Paul Schneider Becomes the First to Leave Overstuffed Parks and Recreation

The Amy Poehler vehicle Parks and Recreation has really come into its own this season, and wouldn't you know, that's when all the fiddling begins. Rob Lowe and Adam Scott were both added to the sitcom's cast in recent weeks, spooking fans who wondered if that might mean less screen time for the current regulars. Now, the LAT has confirmed that train of thought: Paul Schneider will be exiting the show.

Parks & Rec E.P. Mike Schur explained the decision, assuring that it might allow the return of Schneider's Mark at some later date:

"When we first cast Paul, we told him that the idea would be Mark would leave and then ideally he would come back in a different capacity working for a different company. And then he would leave again and come back, and so on... It's not something you usually do on TV shows but we thought it was a good way to illustrate both the positive and negative aspects of working for a government. It was one of the first things we talked about with him.

"What happened was in the wake of Bright Star [a film in which Schneider co-starred] and winning a lot of awards, Paul now has this film career that is just taking off in a big way. And the movie opportunities he's getting are incredibly cool interesting movies, not the summer blockbuster movies that can be scheduled around TV actors when they need to be."

That's all fine and good, but does this mean that the Jabba the Hutt opening montage will have to be reconceived? Sadface.

'Parks and Recreation': Mike Schur tells us why Paul Schneider is leaving the show, plus more details on Adam Scott and Rob Lowe [LAT]