It has been called the undisputed best episode of the season and one of the best the show has ever produced, but the “Leslie and Ben” episode of “Parks & Recreation” bombed in the ratings Thursday.
With “Community” back in the ratings abyss (1.1 adults 18-49 and 3.1 million viewers) and no halo effect from “The Office,” “Parks” only mustered a 1.3 rating with 3.0 million for the heavily-hyped wedding installment.
A second episode at 9PM also underdelivered with just a 1.4 and 2.9 million. “1600 Penn” followed with a 1.0 and 2.3 million.
While “The Office” has fallen vastly from grace and is not seeing special interest in its final season, it has at least remained stable in the 2.0 range and represents the only mild bright spot in NBC’s Thursday lineup. Without it, NBC’s grouping of Thursday comedies is simply terrible from a ratings standpoint.
