That noise you hear is the sound of Ron Swanson’s trademark mustache wilting.
Sources close to Parks and Recreation confirm to TVLine exclusively that Oscar-nominated actress (and Andy Samberg’s Motherlover) Patricia Clarkson has nabbed the coveted role of Tammy 1, the much-feared first ex-wife of Nick Offerman’s Ron.
The character was seen from behind in the May finale, triggering a mountain of speculation as to who would play the predecessor to Megan Mullally’s hilariously unhinged Tammy 2. TVLine even jumped into the fray, offering a litany of suggestions including Lucy Lawless and Kirstie Alley.
And although the sublime Clarkson was not on our short list, she will do very nicely. (Clarkson’s last significant sitcom gig was a decade ago when she appeared in a five-episode arc on Frasier as a love interest for Kelsey Grammer’s titular shrink.)
Exec producer Michael Schur says viewers should not expect Tammy 1 to be a retread of Tammy 2. “We talked about pretty much every possible iteration of who she is and what her backstory is and all we knew is that we didn’t want to do the same thing we did with Tammy 2,” the boss recently told TVGuide.com. “Tammy 1 is her own specific brand of demon. I think we came up with backstory for her that’s both funny and illuminating and also answers all of the questions that you would have when seeing people’s reactions to her presence in the finale.”
Clarkson is expected to appear in two episodes, beginning with Parks‘ Sept. 22 season premiere.
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