Parks and Recreation cast members Amy Poehler and Kathryn Hahn have revealed that they made up a fake spin-off show – but it was never made.
Poehler, who starred as Leslie Knope in the US government mockumentary that aired from 2009 to 2015, said in a recent episode of her Good Hang podcast that Parks and Recreation actors, including Rashida Jones, Adam Scott and Paul Rudd, were involved in dreaming up a joke show called Philly Justice while shooting the main series.
Hahn, who appeared in 10 episodes of Parks and Rec as D.C political consultant Jennifer Barklay between 2012 and 2015, said that the idea was born when they were filming a court scene while dressed in suits and posed for a photo with their arms folded.
“We had, like, businessy outfits on,” Hahn explained. “I think we were going to court or something...”
Poehler explained: “We pretended we were on a fake TV show in the Nineties called Philly Justice – or the early 2000s – and we all crossed our arms,” Poehler said. “Then that became a text chain as the actors.”
The cast members would text each other pretending to be hopeful Philly Justice actors, asking questions like: “Is the pilot gonna be picked?” Hahn said. “Like, we were all very excited. It was like a David Kelly-esque show, so there was some cache to it. It wasn't like a sh***y show.”
Poehler revealed the characters’ roles, saying: “Kathryn is playing, like, a lawyer, question mark, who has a very tempestuous relationship with Angie Martinez, played by Rashida Jones.” She then added, “I mean, I think you guys are lovers.”
“I remember thinking, ‘I can’t believe how lucky I am that I’m working with people who also wanna do this dumb thing,’” continued Poehler. “Fun, dumb things are a love language and, in a way, proves safety, that if you are relaxed enough to do fun, dumb things, then you’re in the right place.”
The pair did not reveal how far things were taken with Philly Justice, or whether scripts were ever written.
Parks and Recreation, the Emmy-nominated comedy about the inner workings of city hall in a fictional town in Indiana, also co-starred Nick Offerman, Aubrey Plaza, Chris Pratt, Jim O'Heir, Aziz Ansari and Rob Lowe.
