Parks and Recreation might not be as widely revered as the likes of Friends or its predecessor, The Office, but those who have given the former NBC sitcom a try instantly fell in love with its feel-good vibes, hilarious characters, and incredible improvised lines. Thanks to the talents of Amy Poehler, Rashida Jones, Aubrey Plaza, Nick Offerman, Adam Scott, Ben Schwartz, and Chris Pratt, as well as writer and showrunner Michael Schur, Parks and Recreation features as many off-script jokes as it does planned ones. But, 14 years after the episode was released, one Parks & Rec improvised line remains the greatest in sitcom history.
Season 3 really was a turning point for Parks and Rec. Mark Brandanawicz was well and truly gone, Adam Scott and Rob Lowe’s Ben and Chris were cemented as core characters, and Chris Pratt dialed the improvised comedy to 11. Many of Andy Dwyer’s (Pratt) lines were improvised by the actor, a result of a process known as alts, where actors will give several variations on a similar joke, and the editors can choose which one works best. But the Season 3 episode, titled “Flu Season,” delivered the greatest sitcom improv of all time. In fact, it’s so good, it even upset the show’s creator.
As the title suggests, “Flu Season” saw a large portion of Pawnee, Indiana, come down with the flu, including Chris Trager and Leslie Knope (Poehler). While the former has a mental breakdown because his “microchip has been compromised,” Leslie Knope still has a lot of work to do for the upcoming harvest festival. As she sits in her office with Ben, they try and prepare Leslie for her upcoming speech before leaving the office. As the pair leave the office, the camera shifts to Chris Pratt’s Andy Dwyer, who is sitting in the bullpen on the computer. Nonchalantly, Chris Pratt drops the now-famous line:
“Leslie, I typed your symptoms into the thing up here, and it says you could have network connectivity problems.”
Given the smoothness of the camera work and his casual line delivery, you’d be forgiven for thinking that the line had always been a part of the script. But no, Chris Pratt came up with that on the fly. Andy Dwyer always had some of the best lines (and bloopers) in Parks and Rec, but his network connectivity gag is by far the character’s best. Not only is it a great joke in and of itself, but the character’s infamous stupidity and his adorable innocence make it feel like something the character would genuinely say, allowing it to fit in with the tone and rhythm of the scene, without feeling forced.
‘Parks & Rec’s Creator Hated Chris Pratt for the Joke
During a panel at The Paley Center for Media in 2012, the cast was asked about the improvised lines in the show. “The funniest line ever spoken on our show was improvised by Chris Pratt,” Mike Schur admitted. “I’m not kidding. As a writer, it made me furious. I’m still really upset and angry. He did it once, the camera happened to be on him, and it’s the funniest joke that’s ever been [told] on our show.”
Of course, Mike Schur bears no genuine resentment towards Chris Pratt, although any writer can understand the frustration at someone else being effortlessly funnier than they are. Thankfully, the camera was held on Pratt during that one take, and the line became a part of sitcom history. Lines like “Treat Yo Self,” and “I’m Ron f*cking Swanson” might be the most quoted by fans, but Chris Pratt’s network connectivity gag remains the greatest improvised line in sitcom history.
- Release Date
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2009 – 2015
- Network
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NBC