Parks and Recreation, nicknamed Parks and Rec, is an American comedy series which first aired in April 2009 as a spin-off of The Office. The series features Amy Poehler as Leslie Knope, a perky bureaucrat who works for the parks department in Pawnee, a fictional town set in Indiana. Poehler stars alongside Rashida Jones, Aziz Ansari, Aubrey Plaza, Retta, Chris Pratt, Adam Scott, Jim O’Heir, Nick Offerman, and Rob Lowe in this “political” mockumentary.

The cast is generally composed of comedians or actors typically associated with comedy, but each provide a certain variation of personality that gives the show a sense of unity. Those who often watch the show find themselves relating to one (or more) of the characters.

“As soon as they started doing his storyline and showed how big of a nerd he was, I started to think, ‘I like that guy,'” Physics teacher, Mr. Carroll said about Ben Wyatt, an intelligent but introverted government official. “But in many ways I relate to Ron Swanson as well. I think his character’s hilarious, and I like his minimalist view on anything associated with government,” he adds about the parks and recreation director.

Frequently, Parks and Rec includes conflicts that occur within the relationships of our protagonists. However, viewers seem to be responding positively to the romance that the show presents, as they usually end in our favor.

“I got glassy-eyed,” Matthew Cardenas, a student attending the University of North Texas, said about a certain proposal in season 5.

The series seems to be doing well based on popular opinion. Though most find the show to their liking, ratings for Parks and Rec have surprisingly been dropping by the seasons.

“I haven’t really been super into it this season,” Cardenas said about the current season, “I feel like it’s kind of floundering, or maybe it’s just wrapping up their stories or maybe both. I still love the show, but I haven’t loved this season as much.”

Nonetheless, the series overall proves to be an instant favorite and no matter the outcome, fans say they will stick to it.

“Parks and Rec is very appealing to me,” fellow Longhorn, Jared Hernandez said while avidly watching the show via Netflix, “It’s rare that I follow a show from start to finish, but everything about it intrigues me enough to do that.”

Tune in every Thursday at 7:30 p.m. on NBC for a look at the gang’s next adventure!