When I Am Sad, I Simply Watch The ‘Parks And Recreation’ Bloopers

Here’s the thing — Parks and Recreation is a television show that is already a ray of sunshine, a warm hug, a hot cup of soup being thrown into the face of a soft baby.

It’s the only thing I can watch when I have the flu, for example. It’s funny, wholesome, and lovely.

But you don’t need wholesome, exactly. Sometimes you just need to laugh. Sometimes… you NEED to laugh. And that’s where the Parks and Rec bloopers come into it. It’s one of the only things on the internet that I KNOW will successfully cheer me up if I need it.

The other is videos of brides falling over in their dresses.

There’s a lot of the same wholesome energy as the show in the bloopers– obviously. But there’s also a deep mania, a current of vibrant cursed energy, the friction that comes from a bunch of funny people who genuinely love each other being forced to act together in a TV comedy.

I LIVE off that energy.

A good blooper reel is never particularly about the bloops — it’s about the reactions. It’s about the willingness to take the moment of comedy and treasure it, expand where needed, play with it, continue the joke. Or simply to leave it there on the floor, perfect and sparkling, and just laugh at it.

I believe that because so many of the Parks and Rec cast come from an improv background — Amy Poehler most notably — they’re trained to react to spontaneous comedy, which is what makes this blooper reel so perfect. It’s better than literally any other gag reel on the internet. It is very funny.

I will note that it has soured a little bit for me — both Aziz Ansari and Chris Pratt aren’t my favourite people anymore, and unlike with the show, this is them being THEM. Pratt is particularly hard to watch, as he’s a bit of a jokester, and features heavily. Ah, more innocent times.

But, it’s Amy Poehler who makes this evergreen, who keeps this one of the most hilarious corners of the internet. Her laugh alone would make it worthwhile — that cackle is genuinely perfect. She also exemplifies in these bloopers the kind of comedy I love to watch — a funny person being genuinely tickled by something else funny. She is so supportive and generous with her laughter, and it’s why these work.

There’s some truly iconic moments over the many seasons of Parks and Recreation bloopers. We’ll give you some highlights, to help you watch more efficiently.

‘Parks And Recreation’ Season 2 Bloopers

Season 2 of Parks and Rec is still gearing up, and the bloopers are of a similar energy. There’s not a LOT of iconic moments, but the energy is THERE. My favourite part is when Leslie and Ann are trying to force pills down Ron’s mouth, and they’re just rolling around and giggling. Seems fun.

‘Parks And Recreation’ Season 3 Bloopers

See, things are kickings off! This is so wholesome! This is so lovely! They’re all laughing and I think they are friends! I think they are my friends.

‘Parks And Recreation’ Season 4 Bloopers

Now THIS is the business. We start with Amy absolutely losing it when Christ Pratt improvises a perfect little Andy moment — losing concentration during an involved set of instructions.

This also features one of my favourite jokes in the entire show “dude, is she going to powder her vagina?” Watching the cast react to this perfect moment helps you re-appreciate just how good it is. Or what about Kathryn Hahn saying “he’s actually in me”? Perfect.

I will say these bloopers have the most Chris Pratt toilet humour, which I am not a fan of.

‘Parks And Recreation’ Season 5 Bloopers

Another good gag reel! Isn’t this hilarious!

One of my fave bits is when Amy can’t say “Colonel Plump’s Slop Trough”. That’s funny. I also really like it when Adam Scott doesn’t want to get slapped again, because he is a precious angel who must be saved.

The back and forth where Adam Scott answers “my butthole?” to the imperative of “keep it tight” is part of my regular lexicon now. The bit where Aubrey answers Andy’s question of “what’s that other thing you’re always telling me?” with “don’t take it out until I scream” shows us that she’s 7000 times better at dirty humour than Chris Pratt.

‘Parks And Recreation’ Season 6 Bloopers

Ron’s in Blush!

She drove me here!

Season 6 is getting to a lot of manic energy, and it’s good high energy fun.

One of my favourite bits is when Jim, the guy who plays Jerry, absolutely does a Jerry and speaks while rolling. Such a Jerry!

And that’s all the bloopers you can find reliably on YouTube. There’s more around, but you gotta go hunting for them! I hope you feel better.

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Patrick Lenton is the Editor of Junkee. He tweets @patricklenton.