14 Years Later, The Greatest Improv Line in Sitcom History Is Still Untouchable

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While Parks and Recreation isn’t as famous as shows like Friends or The Office, viewers who’ve watched it quickly become fans of its positive energy, funny characters, and surprisingly spontaneous humor. The show, starring Amy Poehler, Rashida Jones, Aubrey Plaza, Nick Offerman, Adam Scott, Ben Schwartz, and Chris Pratt, and guided by writer and showrunner Michael Schur, was known for having just as many jokes made up on the spot as those that were scripted. And even now, 14 years later, one unscripted line from Parks & Rec stands out as the best in sitcom history.

Season 3 of Parks and Recreation marked a significant shift for the show. Mark Brandanawicz was written off, while Ben and Chris, played by Adam Scott and Rob Lowe, became central characters. Chris Pratt really came into his own, often improvising lines as his character, Andy Dwyer. The show utilized a technique called ‘alts’ – where actors performed multiple versions of a joke, allowing editors to select the funniest. However, the peak of this improv came in the Season 3 episode “Flu Season,” which is widely considered to be some of the best sitcom improv ever – so much so that it even surprised the show’s creator.

Chris Pratt Still Has the Greatest Sitcom Improvised Line Ever


NBC

Okay, so in the ‘Flu Season’ episode, basically the whole town of Pawnee gets hit with the flu – including Chris and Leslie. It’s hilarious because Chris totally spirals, convinced something’s wrong with his ‘microchip,’ while Leslie, ever the overachiever, is still trying to plan the harvest festival even while feeling sick. There’s a sweet scene with her and Ben rehearsing her speech, and then the camera pans over to Andy Dwyer, who’s just casually hanging out at his desk… and that’s when he delivers that now-iconic line. It’s such a perfect moment!

I checked your symptoms online, Leslie, and it looks like you might be having trouble connecting to the network.

The camera work is so smooth and Chris Pratt delivers the line so naturally, it’s easy to believe it was always written into the script. However, he actually improvised it! Andy Dwyer consistently had some of the funniest lines and outtakes on Parks and Rec, but his joke about network connectivity is arguably his best. It’s a genuinely funny moment, and because of Andy’s lovable cluelessness, it feels perfectly in character and flows seamlessly with the scene—it doesn’t feel added on at all.

‘Parks & Rec’s Creator Hated Chris Pratt for the Joke

During a 2012 panel discussion at The Paley Center for Media, the cast talked about lines that weren’t originally written in the script. Mike Schur revealed that the funniest moment in the show actually came from an improvisation by Chris Pratt. He jokingly admitted it frustrated him as a writer, and he still feels that way! Pratt delivered the line just once, the camera happened to be rolling, and it ended up being the show’s best joke.

Mike Schur isn’t actually upset with Chris Pratt, but as a writer, he can relate to the annoyance of someone naturally being funnier. Luckily, the camera captured Pratt’s spontaneous moment, and the line became iconic. While fans love quotes like “Treat Yo Self” and “I’m Ron f*cking Swanson,” Chris Pratt’s joke about network connectivity is still considered the best improvised line ever on a sitcom.

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2025-11-14 00:34