Chris Pratt Reveals Why He Thought Parks And Rec Would Be Canceled After One Episode

As far as success stories go, "Parks and Recreation" is up there with "The Office" for NBC. What started out as just another comedy changed the mockumentary game even further, spawning even more shows to adapt a seemingly trivial job into a comedy goldmine. But as is the case with many shows in their early days, it was touch and go for a little while.

It took "Parks and Rec" a good few seasons before cementing its status in the comedy canon, and only really began to gain traction once Adam Scott and Rob Lowe joined the cast towards the end of the second season. From there, the show blossomed and by the time Season 3 came around the show everyone came to adore was born, as YouTube channel Entertain the Elk notes.

This comfort and success were far away from the experience the cast had with the first season, which had one of the show's main stars worried about whether it would actually continue beyond the pilot.

"Parks and Recreation" initially found its footing as a spin-off from "The Office." Co-created by Greg Daniels, who adapted "The Office" from the BBC series of the same name, NBC had initially approached Daniels to create a spinoff from "The Office" while the show was in its fourth season (via ScreenRant). Teaming up with "Office" writer Michael Shur, the two eventually came up with the premise for a standalone series that would become "Parks and Rec."

But having influence from "The Office" rooted deeply in their new series, it was hard for viewers and critics to differentiate the two from the beginning. Both were similar in tone and comedy, leading many to constantly compare them, as Chris Pratt noted during an episode of the "Parks and Recollection" podcast. "The pilot came out, and people were like, 'Well, we're going to get canceled tomorrow,'" Pratt explained (via CheatSheet). "It hadn't caught its audience yet, and it hadn't really found its rhythm yet as a show."

Thankfully, it eventually secured its footing in the Season 1 finale. Pratt recalls that the show's writers "reimagined" the show during a hiatus and when they came back, it "felt like there were some shifts and changes." These changes carried on into the second season, leading up to Adam Scott and Rob Lowe's debut.