‘Parks and Rec’ performs well on DVD

“Parks and Rec” comes into its own during its second season.

The first season of NBC’s “Parks and Recreation” was painful to watch at times. It was so clearly aping the formula of “The Office” that each character could be neatly paired with a character from that show. The jokes weren’t very good either.

That new-show awkwardness continued for about two episodes of the second season, but after that, “Parks and Rec” became a different show, and arguably, the best comedy on television.

This DVD set collects all 24 episodes of the second season, as well as the requisite bonus materials that help NBC justify the sticker price.

Season two’s strengths lie in its character development; getting to know Ron “F-ing” Swanson is truly a privilege, and the April-Andy romantic awkwardness is as fun as Jim and Pam’s ever was during the peak years of “The Office.”

“While lousy ratings might keep “Parks and Rec” from doing its thing on television for much longer, it works tremendously on DVD, and this package is well worth the asking price for fans of the show.