View Full Version : The Spin-Off That Parks And Recreation Fans Really Want To See


TMC
05-19-2022, 09:30 PM
https://www.looper.com/868920/the-spin-off-that-parks-and-recreation-fans-really-want-to-see/

Fans want to see a Jean-Ralphio spin-off

That would be Jean-Ralphio Saperstein (Ben Schwartz) — best friend and co-conspirator to Tom (Aziz Ansari), spoiled scion of Dr. Lu Saperstein (Henry Winkler), and a man whose outlandish personality far outstrips his intelligence or abilities. Redditor u/markelmores took to the r/PandR subreddit to start a thread with the post: "10/10 would watch a spinoff mini-series about Jean-Ralphio." That proclamation sounded good to u/TeemKC, who wrote, "I always thought this. I'd so watch him and his sis ..." Meanwhile, u/habfan123 posted an elaborate summary of their idea for a Jean-Ralphio-centric spin-off in the vein of "Better Call Saul" that is actually a backdoor pilot for Netflix's "Space Force," where Schwartz plays a similar type of character.

Other fans disagreed. One comment, by u/CallOfTheWest, read, "Nah, he's best in small doses." While u/spaceman_sloth pointed out that Schwartz himself said on Rob Lowe's podcast "Literally!" that a full 30 minutes of Jean-Ralphio would be way too much. One Redditor proposed a compromise. "A Jean-Ralphio spin-off where the episodes are 5 minutes long would be perfect," wrote u/BuzzardRex. "Small glimpses into his life and happenings. Any more than 5 minutes would just turn into cringe."

As for a starting point for Jean-Ralphio's spin-off, there are options. When last we saw him in the "Parks and Rec" series finale, Jean-Ralphio had faked his own death so that he and sister Mona Lisa (Jenny Slate) could abscond with some life insurance money and start a casino in Tajikistan. That basically writes itself. There is, of course, the possibility of a "Stranger Things" cross-over, bolstered by the popular fan theory that Jean-Ralphio is the long-lost son of Steve Harrington (played by Schwartz lookalike Joe Keery). That theory was even given credence by Michael Shur himself (via Entertainment Weekly). Your move, showrunners.