Vice President Joe Biden is a common topic on NBC’s awesome show “Parks and Recreation.” The main character Leslie Knope, played by the hilarious Amy Poehler, has an obsession with the VP, making reference to him in odd situations. And now, her dream will come true, as Biden is set to guest star on the show next Thursday. But the episode was filmed before the election, and there’s a reason why it will air after. In short, FCC regulations dictate that candidates from opposing political parties must receive equal airtime on network shows. So last month, if Barack Obama had appeared on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” for five minutes, Mitt Romney would get an equal amount of time on the show. The rule is meant to ensure that the media is fair and balanced in giving airtime to politicians. In the case of Biden and Parks and Rec, it’s more of an inside joke than a political statement. But show creator Michael Schur felt the need to take to Twitter to clarify why the episode is airing when it airs.
Multi-tweet clarification, re: VPOTUS on #ParksandRec. It’s being reported in some places that we did not air it pre-election…(1)
— Ken Tremendous (@KenTremendous) November 8, 2012
…because we “did not want to offer equal time to Paul Ryan.” Ryan had not even been selected when we shot it. We didn’t air it b/c… (2)
— Ken Tremendous (@KenTremendous) November 8, 2012
…there are complicated (and warranted) election rules governing any exposure for any candidate during a campaign. That’s why…(3)
— Ken Tremendous (@KenTremendous) November 8, 2012
…the senators who appeared in the premiere were all either not running or retiring. It was not in any way a partisan decision. (4)
— Ken Tremendous (@KenTremendous) November 8, 2012
Will you tune in to see Biden?