Parks and Recreation has a tendency to enlist some pretty fantastic guest stars, and this latest bit of casting news is no exception there. The Fonz will be headed to Pawnee next season as Happy Days star Henry Winkler has signed on to play Jean-Ralphio's father in the NBC comedy series. Some may be better familiar with Winkler for his roles as Barry Zuckerkorn in Arrested Development and Sy Mittleman in Childrens Hospital. Regardless of what you know him from, if you're familiar with Winkler at all, you know he's funny. So this is most definitely good news for Parks and Rec.
Last year, we met Jean-Ralphio's twin sister, Mona-Lisa, played by Jenny Slate, and according to The Hollywood Reporter, the upcoming sixth season will introduce us to their father. Winkler will appear in the Season 6 premiere and he could return for future episodes of the series, much in the way Mona-Lisa has. Will Winkler's character be the block off the old chip that his cocky son is? Or should we expect a completely different personality from this character? We can only guess right now, and there are about two months to wait until the comedy returns.
THR notes that Ben Schwartz - who plays Jean-Ralphio in Parks and Rec - will be joined by his House of Lies co-star Kristen Bell, who's also connected to the cast through her appearances on Party Down with Adam Scott. Winkler has his own connections to the cast through Arrested Development, which featured guest appearances by Amy Poehler. Arrested Development's Will Arnett has also appeared on Parks and Recreation. And then there's Nick Offerman, who plays Ron Swanson in the series and shares a Childrens Hospital credit with Winkler. The Adult Swim comedy also ties Megan Mullally into the circuit, as she's recurred as Tammy Two on Parks and Rec and is also among the Childrens Hospital cast. There are probably other ways to Kevin Bacon Winkler to this show. I guess when it comes down to it, funny people tend to run in crowds. And sooner or later, some of them end up in Pawnee, Henry Winkler included. We'll see Winkler in the series when Parks and Recreation returns for Season 6 on Thursday, September 26.
In other Parks and Recreation news, here's a new mash-up that shows us the creepier side of Leslie Knope. It's amazing what a bit of editing can do to the tone of a show and character, isn't it?
Let's all hope Leslie never snaps, otherwise look out, Pawnee!
