close menu

PARKS AND RECREATION’s Ben Schwartz Describes a Jean Ralphio Scene That Was Too Weird to Air

It’s only been two years since Parks and Recreation went off the air, but we miss that series terribly. One thing we miss most about it was Ben Schwartz’s Jean-Ralphio Saperstein, a man with absolutely no shame… but that was part of his charm. Although apparently, there was one time that the character went too far even for Parks‘ standards.

While appearing on Entertainment Weekly: The Show, Schwartz related the story of how he was initially set to appear in the seventh season premiere before his role in the episode was cut. As Schwartz describes it, the scene involved blonde highlights, a wheelchair, and an incredibly tasteless manipulation of Six Flags’ line-cutting policy. Apparently this was deemed too outrageous a seasonal intro to the character, so Parks‘ creators decided to cut it out of the episode.

Fans of Parks and Recreation may be surprised to hear that anything was considered over-the-top for the character, considering all the nonsense that did make it to air. Somehow, this was considered to be less acceptable than Jean-Ralphio faking his death in the season finale. In a town full of outrageous characters, Jean-Ralphio was definitely one of the show’s most off-the-wall creations. But now, we kind of want to see future Jean-Ralphio and his further exploits in the future with his silly blonde highlights. Jean-Ralphio may be too bizarre to be a series lead, but we’d still welcome that return in any form that it takes.

What do you think about Schwartz’s lost Jean-Ralphio moment? Let us know in the comment section below!

Images: NBCUniversal

BATTLEFRONT IV Concept Art Imagines a Bizarro STAR WARS

BATTLEFRONT IV Concept Art Imagines a Bizarro STAR WARS

article
Giant Balloon Drone is Rover from THE PRISONER

Giant Balloon Drone is Rover from THE PRISONER

article
Thrilling Adventure Hour

Thrilling Adventure Hour : TAH Post-Show #3

podcast