Joe Biden made not one, but two cameos in one of the most famous sitcoms on NBC – ‘Parks and Recreation’.
One of the best NBC sitcom ‘Parks and Recreation’ featured the small town of Pawnee. The lead character who played the elected official on the show, Leslie Knope, had a crush on now President Joe Biden. Now President Joe Biden held the post of Vice President, the second-highest post in the country when ‘Parks and Recreation‘ was airing on NBC. Though second for the country, he held the highest place in the heart of Knope (Amy Poehler). Despite being a busy man, Joe appeared on the show. Every time he was there, Leslie essentially melted into a puddle.
Highlights —
- Why Leslie loved Joe Biden?
- When Joe Biden appeared on ‘Parks and Recreation’
- Which department would Leslie choose in Biden’s cabinet?
Let’s find out if Leslie would have voted for him as the president if the show was still airing. The show’s creator, Mike Schur, is unsure of Leslie’s choice. He feels if we observe closely, “Leslie loved progress and policy more than anything, so she would certainly have been a fan of Elizabeth Warren”.
There were a lot of candidates who she would have supported, instead of Joe. From Bernie to Cory Booker to Andrew Yang to Kamala Harris, Leslie would have voted for others. But once the nominee was chosen in the final round and Biden would have been selected in the final round as well, she would’ve done everything in her power to get him re-elected”.
Let’s find out if Leslie would have voted for Biden for the President, if ‘Parks and Recreation’ was still airing.
Why Leslie loved Joe Biden?
Now that Joe Biden is elected the President of United States, fans want to know why was Leslie obsessed with him. Schur feels that it is Biden’s small-town roots, his working-class populism, and his belief in the transformative power of government that Leslie couldn’t resist admiring Joe Biden.
Not to forget, he added,
“Biden is a very good-looking guy. Most people find their crush in movie stars but for Leslie, politicians made her go week down her knees”.
When Joe Biden appeared on ‘Parks and Recreation’
Biden, in the first of his cameo in 2012, met Leslie Knope after Ben (Leslie’s fiancé) arranged the introduction as an engagement present. “That’s — how did — how did you do this?” stunned Leslie asks Ben when she sees Biden. And then she was behaving like a schoolgirl, all giggly and a little handsy.
“This isn’t happening, this isn’t real”, she says in amazement, to which Biden responds, “It’s happening and I’m delighted to have you here”. Thereafter, Leslie caresses his face, and tells him he’s “very handsome”. Moreover, she yells at a security guard, on her way out, to keep him safe, insisting, “He is precious cargo!”
Production designer John Shaffner revealed to “Metro” that Jim Parsons told Chuck Lorre that he wouldn’t want to come back and do the role anymore.
Although the cameo of Biden lasted only for a minute, the scene is significant for the show. Especially because it included a secret service presence that Poehler dragged into the scene to improve at the end of a take. Just like Michelle Obama did during her cameo, Biden also played along with some improvisations. According to Schur, he is a polished performer who needed little coaching, which he feels is a quality in politicians.
Schur did not expect Biden to be nervous because of his experience with other politicians on ‘Saturday Night Live’. He said,
“I worked at SNL for seven years and anytime a politician or athlete hosted, the one thing we knew for sure was that they wouldn’t be nervous because they face scrutiny and pressure every time they talk”.
Which department would Leslie choose in Biden’s cabinet?
On being asked, what her role would actually look like in a Biden cabinet, Schur replied, “Secretary of the Interior would be the obvious choice”.
“It would give her great pleasure to, for instance, stop the Alaskan wilderness from being plundered by oil companies drilling for fuel we don’t need. And she would deeply enjoy reversing the cynical and pointless destruction of National Parks and Monument sites, and the selling of public land to private companies. She believed above all else that the country belonged to the public”.
Are you excited to hear about the ‘Parks and Recreation’ reboot? Share your views in the comments box below.
