Parks and Rec

I really am not a situation comedy person. 
Ok, I kinda enjoyed Seinfeld. Friends, Will and Grace, but I haven't really loved a sitcom since Murphy Brown. and before that, Wings.
Which probably means I have a thing for "workplace" sitcoms as opposed to "family" sitcoms. Which those of my vast number of readers with a Freudian bent will undoubtedly interpret in some sinister manner. 
The point is, I have been totally loving Parks and Recreation.
For one thing, it's hysterically funny. For another, it's almost painfully real.
For those of you not familiar, P&R is about a small city in Indiana and the employees of its parks and recreation department, notably the deputy director Leslie Knope, played by Amy Poehler. Leslie is one of those relentlessly optimistic civil servants who takes her job seriously and works hard. In other words, she's constantly besieged by the public, her co-workers and the city council. Living proof that no good deed goes unpunished.
The other main characters are: Ron, the director of P&R, who hates government in any way, shape or form; Tom, the sleazy, womanizing co-worker; April, the depressed and Goth intern; Ann Perkins, a nurse with a giant hole int he lot next to hers; Andy, Ann's ex-boyfriend who fell in the hole and then lived in it; Donna and Jerry, two co-workers with lesser roles, but lots of fun when allowed. A few other occasional characters drop in: Orrin, a performance artist who rarely moves; John-Ralphio, a friend of Tom's with the personality of a car insurance commercial; Mona Lisa, J-R's sister who is mean as a snake. 
As the seasons moved on, there were some changes. Mark, the city planner who dated Leslie and then Ann, leaves, and the city is invaded by bureaucrats from Indianapolis. Chris is hyperactive, manic and tiresomely healthy. Ben is quieter, smart and cute. 
Naturally, various other city employees and officials drop in now and again.
Another character is City Hall which is festooned with murals painted in a more simple time. And by simple, I mean a time during which it was perfectly ok to treat the local Indian tribe like dogs. Or worse. The murals are a hoot.
In pretty much every episode, an incident arises that reminds me of something I covered as a municipal beat reporter. 
I mean, I've never covered a giant hole being turned into a park, but I have covered the rivalry among municipal departments and it does get just as weird as it does on TV. As does the rivalry between neighboring towns. 
I would highly recommend Parks and Rec to anyone, but especially to anyone who has experience with municipal government.