where did the idea for parks and recreation come from
Parks and Recreation Immediately after Ben Silverman was named co-chairman of NBC's entertainment division in 2007, he asked Greg Daniels to create a spin-off of The Office.[67][117] Daniels co-created Parks and Recreation with Michael Schur, who had been a writer on The Office. The two spent months considering ideas for the new series and debating whether to make it a stand-alone rather than a spin-off.[67] According to Daniels, they eventually abandoned the original spin-off plan because they "couldn't find the right fit".[117] They considered a series about a local government official trying to rebuild a political career following a humiliating public spectacle. They eventually abandoned the idea, though it did end up being incorporated into the backstory for Ben Wyatt late in the second season.[49][118] After Amy Poehler agreed to play the lead, they decided the series would revolve around an optimistic bureaucrat in small-town government.[67]