‘Parks and Recreation’ series finale: Exec on challenge of saying farewell to Pawnee

Tuesday night like the end of an era in a variety of different ways. Not only is it the series finale of “Parks and Recreation,” but when you also consider how this show was originally conceived as a companion series of sorts for “The Office” (though it changed from that in development), it is almost the end of a wonderful format of comedy. This show never really did much with the whole documentary premise, but we’re fine with that. It has a lot of other stuff going on.

In going into this finale, there are many challenges. You have to resolve the series in a way that feels appropriate, and we’re talking about much more than just with humor. You also need to think about the legacy of every character, and if you have told their story in the best possible way. This is something co-creator Mike Schur touched on in a recent interview with TV Guide:

“Normally when you write a script, you think, ‘Is this joke funny?’ And then when you’re writing the series finale, you’re thinking is this an appropriate joke to be telling as one of the last three sentences this character will ever say? It’s hard to drive that thought out of your brain.”

This season of “Parks and Recreation” has felt like a worthy tribute so far. While it would have been nice to have even an 18-episode season rather than 13, they have given us closure to many storylines over a period of time. They have never rushed anything too much, and that makes us feel like tonight will not be a struggle.