Alright, nobody panic. Just take a deep breath. In through the nose, out through the mouth. Close your eyes and try and center your chi…? Or just calm yourself down in less fancy terms. Just a few times. Come on, I’ve got the time if you do. I think doing this three times is exactly what we need before we take things any further. 

Here we go… 

… (that’s one)

… (that’s two)

… (that’s three)

Okay, now that you’re calm, you’re breathing is well regulated, and you feel kind of at peace and at ease with yourself, allow me to deliver some bad news.

Parks and Rec is no longer on Netflix.

Stop. Don’t freak out on me. We just had ourselves in a good spot. You carrying on like this isn’t going to do anyone any good. Like at all. Do you think I like being the bearer of bad news like this?! Not even a little bit. I originally thought about recycling a column for today just to avoid talking about this but I do have a certain responsibility to you my Geeklings. That’s why you’re reading these words right now. I would hate for you to find out this news elsewhere. Makes me feel dirty.

And while it sucks that Netflix no longer has Parks and Rec and it serves as a reminder that at the end of this dumpster fire of a year we’re also going to be losing The Office… sorry, that was too soon. That one on me. Let’s mourn one thing at a time. We still have three months with The Office on Netflix. Three. Months. Stay calm. Please. Let’s do the breathing exercises again.

… (that’s one)

… (that’s two)

… (that’s three)

See, not so bad. Let’s focus on Parks and Rec, a show that I just binged with my wife and she loved it. I feel pretty crumby introducing her to such wonderful characters and then telling her we don’t have access to them the way we used to. But on the plus side, she got to watch and experience the show and that’s a win in itself.

Here I am talking like it’s impossible to watch Parks and Rec when that’s not even the case. As of this writing, I believe you can still watch the series on Hulu. I’m not entirely sure how much longer it’ll be there but for now, there’s some comfort to be found in Hulu. And if you get really desperate you can turn to the NBC streaming service, The Peacock. This is where all these shows are heading anyway so you might want to get a head start on the transition.

There are two ways to view Parks and Rec on The Peacock streaming service. One way is watching it for free. I’ve long lived by the notion of if it’s free, it’s for me. Here’s the kicker though, because our cheap asses are using the free service that means we have to sit through commercials. Like total morons who have no respect for binge-watching or their time. Of course, if you don’t like commercials like most of us, then you can pay for the Peacock service. I’m not entirely sure how much it costs monthly but again, The Office is heading there in three months so you need to ask yourself, how much are you willing to pay to watch these shows.

You could also just buy them off of Amazon or iTunes and not have to worry about any streaming services. Really stick it to the man, you know? This is certainly a thought I’ve been entertaining especially with all the sales that Amazon and iTunes throw out there. You know where these shows won’t leave? Your own personal library. 

Either way, you’ll have to find a new place to watch Parks and Rec and for that, I’m sorry. There’s nothing worse than turning on your television hoping to watch something only to learn that that something has left the place where you usually watch it. I’m here for you Geeklings and think of it this way, it’s not like you’ve lost your friends forever. You just need to find new ways to hang out with them. Think of it like that really great friend who moved to a new town. You’re not going to give up that friendship because they moved, you’re going to find ways to spend time together. That’s all this is. And if all else fails, at least I taught you how to breathe…