Rob Lowe, Rashida Jones To Depart "Parks and Recreation"
7/31/2013
by Lesley Goldberg, Philiana Ng


Two of "Parks and Recreation's" regulars are exiting the series.

Rob Lowe, who joined in season two, and Rashida Jones, a core player since its inception, will depart NBC's returning fall comedy in the middle of the upcoming sixth season, The Hollywood Reporter confirms.



Lowe and Jones are expected to leave "Parks and Recreation" — which was picked up for a full season — following the 13th episode. Buzzfeed first reported the departures.

On-screen, Lowe and Jones have been an on-again, off-again couple. Most recently, their respective characters Chris Trager and Ann Perkins have been exploring children as she looked to her ex for a sperm donation that is setting up a romantic reunion for the couple.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/parks-recreation-rob-lowe-rashida-597255

Don't care much about Rob Lowe - he was probably the show's weakest character. But I'm sad about Ann Perkins. The show won't be the same without the Leslie/Ann friendship.

"Parks and Rec" Boss: Rob Lowe, Rashida Jones Will Get 'Great Pawnee Send-Off'
7/31/2013
by Philiana Ng, Lesley Goldberg


Hours after news broke that "Parks and Recreation" regulars Rob Lowe and Rashida Jones would be exiting the NBC series midway through the sixth season, showrunner Mike Schur issued a statement regarding their imminent departures.

The executive producer, who confirmed that they will both leave after the 13th episode, hinted that there had been many discussions in previous years about the futures of Chris Traeger (Lowe) and Ann Perkins (Jones). Season five culminated in the former couple reuniting romantically.







Schur's Full Statement:


The news about Rob and Rashida is true -- they will be leaving the show after the 13th episode of the upcoming season six. We've been working on their storyline (on and off) for four seasons now, and heading into this year, with the two of them contemplating parenthood, it felt like a natural time to move them into the next phase.

We absolutely love both Rashida and Rob, and will be sad to see them go. Rashida was one of the very first people we knew we wanted in the cast, and as important as Ann is to Leslie (and vice-versa), she'll certainly never be far from Pawnee. Rob we initially thought we could only have for six or eight episodes, and we couldn't be happier that he will have stuck around for 75.

They are wonderful, funny, committed actors, they've been a huge part of the "Parks and Rec" family, and we think we have a great Pawnee send-off in the works for them.




"Parks and Rec" will air a one-hour, London-set premiere Sept. 26 as a kickoff to back-to-back episodes of new comedy "The Michael J. Fox Show".

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/parks-rec-boss-rob-lowe-597309

http://splitsider.com/2013/08/8-parks-and-rec-side-characters-who-would-make-great-additions-to-the-regular-cast/

Yesterday, news broke that Rashida Jones and Rob Lowe are leaving NBC's Parks and Recreation halfway through the upcoming sixth season. While we don't know if there are plans to introduce new characters into the main cast this year to take their places, the city of Pawnee is jam-packed with dozens of hilarious side characters who could stand to get more screentime. The Parks writers have done a great job of building Pawnee into a detailed, Springfield-esque world, introducing and re-introducing us to the town's elected officials, media personalities, local businesspeople, and citizens; and one or two of these beloved recurring characters could possibly end up coming into the fold to fill the Chris and Ann vacancy.

Given that the Parks and Rec cast is massive to begin with (and full of heavy-hitters to boot), it might just be for the best to focus on the remaining eight characters (Leslie, Tom, Ron, April, Andy, Ben, Donna, and Jerry) post-Chris and Ann. But if the Parks producers opt to add a new cast member or two this season or next, here are eight side characters from the show who would make excellent choices:

Jean-Ralphio Saperstein (played by Ben Schwartz)
If the Parks and Rec producers do end up going with a promote-from-within strategy to add onto the cast, then Jean-Ralphio, arguably the show's most popular recurring character, seems like a shoo-in. Unfortunately, Ben Schwartz is locked down to Showtime's House of Lies, so he'd be unable to commit to Parks full-time. His House of Lies commitment has even kept him from making as many guest appearances on Parks as the creative team would like, so this one seems unlikely. To be fair, though, I'd argue that part of what makes Jean-Ralphio so funny every time he appears is that he's used sparingly, so bringing him on as a regular might suck some of the wind out of the character's sails.

Councilman Jeremy Jamm (played by Jon Glaser)
Introduced at the start of last season as a nemesis to Leslie Knope, city councilman/dentist Jeremy Jamm has already appeared in a whopping 10 episodes of the show. Glaser's Adult Swim series, Delocated, recently ended its run, so that wouldn't be getting in the way of him becoming a full-time Parks and Rec actor – though his character would probably have to be made into slightly less of a dick for audiences to want to see him every week.

Diane Lewis (played by Lucy Lawless)
With Ron Swanson's love interest Diane becoming more and more a part of his life episode-to-episode, it makes sense to incorporate the character into the new season in a larger capacity; however, it doesn't seem very likely at all given that Lucy Lawless lives in New Zealand. "It's not always up to us whether we can have her," Parks co-creator/showrunner Mike Schur said in an interview. "She's definitely going to be on the show in some capacity because of that [pregnancy] storyline … That's going to be definitely a huge part of the year for Ron."

Jennifer Barkley (played by Kathryn Hahn)
With Rashida Jones's Ann Perkins out, Parks could use another resident straight man character so that Ben Wyatt isn't the lone voice of reason. Introduced as Bobby Newport's (Paul Rudd) campaign manager, Jennifer Barkley later showed a more human side when she became Ben's boss. Given Kathryn Hahn's busy movie schedule and that she was just cast as the female lead in the Showtime comedy pilot Trending Down opposite Philip Seymour Hoffman, I wouldn't count on this one happening though.

Dennis Feinstein (played by Jason Mantzoukas)
Scene stealer Jason Mantzoukas had made three appearances on Parks as famous Pawnee fragrance mogul Dennis Feinstein. Feinstein's a nice foil for Tom Haverford and Ben Wyatt alike, and we've been waiting to see Mantzoukas, who recurs on The League and Enlightened, tear it up with a meaty series regular role.

Bobby Newport (played by Paul Rudd)
A movie star like Paul Rudd would taking a series regular job on Parks and Rec is the longest of long shots, but given that the last three movies he starred in (Wanderlust, This Is 40, Admission) all underperformed at the box office, this could be a great time for Rudd to do a one or two-season run on a critically-acclaimed sitcom full of his frequent costars and friends like Amy Poehler and Adam Scott.

Perd Hapley (played by Jay Jackson)
Parks and Recreation's most frequently used recurring character is TV host Perd Hapley. Perd is also one of the goofiest and least intelligent people in Pawnee, but the idea of fleshing him out and letting us see more of his world is pretty promising. Jay Jackson is an Emmy-winning journalist in real life who was hired onto the show for just one episode originally, but he proved to be super funny in small doses and could work well in bigger ones – if there's a way to organically amp up his presence in the main characters' world.

Mona-Lisa Saperstein (played by Jenny Slate)
Since the actor who plays one Saperstein twin (Ben Schwartz) is unavailable, why not go with the other one? Jean-Ralphio's sister Mona-Lisa was only introduced at the tail end of last season, but she's already become a big part of Tom Haverford's life, both romantically and professionally. ABC bafflingly passed on Pulling, the pilot Jenny Slate starred in with Kristen Schaal and June Diane last season, freeing Slate up for a gig like this.

I doubt they'll be bumping anyone up to the main cast. I know Schur denies that the cuts were made because of budget, but I have to assume it at least factored in, and adding a new cast member wouldn't help matters.

Plus, a lot of those characters are paper-thin cartoons, which works fine for a recurring spot but would get tired quickly if they were regular cast members - Jean-Ralphio, Perd, Mona, ect. Also, Councilman Jamm is awful. Why would anyone want more of him?

"Parks and Rec" Scoop: EP Mike Schur Reveals Who's 'Replacing' Ann as Leslie's BFF
by Michael Ausiello
8/8/13


The departure of Rashida Jones‘ Ann midway through "Parks and Recreation‘s" upcoming sixth season is going to leave a huge vacancy in her BFF Leslie Knope’s (Amy Poehler) social circle — so huge it will take more than one person to fill it.

According to executive producer Mike Schur, the NBC comedy will “position different people to fill in parts of her emotional world. It won’t be just one person.”

To wit, “There’s something that April does in the premiere that’s sort of a harbinger of things to come,” Schur reveals. “And we’re bringing Retta a lot more to the forefront this season. Donna and Leslie will have some good connections and some good screen time together.”





By the time Jones exits in February, Schur notes that Leslie and Ann will have spent “103 episodes interacting and becoming friends. We’re not just going to suddenly pretend that a new actor can come in and be, like, Leslie’s new best friend. It’s going to be people she already knows and relies on and cares about.”

And by all accounts she’s going to really need a strong support system after Ann leaves town (with Rob Lowe’s Chris in tow). Previews Schur: “The biggest personal story that Leslie goes through this season is dealing with her friend leaving.”

http://tvline.com/2013/08/08/parks-and-recreation-ann-perkins-leaving-replacement-spoilers/

I doubt they'll be bumping anyone up to the main cast. I know Schur denies that the cuts were made because of budget, but I have to assume it at least factored in, and adding a new cast member wouldn't help matters.
I outright don't believe Schur on issues like this. I think he plays the company man.

"Parks and Rec" Prepares To Say Goodbye To Rashida Jones & Rob Lowe
11/12/13


It's a sad news we've yet to fully accept, but Rashida Jones and Rob Lowe are really leaving Pawnee.

During a press screening on Monday, Nov. 11, "Parks and Rec" star Amy Poehler commented on the impending swan song for Ann and Chris, who are leaving Pawnee to have a baby together.

“Knowing our show, no one ever really leaves Pawnee -- we still call people back that did stuff in the first and second season, so, I’m certain that Rob and Rashida will make their way back to Pawnee as many times as we can drag them.”



At the press conference, creator Mike Shur remarked on how their departure leaves Poehler's character, Leslie.

“It’s not like Ann leaves and Leslie will never mention her name again. There will be some episodes where she deals with the ripple of Ann leaving -- we’re writing that episode now.”

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/12/parks-and-rec-rashida-jones-rob-lowe_n_4261626.html?

That's a great list! Thanks!

I'm very disappointed about the departures. Although not their funniest characters, both Lowe and Jones brought something to the table that I'll miss. If it's really about money, then shame on you NBC.

Instead of expanding a part timer, I'd probably add one totally new.

Ideas?

http://www.vanityfair.com/vf-hollywood/parks-and-recreation-ann-chris-goodbye?

As Vanity Fair notes, Rashida Jones and Rob Lowe's characters were "the romantic embodiment of the friendship dynamic that 'Parks and Recreation' has so deftly celebrated over the years, combining a cheerleader and a skeptic but allowing them both to be unfailingly kind, generous, and funny."
Read more at http://www.hitfix.com/tv-tattle#vGcHvfFzWztItu1z.99

http://entertainment.time.com/2014/01/31/parks-and-rec-watch-goodbye-is-the-pits/

That final shot, says James Poniewozik, "was the killer for me ... The whole idea of Parks, I guess, is that a community of people coming together can make a town into something magical." PLUS: Ann Perkins (http://www.thewire.com/entertainment/2014/01/parks-and-recreation-reminded-us-why-well-miss-ann/357597/) will be sorely missed, and why the show will be better off without Ann and Chris (http://www.hitfix.com/whats-alan-watching/review-parks-and-recreation-ann-and-chris-farewell-nurse).


Read more at http://www.hitfix.com/tv-tattle#5UJGl68xzhjEFhp0.99

http://www.buzzfeed.com/keelyflaherty/perk-up

Come back to us, you beautiful, naive, sophisticated newborn baby.

How Chris Traeger Brought a Jolt of Strangely Seminal Energy to 'Parks and Recreation'
(http://flavorwire.com/506261/how-chris-traeger-brought-a-jolt-of-strangely-seminal-energy-to-parks-and-recreation)

The so called "Season 7" lasted two months and the two actors/characters were in the finale. I guess both actors had better projects and knew this show was coming to a quick close, so to me, they didn't quit, just moved on.