Amy Poehler's Show Gets a Title

By Rick Porter, Zap2It.com | February 2, 2009

Amy Poehler

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NBC comedy will be called 'Parks & Recreation'

NBC's Amy Poehler show finally has a title: "Parks & Recreation."

Super Bowl viewers were treated to the first official confirmation of the title Sunday (Feb. 1) when Poehler appeared in a promo for the series, which will debut in April.

There has been consistent, if not exactly fervent, speculation on what the show's title would be, with numerous outlets calling it as the "Untitled Amy Poehler 'Office' Non-Spinoff," or something like that. The show comes from "The Office" executive producers Greg Daniels and Mike Schur, who at one time were considering a spinoff of the show but changed course when Poehler signed on. (Daniels says a true "Office" spinoff is still a possibility, but it's still at the idea stage.)

NBC has been referring to the show internally as the "Untitled Daniels/Schur/Poehler Show," and a script given to reporters at the Television Critics Association press tour last month listed it as "Untitled Mockumentary About a Local Public Works Project." The New York Times reported last week that the show would be called "Public Works."

"Parks & Recreation" stars Poehler as Leslie Knope, a mid-level employee for a municipal parks and rec department in Indiana who sees her job as the first step toward a grand career in politics. She makes it her mission to help a city resident ("Office" veteran Rashida Jones) turn a vacant lot into a park, despite resistance on pretty much all levels.

Aziz Ansari ( "Scrubs") and Aubrey Plaza also star in the show, which will have the same documentary format as "The Office." Filming is scheduled to begin in a couple of weeks, and "Parks & Recreation" is scheduled to premiere Thursday, April 9.