I just finished "Parks and Rec" which makes it the 3rd Michael Schur show I completed. I'm sure a lot has been posted on Schur and his shows but I just want to say he really knows how to end a comedy series.

Submitted by shaka_sulu t3_zx14ys in television

So the 3 series finales I watched written or co-written by Schur are Parks and Rec, The Good Place, Brooklynn Nine-Nine and as a fan of these series their finales were so satifying.

The Good Place finale "Whenever You're Ready" was my favorite out of them all. Following three of the 5 main characters' moment on when they decide to move on was so emotional and touching. Tahani and Michael's closure were equaly fitting and brought a warm smile.

Brooklyn Nine Nine's finale was also a mixture of tears and laughter. My favorite out of the three, I felt they stretched it one season too many but the finale was a fun romp. A heist episode is always fun to watch, bringing all the odd characters from the series and recalling favorit bits were hilairous. But the touching moments between friends and co-workers at the end was surprisingly touching.

Parks and Rec's "One Last Ride" took a similar tactic like Brooklyn incorporating one-last mission to "round the bases". What a gift to the fans to see how each character ends up in the future (after they did a time jump a season before). But in true Parks and Rec fashion the stories are a wild farce. Love Mayor Gary's storyline.

Michael understands that fans of these comedies not only need closure but a satisfying happy endings. Everyone succeeds but in fitting ways - some surprising (like Tom) but fitting. Plus adding dialogue that comes from the characters heart and in return the actors sincerely delivering these lines like they know this will be the last they will speak in this role. Well done, looking forward to another Schur series to catch on, go on a long run, and have another finale to look forward to.

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Huntalot713 t1_j1y5tx6 wrote

I definitely agree with you!

I have to wonder though if there exists another person on the planet who has seen those 3 Schur shows and hasn’t seen The Office.

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_Verumex_ t1_j1ys3xz wrote

Here actually.

Watched these three but never been interested in The Office.

But then I'm a Brit, and Ricky Gervais kind of ruined it for me. I know US Office has a different vibe to the UK one, but I still can't bring myself to watch it after seeing a few episodes of the original.

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heliumeyes t1_j1ziksq wrote

Season 2 onwards the US version diverges pretty dramatically. Recommend you watch the first episode of season 2.

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Tce_ t1_j20dl64 wrote

It's pretty different (like actually bad main characters who don't improve until very late on the show, or never at all), so it makes sense some people wouldn't watch it even if they love the other ones, and even if it's similarly funny. It took me several tries to get into it because I couldn't get over the mean jokes and how badly everyone was behaving! I prefer to have a more gentle heart of the show, which all the other shows have.

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Huntalot713 t1_j20h6uu wrote

I haven’t seen B-99, but The Office is definitely my least favorite of the three I’ve seen for exactly the same reasons you listed. I’m typically watching short form comedies for light hearted warmth, or else I’ll watch Community or Seinfeld

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Tce_ t1_j20z4v1 wrote

Same (about what I want from short form comedy shows)! Community also has a lot of heart stuffed in between the cynicism and terrible people XD It works for me. Especially if I ignore Pierce.

I really recommend B99, if you don't mind that it's about NYPD officers (it requires some suspension of disbelief). At least as funny as the other ones, and it gets more and more wholesome as well when the characters' relationships evolve.

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Huntalot713 t1_j20zhxu wrote

You’re absolutely right about that, most of the characters genuinely care about each other and it’s why the show works.

I do want to check out B99 eventually. Cop shows in general aren’t my favorite, but I like both Schur and Samberg enough to give it a shot.

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Tce_ t1_j215pxu wrote

Yeah, totally get that. I think it's easier for me to enjoy because I'm not American and have a lot of distance to American cops. I just treat it as an entirely fictional universe, far from reality. And the cast is so goddamn charming (Samberg especially).

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Huntalot713 t1_j2163z9 wrote

You’ve convinced me. I lean too far into the “appreciate the art, damn the artist” side of thinking to not be able to give fictional police officers a chance when everyone involved is a gem.

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Tce_ t1_j216cvp wrote

:) I hope you enjoy it!

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MrglBrglGrgl t1_j27aa20 wrote

For mostly light hearted warmth, check out Superstore if you haven't yet. Also Home Economics.

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kaitedid t1_j1zjive wrote

Here as well!! Could never get into it, just got on my nerves too much to stay interested.

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bros402 t1_j20xnwj wrote

I have seen those. Only seen little bits of The Office through clips and I cannot stand it

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LABS_Games t1_j1y0zdw wrote

As of writing this comment, this post is only 40 minutes old, has no other comments, yet is halfway up the frontpage for me.

This is not a dog at OP, but I'm confused as to what's changed with Reddit over the past few weeks. Has there been an adjustment to the algorithm so that text posts are heavily favoured, despite the lack of engagement? Same thing is really visible in /r/movies.

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Tejon_Melero t1_j1y2sad wrote

So you're telling me the algorithm might reward my rants? Delightful.

OP, I doubt many would credibly argue with the concept that the guy can really put out quality content without it falling apart.

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jl_theprofessor t1_j1y4wif wrote

This discussion happened earlier in r/movies and yes it’s weird. Posts with zero upvotes or comments are going up the front page in multiple subs.

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maxpowerphd t1_j1yymao wrote

I’ve had to block the movies sub as my entire feed was just a bunch of random question posts with things like “Am I the only one that likes Chris Nolan movies?” Or “What’s a movie with a good actor in it?”

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ShadyBiz t1_j1ygooi wrote

Text posts like this are “good for engagement”. Reddit trying to maximise one of their KPIs.

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bisou13 t1_j1z1fzn wrote

SAME and it’s realllly annoying, especially because there’s no way to adjust the settings. I keep seeing multiple posts from the same sub with 0 upvotes or low amount, and it’s because they’re shitty posts. I hope they fix this soon

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successadult t1_j1zak8b wrote

Same, idk if it’s just the mobile app algorithm or across all of Reddit but half my feed is “what’s your least favorite show where…” or “who’s an actor everyone likes but you don’t like?” And all posted within the last hour.

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TheNerdChaplain t1_j1yel99 wrote

If you haven't already, make sure to listen to the official The Good Place podcast, hosted by Marc Evan Jackson (he played Shawn/Kevin Cozner/Trevor Nelsson). He interviewed cast, crew, and writers about every episode of the show, and it was terrific. There was even a short side series for Brooklyn 99.

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1Land_1Keep t1_j1yvmwc wrote

>he played Shawn

You need the italics to put that little something extra in it like he always did.

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Iguanasquad t1_j22diyj wrote

ah yes, that podcast about a very unusual half hour of American network television.

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jl_theprofessor t1_j1y4z42 wrote

OP to answer your statement, yes, Schur brings it home every time.

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gerudo1164 t1_j1z3ggp wrote

I agree. The only "bad" show I've seen with him is Rutherford Falls. I don't know what happened there, but my girlfriend and I stopped watching after two episodes. We Love The Office, The Good Places, Brooklyn 99, and Parks and Rec. Rutherford Falls just fell flat. Don't think we laughed once.

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Tce_ t1_j20dw5p wrote

That's too bad, I really liked it personally! But it did differ a bit in tone, and took longer to get into than eg. The Good Place or B99.

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OmryR t1_j1z2w8c wrote

Michael schur is the most talented comedy write in the business imo, i also loved him in the office as mose.. he is amazing and very sharp minded, the good place is a master piece!

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Available-Camera8691 t1_j1zo80j wrote

I binged The Good Place while sick, and the ending fucked me up. Like sobbing levels of emotional feels.

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thesnarkypotatohead t1_j1zjn5h wrote

I loved the endings for parks and rec and the good place but not so much B99. The whole last season just lost the magic for me. That’s okay though, still loved the show.

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bros402 t1_j20xl5y wrote

With B99, just remember that they had already written the first half of the season when George Floyd was murdered - so they had to rewrite them quick

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BelgianBond t1_j20co29 wrote

The ending was sentimental as hell with the writers losing sight of the fact the show was at its best when the characters were fighting failure.

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Tce_ t1_j20d79x wrote

I hated watching the Good Place finale, but it was written and acted well for sure! I think it helps that his comedies always has a lot of melancholy elements and emotion to them. You want to say goodbye to your favourite characters in a sentimental way, but that doesn't work on all sitcoms - it does here!

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