10 Incredible TV Shows That Everyone Thought Would Be Terrible
2. Parks + Recreation
After The Office became a hit, it wasn't long before it spawned a plethora of copycats. And there was no sitcom that duplicated the awkward mockumentary style as painfully obvious as Parks + Recreation.
It imitates The Office's reaction shots so often, it's impossible not to notice. Also, it primarily takes place in an office!! With jokes not landing and unlikeable characters to boot, viewers just accepted this "comedy" was on the way out.
Knowing cancellation was a real possibility, the showrunners over Park + Rec overhauled everything for Season 2. Characters that didn't work were cut, new characters were inserted, and most of the main cast were revised.
Andy was changed from a selfish man-baby into a loveable idiot. Leslie went from a carbon copy of Michael Scott to one of most likeable characters in television. By the time the second season had concluded, Parks + Rec had become its own animal and the comparisons to The Office were no longer an issue.
If the show had been canned after the first season, we would've been deprived of many classic moments in comedy including Ron's jazz persona, The Johnny Karate Show, or Ben's Cones of Dunshire.