What to Watch When You’re Mourning The Loss Of ‘Parks and Recreation’

What would the Parks department be without its fearless and terrifyingly intense leader? There would be far fewer giant, multi-colored binders and fewer waffles — that’s for sure. Though the show’s rocky start was widely attributed to Leslie’s severity and borderline callousness, her intensity quickly became one of her more endearing characteristics, and we learned she was anything but callous.

Here’s where you can get your much-needed Poehler fix:

SNL (Seasons 22 to 28) — What’s better than checking out a comedy legend’s beginnings? From co-hosting Weekend Update to her spot-on Hillary Clinton impersonation, Poehler’s years on the show were some of the best in recent history. Check out Poehler’s SNL channel on Yahoo Screen to sort through the non-Amy sketches.

Welcome to Sweden — In this meta pseudo-sitcom, pseudo-documentary, Greg Poehler re-enacts his real-world move to the motherland of IKEA that he made with his girlfriend in 2006. The show features his sister, Amy; friends such as Aubrey Plaza, Gene Simmons, and Will Ferrell; and wacky cultural mix-ups. [Stream Welcome To Sweden on Hulu]

If you had to describe Ron Swanson in three words, those words would be: man. That is all because Ron Swanson does not believe in wasting time, money, or energy in using extraneous words. Fortunately for us, Nick Offerman is not too far from his wood-carving, mine-loving, red-meat-eating doppelganger.

Here are suggestions. Enjoy:

American Ham — In this Netflix-exclusive special, Offerman offers his 10 tips on how to live life successfully and talks about the ridiculousness of the Bible, his wife, Megan Mullally, and how beautiful Rob Lowe’s eyes are. There are also a few songs and video clips sprinkled in, making this special more delicious than meat from Food and Stuff. [Stream American Ham on Netflix]

Axe Cop — The superhero Axe Cop started as a webcomic created by 5-year-old Malachai Nicholle and illustrated by his 29-year-old brother, Ethan. Fast forward to present day and Offerman stars as the titular Axe Cop. The show is exactly what you would expect from a kid — insane superheroes, no attention to reality, confusing and contradictory characters — and it’s amazing. [Stream Axe Cop on Hulu]

Ann, you beautiful, naïve, sophisticated, newborn baby. You stole our hearts just like you stole Leslie’s. From her fashion sense that changed as often as her boyfriends to her spot-on expressions every time Ron, Chris, or April said something that crossed the lines of normal, Ann made a great straight man and an even greater best friend.

Watch this to keep the Rashida love going:

The Awesomes — Featuring a metric ton of comedic talent, from Seth Meyers to Rachel Dratch, “The Awesomes” attempts to answer the question, “What if The Avengers sucked at their job?” Jones plays Hotwire, the seemingly innocent newbie with the ability to control electricity. [Stream The Awesomes On Hulu]

The Office (Seasons 4 and 5) — Hey, remember when Jim Halpert used to date Ann Perkins? That was totally a thing. Re-watch the Karen arc and try not to hate Jim too much for dating someone other than Pam. [Stream The Office on Netflix]

Through April, we were able to watch a young woman’s transition from awkward, apathetic intern to competent, life-hating dark lord of the universe, or whatever job title she has chosen to give herself. April taught us to embrace your dark, borderline evil side and to hate everything.

Watch these, or whatever. April doesn’t care:

Safety Not Guaranteed – Channeling April’s weirdness, Plaza stars as a disillusioned magazine intern who befriends a guy who is looking for a time-travelling partner. It’s a characteristically-quirky story that Plaza adds a lot of charm to. [Rent Safety Not Guaranteed on Amazon Instant Video]

Grumpy Cat’s Worst Christmas Ever — Who knew that Lifetime would give us our new Christmas tradition? With a Rotten Tomato score of 30%, it’s everything you’re afraid it’s going to be: cheesy, over-the-top, stupid. But … Grumpy Cat is Aubrey Plaza’s spirit animal. Watch with low expectations. [Rent it on Amazon Instant Video]

Out of everyone on Parks and Rec, Chris Pratt’s goofy yet lovable portrayal of Andy Dwyer may have boosted his career the most. Pratt absolutely killed it last year, and he’s showing no signs of slowing down. But to us, he’ll always be the number one shoe shiner and karate master.

Check out these Mouse Rat-approved picks:

The LEGO Movie — Everything IS awesome. If you haven’t seen arguably the greatest animated movie of 2014, stop everything and watch now. Pratt as Emmet leads you through every kid’s Lego fantasy brought to life. Well, brought to theater. [Rent it on iTunes]

Guardians of the Galaxy — Last year, Marvel proved that superhero movies could be genuinely funny and entertaining even when the vast majority of that audience has no clue who, or what, the characters are. Pratt stars as Peter Quill, the loveable rogue and leader of the Guardians. [Rent it on Amazon Instant Video]

Sure, you could rent T. Have’s swag out, but ultimately he owned it. Tom bled style and set trends like nobody’s business — at least he did in his own head. Tom’s greatness, such as investing in the world’s sickest nightclub, The Snakehole Lounge, wouldn’t have the same impact if it wasn’t promoted through the amazing Aziz Ansari.

Treat yo self to these streams, playa:

Buried Alive — If we have to select a voice for Generation Y, that voice should be Aziz Ansari’s. From the etiquette of sexting and Gindr to the everyman’s struggle with Chick-fil-a’s stance on gay marriage, Ansari flawlessly blends social media and current trends through his excitable onstage persona. [Stream it on Netflix]

Dangerously Delicious — Did you know that the rapper 50 Cent recently discovered what a grapefruit was? And that Ansari was there for that moment in his life? If promises of Ansari’s insane little cousins and his favorite racial slurs aren’t enough to get you watching this special, watch it for the 50 Cent grapefruit story. [Stream it on Netflix]

This ice clown who once made an ice town drown is proof that you can be a giant unapologetic nerd and sexy. Ben’s love of all things in geekdom knew no limits, and Scott really pulled out how lovably introverted and often-exasperated the character was.

Check these out after you finish your 5-second claymation film:

Party Down — Scott stars as an (again) exasperated and burnt out former-actor-now-caterer, Henry, in this STARZ original. Henry proves that there is something worse than failing at your dreams — succeeding in a humiliating way. Are we having fun yet? [Stream it on Hulu Plus]

Funny or Die — While several comedic actors end up on Will Ferrell’s Funny or Die, Scott has been on enough to have his own channel, where he explains the humblebrag and reprises his role as Ferrell’s jerk brother from “Step Brothers.” Funny or die? We say funny. [Available on FunnyOrDie.com]

Chris may literally be one of the most optimistic and beautiful characters to ever grace the silver screen. The only thing that may be funnier than his unfailing and often-confusing perkiness was his dramatic plummet into depression. Though far from being the most well-known character the seasoned Lowe has played, Chris was probably the most fun.

These are, literally, the best things you can ever watch:

The West Wing — Aaron Sorkin’s writing, the drama of the White House, and Rob Lowe’s gorgeous eyes. There are no downsides to this stream. Get re-acquainted with Sam Seaborn and the world of dirty politics. An especially great pick while you’re biting your nails for Season 3 of “House of Cards.” [Stream it on Netflix]

The Outsiders — When Francis Ford Coppola pays attention to you, the rest of the world follows. In this greaser-inspired cinematic masterpiece, Lowe plays the thrill-seeking “Soda” Curtis, the idol of his younger brother, Ponyboy. Watch and fall back in love with one of greatest members of the Brat Pack. [Rent it on Amazon Instant Video]

Donna was rarely front stage, but she made every scene she was in 100 times better with her shady and often-referenced off-screen sex life and one-liners. We wish Donna could live-tweet every moment of our lives. Fortunately, we have Retta’s live tweeting of the Emmy’s to fill that void.

You know what? Treat yo self, part 2:

Comedy Central Presents: Retta (Season 8, Episode 5) — Unsurprisingly, the mastermind behind Donna started her comedy career in stand up. Just like Miss Meagle, her style is unabashedly frank and true to herself. You keep doing you, Retta. [Stream it on Amazon Prime]

Though he didn’t come on staff until season 6, Craig is singlehandedly responsible for every amazing thing that anyone on that show has ever done….according to Craig. Eichner did a wonderful job bringing an unnecessary amount of intensity that trumps even Leslie Knope.

Watch it NOW:

Funny or Die’s Billy on the Streets — Eichner aggressively interviews and quizzes strangers on the street, whether or not they want anything to do with him. You haven’t lived till you’ve seen a game show host screaming at his contestants. [Buy It on Amazon Insant]

Kayla Cobb is a proud graduate of Clemson University and loves her cat and TV shows more than some people love their kids. You should really follow her on Twitter at @KaylCobb.