Parks and Recreation star Amy Poehler and creator Mike Schur are teaming up for a new comedy series called Dig. First airing in 2009, the NBC mockumentary marked one of the first big Schur sitcoms, with Poehler starring as Leslie Knope, a midlevel bureaucrat at the Indiana Parks and Recreation Department. The series ran for seven seasons and concluded in 2015, with Schur going on to find success with new shows like Brooklyn Nine-Nine and The Good Place.
Per Variety, Poehler and Schur are now set to collaborate on Dig, a new comedy set at Peacock. The show, which is based on a novel by Kate Myers called Excavations, will feature Poehler and Schur co-writing the first episode together, with Poehler also set to lead the cast. J.J. Philbin will also be a writer on the show, with Philbin, Poehler, and Schur all executive producing. The official logline for Dig is included below, teasing a Greek setting and conspiracy elements:
“Four women working at an archeological dig in Greece are at wildly different crossroads in their lives. When the team uncovers a long-buried secret with the potential to rewrite history, they find themselves at the center of a high-stakes international conspiracy.”
What This Means For Dig
Parks & Rec Set High Expectations
Though Parks and Recreation didn't become a sensation on par with The Office, which took off in later seasons and after its conclusion, on streaming, the series remains beloved. On Parks and Recreation revival or reunion, and Poehler and stars like Rashida Jones and Adam Scott have expressed interest in this.
10 Best Parks & Recreation Episodes, Ranked
NBC’s Parks and Recreation had dozens of incredible, hilarious episodes throughout its seven seasons, but some were better than others.
Dig, then, has big shoes to fill in of living up to Parks and Recreation. While the series sounds like it will be quite different from the NBC mockumentary with its conspiracy elements and overseas setting, the involvement of both Poehler and Schur is sure to attract viewers of Parks and Recreation. This could give the show a viewership boost initially, and, if the show delivers, it could hold onto this audience, potentially leading to additional seasons.
Our Take On Dig
This Could Be A Major Poehler Role
Schur has a strong hit rate with shows, with Parks and Recreation, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and The Good Place all faring well with critics and audiences. Schur's involvement by itself is a promising sign for Dig, but the fact that Poehler will be playing the lead is an added bonus. Poehler hasn't played a leading live-action role in quite some time, with her most notable recent titles being Moxie (2021), Wine Country (2019), and the Wet Hot American Summer miniseries revival, so Dig could be an exciting comeback role.
Poehler has a prominent voice-only role as Joy in the cast of Inside Out (2015) and its 2024 sequel.
Poehler was the centerpiece of the Parks and Recreation cast, and the show arguably wouldn't have worked without her. The ing cast, too, however, helped the sitcom succeed, and it will be interesting to see who she is paired with in this project. Her comedic sensibilities obviously gel well with Schur's, making Dig an especially exciting project.
Source: Variety
