Amy Poehler is on fire.
She broke through last year with an Emmy nomination, which was just about unheard of for a cast member of Saturday Night Live, and then she ended up with a sitcom of her own from the makers of The Office. Parks and Recreation wasn’t exactly a world beater last year, but it’s back for a second season on NBC. That’s not all though! Amy is also working double duty, co-hosting SNL’s Weekend Update Thursday during its limited run this fall.
Amy started the night appearing live on Weekend Update Thursday. Last season, the country was in the middle of a presidential election, which always make for great fodder for comedy. This year, however, there is no election, so I’m a little confused about the Thursday SNL installments. With that being said, tonight’s episode was good for a few laughs. Amy and Seth’s “Really?!?” bit has always been a favorite of mine, and the Joe Wilson skit at the beginning was decent. I thought the highlight was the sketch with “Jimmy Carter” and “Michael Steele,” discussing racism in America. It looks like all that speculation about Darrell Hammond retiring was just speculation. I have to say that I’m glad that this is just a limited run, though, if for no other reason than the extraordinary number of commercials they show into the half hour.
Parks and Recreation may not be the funniest show on television, but I do think that it is improving, and was always better than the unfortunate Kath & Kim. This week’s premiere was one of the strongest outings for the show, in my opinion. I thought it was a clever set up, with Leslie accidentally marrying two gay penguins and becoming a reluctant local gay icon. It certainly made for some great moments watching image-conscious, super-awkward Leslie trying to fit in at a gay club.
I’m not convinced that the show is going to keep my attention all season long, but with a talent like Amy Poehler at the helm, it has a lot going for it.
Clacked by Bob Degon
on Sep 17, 2009 @ 21:33 EST5EDT
I gave Parks & Recreation another shot, despite it completely sucking last season, and caught the premiere on Hulu. I wanted to kill myself EVEN more than I wanted to kill Amy Poehler’s Leslie, and that was a tremendous amount.