way. No way. Because there could have been.
I don't know. Some bacteria. I don't know. You know how they're so cautious, they're so careful that we're all okay. And I did what they told me to do. Jim, we have to ask. We like to go scene by scene sometimes in these, but we have to ask about this big sort of set piece scene where your pants split open and you fart. Greg Levine, producer Greg, remembers the table read. Do you remember the table read? Because he was saying, you know...
Mike was reading stage directions. I think people were just almost unable to continue the read. They were laughing so hard. I kind of do remember that again, because it was so, you know, again, I'm not even a series regular at this point,
terrified at the table read because this is the most I'm ever saying at a table read. I've never spoken this much in an episode. So I'm, I'm frightened. That's, that's the only word I can come up with. Um, and excited, you know, the, the, the, that kind of mix. Um, so yeah, uh, it,
It was a funny bit on paper. You never know how that's going to play out because not everything that is funny on paper works out when you go to do it. So and again, there was Amy afterward making sure I was OK with it. And believe me, I was more than OK with it. I love that kind of stuff.
That's very considerate of her. And, you know, again, this Jerry character, it just felt like when we figured out that game, I think it's partly in that Digging Up Dirt episode called Practice Day, which Rob and I talked about a few weeks ago, written by Harris Whittles, where, you know, oh, we discovered Jerry's adopted, but he didn't know. And it kind of was the birth of this dynamic. And the dynamic was so robust and so funny that
That's when it's like, and obviously Jim excelled in the roles. Like, oh, we can do this every episode. And in fact, people never got sick of it. We did it every episode. Mike told, Mike Sher had said, at one point he had to say to the writer's room, okay, enough of the Jerry jokes. Like we, they're like, because they're fun and kind of easy to do. And he was like, yeah, we got other stuff to write. Yeah, no, they're easy to do. But the, the pan split and the fart, you know, is that childish? Yeah. Yeah.
But I'm sorry it works, and I'm on board for it. Yeah. I also like the – maybe you have to be a Hoosier. You know, I've talked about this. I grew up in Ohio, Indiana, spent my summers in Indiana. My dad's from Anderson, Indiana. But anytime you can get a good Muncie joke. Yes. I always love that. I mean, Jerry has a timeshare in Muncie. Yes.
is the greatest. - Yeah, and what I think makes this, obviously the scene work as well as it does, is the cast. Their reactions, knowing that Leslie has told them, "Do not, you know, we're gonna be good during this. "We're gonna give it our best." And their reactions, Tom's reaction to Muncie, all of their reactions trying to keep it together,
It's obviously the funny bit. I can tell you, so Trim was directing, Mike Trim, who was our DP, and we had done a bunch of takes, and you know how it is, the wardrobe departments, they preset the pants so that when I bend over, there's going to be a split, you know, all that kind of stuff. So we're doing it, and then the cast is laughing, and we're all laughing. For those who don't see any of the outtakes, if you put us in a conference room, those were the best moments.
My very favorite moments of shooting parts from work were conference rooms because it was just all of us just laughing and joking together and then doing some really good material. Those are my favorite things were the conference rooms. But anyway, so Amy's like, I can't laugh. No, I'm done. You can't make me laugh anymore. And in my head, that was a bit of a challenge. Amazing. And the other thing, this is also the beginning of
you know, by the end of the story, you know, Jim has that sort of, Jerry has a talking head where he explains that it's okay. Like they can make fun of me. I'm two years away from retirement. And I think what happened later on, I think Mike was really careful to sort of buttress Jerry's character and make sure that he had an amazing life outside of work. And so that,
ultimately culminated in you being married to Christie Brinkley and having this amazing family. Did you see any of that coming or was that all kind of a surprise to you? That could not have been more of a surprise. Mike had told me later basically what you just said. He's like, Jerry can't have everything bad in his life because why is he around? It's too much. So then they come up with ideas and what I thought was interesting, Amy, I don't know if you ever heard this, Amy had a very funny pitch
Amy pitched, what if Jerry is a tyrant at home? What if because he's so put upon at work that he goes home and he is, you know, and so she's like, what if we cast some tiny little frail chain-smoking woman who the minute Jerry comes in the door, you know, but anyway, obviously they didn't go. It's a different show. Totally different show.
I'm glad that we went the way... It always cracked me up to see you and Christy Brinkley and your daughters singing those breakfast songs and just having a great time. And then Chris became part of the family. Totally. He started dating your daughter. I mean, that was all...
That was all really fun. We were going to have a mutual family tree for a minute. We were. We were very close. And then to this day, and Halloween is coming up, so I'll hear about it again, people will go as Jerry with the potato head costume, where when he realizes that you are dancing all up on my daughter, April comes over and turns the smile upside down.
Oh, yeah. I remember that. And that is actually a popular Halloween costume. It's a very funny moment. Traeger dating Jerry's daughter. I forgot about all that stuff. That's wild, man. And I do love how Ben just never could understand it. He thought there was some...
Some big mystery. Did she have amnesia? Why is she with me? Yeah, he has some great... It's coming up in episodes in the future, but where he grills you about... He's like, how did you meet? Did you lose a bet? Is there...
He has a whole, he's created a whole fantasy in his mind about how this could possibly have happened. It's amazing. And there was one final thing that they did. I think this may have been Dan Gore's pitch, but it's one of the rare off-color jokes in Parks and Rec because we have a talking head with Jerry's doctor and
And he just says to camera, that man has the largest penis I've ever seen. That's just the talking head that's in the show. So congrats, Jerry. You got it. And you know, that came from real life. I was standing next to one of the lawyers. Anyway, the, no, but the funny bit is Gore also, wait, who told me this? Was it, it might've been Dan, might've been my, anyway, they shot it the other way.
They shot it where he goes. This man has the smallest penis I have ever seen. Oh, wow. You know, because you're doing, you know, you're just pinching him. And so thank the Lord they didn't go that direction because you know how the world is. You know how the Internet is. It's much better to be perceived as
with how it worked out. Um, we can talk quickly about, uh, Andy Sandberg too. I mean, he's not a guest, so we'll give him shorter shrift than Jim, but, uh, very fun to have Sandberg goes. So he's playing this guy, Carl Orthner, and, and he's a very loud talker. And, uh,
Greg and I talked about this. It's kind of based by a former Parks and Recollection guest, Dean Holland, because Dean has no indoor voice and he cannot speak at a normal volume. He has an extremely loud voice. It serves him well as a director, but he just cannot speak quietly. So that was kind of based on Dean. It was kind of based on a real life guy.
What makes me laugh is it is literally a one-note joke the entire episode, and it is funny every single time. Like, just me, like, oh, yeah, I get it. I get it. It's just funny every time. Yeah, and Sandberg just goes for it. You know, he's just one of those guys.
Yes, everything he does is funny. But it's certainly when I was rewatching this episode the other day, I was a little when I first heard Sandberg talk, I was like, oh, yeah, this loud voice character. And it's it's bordering on the possibility of being a Nakamura. I don't know if you guys know what a Nakamura is. It's kind of a comedy writing term. So so how do I not know this? Yeah. Yeah. This is this is kind of some jargon, comedy writing jargon. It's based on an episode of Taxi.
So there's an episode of Taxi from a long time ago, the 70s or whatever, and the writers had written a joke about a Japanese product made by a company, like a fictional company called the Nakamura Company. And so they're on stage shooting it, and it's a multicam, so they're shooting it live in front of a studio audience, and the first joke about the Nakamura Company is,
just absolutely dies. It just craters. And then the writers in their minds know that they have six callbacks to the Nakamura company. So they just know that you just like buckle up because there's, you know, 10 more of these jokes. And you're like, oh shit. So, you know, the idea that like, look, if you don't like Sandberg talking loud in the first scene, you're going to hear it a lot more times. So that's, you're always, so when you're writing a script and you write this running joke or running gag or whatever, and you're like,
is this going to be a Nakamura? You got to bet that it's going to work the first time. So that's the origin of Nakamura. Well, you know, they had the same issue with Eichner because Billy comes in with his character. He'll be the first one to tell you. You either love him or you hate him on the show. I loved him. But, you know, same bit. Either you're going to go with that or you're not. It's a big statement.
Craig, Craig, the legendary Craig, later season character. But with Jerry, you know, with Jerry, it's just like, I don't know, to me, those jokes never get old. It's some of my favorite stuff to write and it just works in the show. I think it just, again, just this palate cleanser, it's just a balance to the rest of the show. And I think Jim, you play Jerry with so much, you just, it's your face, it's the way you move, it's the way you treat everybody. Like, I just feel like it's one of the best games in all of Parks and Rec. And
And it's a testament to the fact that, yeah, like season one, you and you and Red are just kind of hanging around. And by the end, you're like the mayor of Pawnee. Donna's getting married. Yeah, it's right. It's it's it's an incredible journey, man. It truly like you're saying it's an actor's dream. It's totally an actor's dream. And I can tell you so many people have come up to me who have never seen the finale.
And I'm like, why? They've seen each episode 20 times, never saw the finale, because then it's over. And I said, I get where you're coming from, okay? But number one, it is over. And number two, some great stuff happens for Jerry. So if you have been following the Jerry journey, you've got to see the finale. And I remember Amy came up to me.
At some point, whenever you guys were starting to talk about what you were going to do for each one of us, and she started telling me what you guys were thinking about, and I had tears in my eyes. I thought that was the sweetest thing I'd ever heard. Now, I also know how it works. That could change overnight. What begins in a writer's room...
that can turn on its head, you know, in a heartbeat. So I wasn't married to it. I wanted to be married to it. And then ultimately that is how it turned out. And so, yeah, they, Jerry got quite the send off though. I can tell you when the series, when the finale happened and it aired, we were the cast, we were all in New York because we did, who do we do? Seth Meyers.
And so I get a call the next day from my sister and she's crying. She goes, oh, it's so sad. She goes, but I can't believe they killed you off. I go, kill me off? She goes, you're dead. I go, I'm 100.
And I'm 100 years old. And she goes, I know, but if they do a reunion, you can't be in it. I go, no, they're not going to do a reunion when we're 100 years. She just couldn't. All she could take from the episode was that you guys killed me off. Yeah. A gravestone. A gravestone. Yeah. So I said, it's fine. It's all good. I think I'll be around if they do one.
This almost makes me want to talk about the finale. We should wait for the finale when we get to the finale. But yeah, I actually remember, man, there were a lot of debates about how the show would end. Actually, I'm excited to talk about that one. It's going to be a ways off, but yeah, it wasn't always the way it ended. Well, I do think, and this doesn't give anything away, obviously, but I think endings are the toughest thing for a show that has had an impact.
Some of my favorites did not nail it, but I think, and I know I'm biased, I'm whatever, I think you guys nailed it. I really do. But again, that's a conversation for another day. Yeah. This has got to be one of your favorite episodes, right? In terms of you personally for Jim, this is kind of a watershed episode for you. Yeah, this one, and I get a lot of feedback on the retirement episode, but this one, it was the first time
Like I said, you got to see, I'd like to think, a full character, what I was going through, what my concerns, why I didn't want to be honest with everybody. And then remember, in this episode, if I'm remembering correctly, the voice of reason was Mark Brandanowicz. That's right. Also, he doesn't show up in the episode 15 minutes in, but yes, he does have a scene where he tells Amy what to do. Yeah, Paul Schneider, he was the voice of reason to Leslie saying...
I think your problem is that you have a worker who's afraid of his coworkers. I'm paraphrasing. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's exactly what he says. Rob, do you remember, Chris was generally pretty nice to Jerry, right? Do you remember? You didn't make fun of Jerry that much in my recollection. No, I think there were
I think there might have been twice in the entire time I ever interacted with Jerry. Yeah. Where I wasn't anything other, because Chris loves everybody. So when Chris was mean to Jerry, it was like a killer. And I think we'll come up on those.
It was only once or twice, but he was always super... You know, Chris loved everybody. Yeah. I mean, what a way to define a character. He's even nice to Jerry, right? I think that's like, in a world of nice characters, Chris was maybe the nicest. So that makes a lot of sense. Let me ask you this. I'm always obsessed with what people in the writer's room are...
The hours are long. You're eating bad pizza. It's late at night. You're you maybe have writer's block. And inevitably, Alan, you know, this there'll be some weird, obscure obsession that will come out up and sometimes it'll make its way into the show.
And I couldn't help but wonder if there wasn't an – now, granted, I know Avatar is one of the biggest movies ever. But I'm wondering – my spider sense tells me there was something more going on around Avatar that made it into this episode. Am I right? It made me really laugh just to see those Avatar jokes because you're like, why is it so – and it keeps coming back over and over. They talk about Avatar again and again and again in the episode. Oh, yeah.
Greg, do you remember... I know we have somewhat of an obsession with Avatar. There's something funny inherently about Avatar because it's just this massive movie and yet people don't really talk about it. It's not talked about the same way that Star Wars or Marvel is. And yet it was for a while the number one movie of all time. But there's something so funny about it. People don't really...
I feel like people don't love those characters or that world, but it just was so popular. It's really funny to talk about. I don't know. It's such a specific thing. Greg, do you remember why we talked about it so much? I don't know if this rings a bell for you, but I feel like the room was a bit split on Avatar. Yes. That there were some people who just loved it. I remember loving it. I think...
Shore loved it and a few other people we were just obsessed with this movie that would just kind of blew us away and some people thought it was derivative or whatever that was and I think that that just became a room talking point like you're talking about Rob and then someone types it into the script or the notes and you can't delete it from that point you just can't delete it you know it's all it's actually all coming back to me I believe the trailer for Avatar is
first came out while we were in the writer's room and we watched it as a room.
And when we watched the trailer, it ended. And Mike was like, that looks like terrible bullshit. It's going to be awful. I'm going to hate that movie. Then, like a year later, it came out and he loved it. So he came back to the writer's room and said, I love Avatar. He's like, I don't know why, but I loved Avatar. A lot of people didn't like it. So I think people were just screaming about, you know, about whether it was good or bad for a long time. I think the detractors said, you know, the dialogue was kind of flat. The characters are not differentiated.
you know some of the acting was indifferent whatever and then other people like just shut the fuck up it's a it's an amazing technological achievement that the 3d is amazing he built this world it's james cameron all this stuff he's a genius and i think it just it seeped its way into the script it rob you're right to point out we are weird obsessions do peek their way into episodes over and over again and that's what makes it real you know audiences as your guys are watching shows be on the lookout for that you're always like wait a minute why are
Are these people obsessed with Captain Cr- whatever it is, it's gonna be something. And those things are the things that make me laugh. I also wonder about, there's a great little grace note in this episode where Anne talks about the fact that she's watched too many Lifetime movies. Yes. And the title of the last movie that Anne has watched on Lifetime made me laugh so hard. I wrote it down. Hang on. It's Howl.
How far is too far enough? The Terry Power Longhorn story. That sounds like an Aisha joke. I don't know if she wrote that one. It's her script. But we, again, that's our favorite shit to write. That and the books that they would read. There were books that were theoretically written by Gabe Pirello, our prop master. They're like James Patterson style novels. But coming up with those titles, how far...
How far is too far enough? Yeah, it's wonderful. It's a Terry Power Longhorn story. I just want to say what's great about them is that we will spend maybe...
three or four hours in the room coming up with the funniest version of this one movie title, but then maybe five minutes on a very important dramatic beat or character moment. A true waste of Universal's money. Just a true waste. I would love to know the ones that didn't make it in. On these idiot, stupid, really deep cut jokes like this that I'm obsessed with, I would love somewhere somehow to know
Because I bet you they were genius. We'll have to dig those up. Greg, you have the notes. We could find the notes. I'll break them out of cryosleep.
This podcast is supported by FX's English Teacher, a new comedy from executive producers of What We Do in the Shadows and Baskets. English Teacher follows Evan, a teacher in Austin, Texas, who learns if it's really possible to be your full self at your job, while often finding himself at the intersection of the personal, professional, and political aspects of working at a high school. FX's English Teacher premieres September 2nd on FX. Stream on Hulu.
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Do you want to go to the town hall? I mean, you do. We should maybe get to a town hall. Jim, if you haven't heard the pod yet, we do these town hall questions from our listeners, and they want to hear from you. So we have some town hall questions. Should we get to that, Rob?
Let's do it. Let's go to the, where are we doing the town hall? Let's let Jim. So Jim, we pick a location to do the town hall. Um, Pawnee is a sprawling metropolis and there are many, many places to do it. Um, did you have your favorite place in, in, in, uh, Pawnee, your favorite location?
Well, if it can't be Muncie, then I'd say the small park. Oh, the smallest park. I love that episode. The smallest park. Yeah, world's smallest park. A little gimmick that Leslie came up with to goose attendance. Or any Ponch Burger. Or any Ponch Burger. We haven't done it. Okay, we'll do it in two locations. We'll jet back and forth. I love that you remember Ponch Burger. I'll read the town hall question. It actually is for Jim. So Emma from Maine writes in and says...
Uh, if Jerry were having a dinner party, which three guests of honor would he invite? Um, and I think she probably means either from the show or anybody. I don't know. It's up to you, Jim. I think we should do both because we're having the town hall in two locations. I love it. We should do in one location in Ponch Burger, you answer people on the, in the Pawnee world. Yeah. And then the other location it's people in, in the universe. It's a great idea. Wow. Um,
Boy, that would be tough for the people in the, you know, in the parks department, because I truly believe Jerry loved each and every one of them, like truly loved each and every one of them. He knew his priority was his family and all that stuff, which is incredibly healthy and wonderful, but he did love them. Wow. So the boy, he would, it would kill him to hurt anyone's feelings. Yeah.
Wow. It has to just be the three? Let's make some hard decisions. Let's piss some people off. Oh, God. I'd have to have Leslie, obviously.
I'd have to have Ron, and I think I'd have to have Donna. Yeah, I was going to say Donna's got to be in there. I was going to say they've got the bond. They've got such a bond. I love their friendship. Yeah, Donna is my ride or die. There's no doubt about that. Yeah, but it would break my heart that that's...
that I couldn't have everybody. Well, I have a writer's answer to that, which is Jerry says that he feels so bad that he can't invite anybody, he can't invite everybody, so he invites nobody, and everyone's mad at him. Yes.
So no one gets to go. That is the perfect answer. Yes. You guys, I know we're jumping here. Let me just quickly jump in and tell you. When Renna and I, before we knew we were serious regulars, we used to have these really cool dressing rooms in the building. And so we would sit in kibitz all day long like, what's happening? Are they firing us? Are we going to be here next week? Are they getting rid of... So Renna and I...
quickly bonded and have stayed bonded ever since the show. So yeah, Donna will always be Jerry's, his right hand when it comes to the parks department. Yeah. I love that. And I love that you guys are still friends. It's wonderful. And we all are. I was texting with Offerman yesterday. He's got another book coming out. I said, you're so damn prolific. And he's like, yeah, my, my, what did he say? He goes,
My publisher wished I was prolific 18 months ago. So apparently he's maybe missed a deadline or two. But yeah, I just love those guys. Oh, wait. So now Jerry, outside of his world. Well, I think Jerry's probably a very religious dude, and he's going to want Jesus at that meeting. Yes.
I like that answer. Yeah, I think Jesus will be a big part of that. And I'm assuming his family can automatically be there. They're already there, yeah. Yeah, they're already there. So Jesus, I think the guy who ran the ice cream shop where he met Gail would be, I think he should be there. So sweet.
Maybe Jerry's, maybe his notary boss. I don't know exactly who that is. We never met. But maybe his notary boss.
Yes, very random. I'm thinking Marilyn Monroe. That's wonderful. Very, very character. Very character. I love it, man. Great answers. And yeah, that's the town hall. That's the town hall. Thank you so much for answering. And thanks for joining us, Jim. This was so much fun, you guys. Yeah, anything else you want to add or plug? We're here. Oh, I'm out there doing a bunch of...
Oh, shoot. I don't know if I'm allowed to say where I am. I could say a state. You can say a state. Yeah. What are you? You held hostage right now? I'm going to say New Mexico. I don't know. Oh, wow. And I know this. I know that because I won't say it either, Jim. I know what you're working on. And it sounds it rhymes with the new installment of Bar Orrs.
bar oars. I was like, Jim, are you the new Iron Man? But I guess you're something else. Well, this is great. We will have you back as we continue on the Jerry trajectory because there's a lot of great stuff to come. So much fun, Jim. Super fun. Love seeing you. Thanks for listening. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and tell a friend. Thanks to producer Greg and producer Schulte. Goodbye from Pawnee.
Parks and Recollection is produced by Greg Levine and me, Rob Schulte. Our coordinating producer is Lisa Berm. The podcast is executive produced by Alan Yang for Alan Yang Productions, Rob Lowe for Low Profile, Jeff Ross, Adam Sachs, and Joanna Solitaroff at Team Coco, and Colin Anderson at Stitcher. Gina Batista, Paula Davis, and Britt Kahn are our talent bookers. The theme song is by Mouse Rat, a.k.a. Mark Rivers.
with additional tracks composed by John Danek. Thanks for listening, and we'll see you next time on Parks and Recollection. This has been a Team Coco production in association with Stitcher.
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