'Parks and Recreation' review

Riding on the coattails of their other successful mockumentary, "The Office," NBC debuts this half hour comedy about a mid-level bureaucrat in the Parks and Recreation Department of a local government office.

Set in the fictional city of Pawnee, Indiana, "Parks" is a mockumentary-style comedy that revolves around Leslie Knope (Poehler), a Michael Scott-ian boss who decides to turn an abandoned construction site into a city park.

The buzz:  "Parks and Recreation" has been a buzz magnet since its rumored beginnings as a direct spin-off of "The Office" (which is still ostensibly in the works). Cameos by the always funny Ian Roberts ("Upright Citizens Brigade") and Judd Apatow's go-to weirdo Loudon Wainwright get some big laughs, but it's "Human Giant"'s Aziz Ansari who steals the show as Tom Haverford, an apathetic, self-obsorbed public servant.

The verdict: The show's got "Office" DNA, a tried-and-true single-cam set-up and an "SNL" alum as star. But enough about "Kath & Kim" (zing!). Early supporters recall that the first season of the American "Office" was pretty rough going, so we're willing to give this one the benefit of the doubt... for now.

Did you know? Poehler's real life hubby, "Arrested Development" star Will Arnett, also stars in a much-buzzed sitcom premiering this month (FOX's animated series "Sit Down, Shut Up"). Wonder which half-baked series will get the ax first...?

"Parks and Recreation" premieres Thursday, April 9, at 8:30 p.m./7:30c on NBC.