First in Friendship, Fourth in Obesity

I recently asked my Facebook friends to suggest romantic movies that would be great Valentine's Day counter-programming to "Fifty Shades of Grey." They made some fantastic suggestions, from classic to recent, definitive to off-the-wall, but my suggestion to anyone looking for a love story, or several, to delve into is just tune in to "Parks and Recreation."

Tonight, this amazing show is airing its final episode, an hour-long farewell that hits the airwaves at 10. I could write about my sadness at the show ending, or the injustice of its 13-episode final season being burned off in a month-and-a-half (#tankit), or the ridiculousness of a show that aired Thursdays at 8:30 and 9:30 getting its farewell Tuesday at 10. I could mention how I'll likely never watch NBC again with this show following "Community" out the door and nothing comparable walking in. Instead, I'll just write one more time about how much I love this show.

"Parks and Rec" is one of the rare shows that I've watched from the beginning and stuck with. I've done that because, season after the season, the show has gotten better, funnier, sweeter, stranger. Pawnee has become a real universe with recognizable landmarks and residents. The main characters have grown multidimensional. I watch the show because I care about these people and their town, because I want to know what will happen next, because of the writing and the acting and the sets, for the in-jokes and the political commentary. I watch because it's great.

I also watch because I'm a softy, because I rooted for Ben and Leslie to get together, because this is the show that had a wedding with the vows, "I love you and I like you." I watch for Jerry/Larry/Garry and Gayle, for Donna and Joe, Tom and Lucy, Ron and Diane, April and Andy, Ann and Chris, Ann and Leslie, Ann and April, Ben and Jerry/Larry/Garry, Leslie and Pawnee.

This show had heart. It was sweet and goofy, but still landed punches. It made fun of government while showing what people could accomplish working together. It believed in small dreams and lofty ambitions. It showed how you can come back from crushing defeat.

I'm going to miss all of that. I'm going to miss having a show I look forward to every week, a show I watch live and hate to miss. Must-see shows are few and far between these days.

I'm going to miss the camaraderie of the cast and crew, of seeing the people who make this show in press, on panels and at junkets, their genuine respect, admiration and affection shining through.

Thank you to every single person who made "Parks and Rec" a reality, who brought Pawnee and its citizens to life. Thank you for creating this strange and lovely universe. Thank you.