NBC Renews ‘Parks and Recreation’

NBC has granted comedy darling Parks and Recreation a sixth season.

The widely expected move marks NBC’s first comedy renewal heading into Monday’s upfront presentation to Madison Avenue buyers in New York. The fate of Community and freshmen Guys With Kids, The New Normal and Go On have yet to be revealed; Up All Night is considered dead; and Whitney and 1600 Penn have been canceled. The Parks and Recreation news comes mere hours after NBC ordered three new half-hours: Jason Katims‘ About a Boy, Sean Hayes’ Sean Saves the World and Parker Posey vehicle The Family Guide.

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The Amy Poehler ensemble about a rag-tag group of government employees was considered NBC’s only slam-dunk comedy set to return to the schedule for the 2013-14 season. The Thursday comedy has proved to be a launching pad for its cast, with co-stars Nick Offerman, Aziz Ansari, Rashida Jones and Chris Pratt all inking deals for films, book deals, comedy tours and more. While the series has never been a ratings power for the network, it continues to generate positive reviews and be an awards-season magnet for Poehler.

For Parks co-creator Mike Schur, he will have comedies at rival networks next season. His new half-hour, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, was ordered to series at Fox on Wednesday. The comedy, starring Andy Samberg, revolves around a diverse group of detectives at a New York precinct.