Sitcom strives to keep viewers hooked during hiatus

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This article was published 27/10/2010 (3130 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

TORONTO — Comics Will Forte and Megan Mullally are among the guest stars slated to appear on the upcoming season of Parks and Recreation, but it's still not clear when those episodes will air.

The sitcom's Canadian writer and consulting producer, Norm Hiscock, says they expect to learn "soon" what night and time the series will return and in the meantime are shooting a batch of episodes that will see city worker Leslie Knope tackle a new woe-begotten project.

"She wants to bring back the harvest festival in the town and everybody thinks she's crazy," Hiscock said earlier this week during a stop in Toronto to mentor TV writers at the Canadian Film Centre.

"They pulled it years ago and it wasn't doing very well but she's (positive) it's going to be a success."

Hiscock says he's in the dark as to when Parks and Recreation will return, but he's still hoping to slip back into NBC's Thursday night comedy lineup, which includes Community, 30 Rock and The Office. In Canada, the series aired on Citytv.

Parks and Recreation was shelved as a mid-season replacement earlier this year when NBC revealed a fall schedule that put the Mumbai-set comedy Outsourced in its Thursday night time slot.

In the meantime, Hiscock — whose writing credits include King of the Hill, Saturday Night Live, Corner Gas and Kids in the Hall — says producers are doing what they can to keep fans interested in Parks and Recreation by posting weekly online photo essays featuring each cast member.

Recent posts include a slideshow of backstage practical jokes from Aziz Ansari (who plays Tom), weight-gain tips from Chris Pratt (who plays Andy), and a snarky tour of the Hollywood lot where the show is shot by Aubrey Plaza (who plays April).

While the upcoming season features new cast members Rob Lowe and Adam Scott as state auditors, Hiscock says the overall structure remains unchanged.

He notes the show found its footing in season 2 when it abandoned an extended story arc about an abandoned pit, which dominated season 1.

Changes included softening Amy Poehler's naive but ambitious heroine and shifting attention to other cast members, including Nick Offerman (as Ron Swanson) and Rashida Jones (as Ann).

"We kind of found a formula that we liked and so we're just kind of staying with that," says Hiscock.

Hiscock says Paul Schneider's character, city planner Mark Brendanawicz, has been written out of the show, while token Canadian character Wendy (Tom's ex-wife) may also disappear.

But Mullally returns as Ron's crazed ex-wife Tammy, and Hiscock notes that the real-life couple have no qualms about pushing their demented on-camera relationship as far as it will go.

"They're so crazy; they're up for anything and they're so comfortable with each other," he says of Mullally and Offerman.

"Last year in the Ron and Tammy one, Megan did a take where she just ripped off her bra and threw it and we went, 'Oh. All right!' She really goes for it."

Hiscock says he splits his time between Los Angeles and Vancouver Island, and is developing a pilot for CBC-TV about a dysfunctional family that owns a brewery in small-town Canada.

— The Canadian Press