The Parks and Recreation gang visited different places throughout the series, and at the beginning of season 6 they flew across the pond to London, where Andy stayed for a couple of months - but why was he there? Parks and Recreation followed the always cheerful, hard-working bureaucrat Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler), who worked at the Parks and Recreation department in the fictional town of Pawnee. Through seven seasons, viewers also met some of Leslie’s co-workers and friends, such as Ron Swanson, Tom Davenport, Donna Meagle, April Ludgate, and Andy Dwyer, all of them with their personal style of comedy, but the one that quickly gained the hearts of viewers was Andy (Chris Pratt).
Andy was introduced in the very first episode of Parks and Recreation, as his fall into the infamous pit was what kickstarted the events in the first season. Andy was originally meant to be a temporary character as Ann’s (Rashida Jones) slacker boyfriend, but he turned out to be quite likeable and ultimately became a series regular. Andy was dimwitted and naive, but cared a lot about his friends and was always willing to help them. Although most of the time he made matters worse, the intention is what counts. After a few years, Andy’s role was significantly reduced in season 6 and was left in London for a couple of months, but there was a good reason for that.
Parks and Recreation’s season 6 began with the episode “London”, in which Leslie won an award from the International Coalition of Women in Government. The ceremony was held in London, and Ben, Ron, April, and Andy followed her there. Ben and Andy attended a meeting for the Sweetums Foundation, where they met Lord Edgar Covington (Peter Serafinowicz), who turned out to be as childish and naive as Andy. Covington requested that Andy stay with him for a few months to get things up and running, and with encouragement from April, he agreed. Andy staying specifically in London was because Chris Pratt was filming Guardians of the Galaxy there (as was Peter Serafinowicz), and it was a good way to justify his absence through most of the season.
Due to his role as Star-Lord in the MCU, Pratt lost a lot of weight, and the series explained this with Andy sharing that he stopped drinking beer and lost 50 pounds as a result. Andy briefly went back to Pawnee in episode 6, “Filibuster”, and didn’t want to return to London, but April convinced him to do so. He finally came back for good in episode 10, “Second Chunce”, and immediately felt the effects of jetlag, with April explaining he would mow the lawn at 2am and pass out on the sofa all day, with nothing waking him up – not even their dog licking peanut butter from his face.
Parks and Recreation made some clever decisions when Pratt’s busy schedule got in the way, giving a reasonable yet funny excuse for his absence, which didn’t feel like a long one nor was it a big shake up for the series. Plus, it worked out for the better for Pratt, who didn’t have to go from one place to the other to shoot his scenes, and instead had both projects filming in the same city.
Next: What Happened To Andy Dwyer After Parks & Rec Ended
