Parks and Recreation

It’s with complete shock and utter sadness that we bring you this news tonight. Comedian Harris Wittels, known best for his writing, producing and occasional acting work on NBC’s Parks and Recreation, has been found dead of an apparent drug overdose at the age of 30. Wittels has spoken openly about his struggles with drug addiction in the past, including two trips to rehab. We hoped for the best for this insanely talented writer and comedian, but tonight’s news is the worst.

So far, we've had an easy go of it in the final season of Parks and Recreation, as the show has paved the way for these characters to continue on a journey we won't get to experience. They've been slowly wrapping things up with moments of fan service that, no matter how expected, still feel comforting and fun, while still managing to commit to their own vision of how things should end. But it doesn't really get emotional until tonight's two new episodes, which continues the process of saying farewell while promising new beginnings.

‘Parks and Recreation’ returns tonight with two all-new episodes, taking Leslie and April to Washington in the first, and skillfully tackling feminism in the second. But overall, both episodes are essentially about the same thing: giving someone the room to forge their own path and accepting them for whatever they choose. We’re definitely on a roll in the final season—it’s just too bad that NBC won’t spread these episodes out more to let us take our time to enjoy the farewell.

Wedding episodes are typically always sweet and funny, bringing everyone (along with a few old and new faces) together to celebrate a wonderful union, which marks the next chapter in the life of a friend or loved one. Tonight on ‘Parks and Recreation,’ Donna and Joe (Keegan-Michael Key) finally tie the knot—it’s just too bad that Donna doesn’t get nearly enough of the spotlight in an episode named for her.

After the stressful tug of war between Leslie and Ron in the first few episodes, it’s nice to see them united against a common enemy once again in this week’s two new episodes of ‘Parks and Recreation.’ While there were plenty of heartwarming moments to last week’s episodes, they definitely felt a bit more dramatic, but “Gryzzlbox” and “Save JJ’s” are wholly hilarious and both feature some perfect comedic rhythm.

Welcome back to another installment of the Monday Morning Critic. In this space each week, I’ll be looking at the week that was in addition to the week ahead in television. The format will shift each week, as the world of TV will dictate the form and content of each piece. In this week’s installment: a review of the third season of ‘The Americans’ and a look at a recent example the true power of long-form narrative on TV.

Although a lot has changed in the fictional TV years since we last saw the cast of ‘Parks and Recreation,’ some things never change, like Leslie’s unflappable determination, and Ron’s stubborn attitude. These two butting heads over their ideals is nothing new, but there’s something kind of unsettling about the cavalier and stoic way with which Ron approaches his business—he’s always been a libertarian with anti-government and pro-capitalist views, but who could imagine a Ron who makes deals with a business like Gryzzl?

The arrival of the final season of ‘Parks and Recreation’ is bittersweet: We’ve spent six years with Leslie Knope and her friends (and enemies…and peripheral weirdos) in a sitcom that helped fill the void left behind by Liz Lemon and ‘30 Rock.’ In that six years, ‘Parks and Rec’ hasn’t just been hilarious—its presence alone has become comforting. So while we celebrate the return of one of our favorite shows, we also have to start the process of saying goodbye. At least they’re making sure we laugh all the way to the end.

We’re not quite ready to say goodbye to ‘Parks and Recreation’ in 2015, but our favorite Pawnee characters have moved well ahead to the year “2017" all the same. The seventh and final season will premiere on January 13 with a double-dose of said future, but why wait to check out the first two spoilery synopses of the season?

‘Parks and Recreation’s seventh and final season will have a short victory lap in the manner NBC has chosen to burn off its 13 episodes, but our final days in Pawnee will at least be full of familiar faces. Fresh off the ‘Ant-Man’ set, Paul Rudd will reprise his role as Sweetums magnate Bobby Newport, but what brings the character back to ‘Parks and Recreation’'s final year, you ask?