Season 1 - Episode 1 - Pilot

We are introduced to the gang at Pawnee's Parks and Recreation department on April 9, 2009 in the Pilot episode!

Original Air Date: April 9, 2009
Writer: Greg Daniels & Michael Schur
Director: Greg Daniels

SERIES PREMIERE--MAKE MY PIT A PARK— From Emmy Award-winning executive producers of “The Office” comes a new mockumentary that looks at the exciting world of local government. The documentary cameras follow Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) a mid-level bureaucrat in the Parks and Recreation Department of Pawnee, Indiana. In an attempt to beautify her town Leslie takes on what should be a fairly simple project: help local nurse Ann Perkins (Rashida Jones) turn an abandoned construction pit into a community park. Leslie is alternately helped and undermined by her colleague, Tom Haverford (Aziz Ansari), who cheerfully exploits his government position for personal gain. She is also thwarted by her boss Ron Swanson (Nick Offerman) who is philosophically opposed to government in any form. Helping Leslie and Ann navigate the Pawnee bureaucracy is charismatic city planner Mark Brendanawicz (Paul Schneider), whose outlook has been soured by 15 years of public service. If they can pull it off, Leslie hopes that she also will have inspired her uninterested college intern April (Aubrey Plaza) and April’s whole generation – all the while moving one step closer to her ultimate goal: becoming the first female president of the United States.

Pilot News:
Behind the Scenes Video, Promos, Watch Episode Online, Exclusive "The Pit" Photos, "The Pit" Timeline, Video Highlight, Two-Minute Replay