“Parks and Recreation” was likely the comedy series that best demonstrated one established principle of successful sitcom alchemy: You need to have a good cast before anything else. This was true of all the most well-liked and highly praised comedies of the 2010s. There were many reasons to watch “Parks and Rec” on NBC, but ultimately, the main draw was to hang out with Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) and her friends. The show follows the struggles and triumphs of the employees at the Pawnee, Indiana parks department. The ensemble balance was already established by the time the show found its rhythm and its voice in Season 2, and the numerous significant cast changes it underwent as the seasons went on did not take away in the slightest from how well each team member complemented the others.
You only need to look at Craig, the obnoxious, overly enthusiastic new employee at the parks department who joins the show following the Pawnee-Eagleton merger in Season 6 to see what an amazing handle “Parks and Rec” has on ensemble dynamics. By that point, “Parks and Rec” was such a well-oiled machine that the introduction of a new major character could have easily destroyed it. But Billy Eichner’s one-of-a-kind portrayal of Craig was so compelling and seamlessly integrated with the spirit of the show that he eventually made the transition from recurring to series regular. But in the seven years since “Parks and Recreation” ended in 2015, what has Eichner been doing?
Billy Eichner’s TV work has remained prolific
Billy Eichner was a rising star of American television comedy even before he played Craig Middlebrooks on “Parks and Recreation,” thanks to his eccentric game show “Billy on the Street,” which followed him as he went out into the streets of New York City to question random pedestrians on a variety of pop culture-related topics. After “Parks” ended, “Billy on the Street” debuted on Fuse in 2011, and Eichner continued to host it for two more years. The show’s final two seasons aired on truTV.
Eichner has continued to be active on scripted television, with roles on comedic and dramatic series, in addition to “Billy on the Street,” which gained popularity and recognition enough to inspire everything from a guest appearance on “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” to a segment at the 66th Primetime Emmys. Between 2015 and 2017, he co-starred with Julie Klausner in Hulu’s critically acclaimed “Difficult People” series as two cynical New York comedians who are also best friends. This was followed by Netflix’s “Friends from College,” which aired between 2017 and 2019 and featured Eichner in a recurring role as Max Adler’s fiancé, Dr. Felix Forzenheim. Eichner has also joined the Ryan Murphy universe, playing the Drudge Report’s author Matt Drudge on “Impeachment: American Crime Story,” Harrison Wilton on “American Horror Story: Cult,” and both Brock and Mutt Nutter on “American Horror Story: Apocalypse.”
Eichner has also crossed over into film in a big way
Billy Eichner transitioned into film work in the years following the conclusion of “Parks and Recreation.” He had a tiny part in the 2015 film “Sleeping with Other People,” and in the 2016 film “The Angry Birds Movie,” he portrayed the roles of Chef Pig and Phillip. He had already shown his voice acting prowess in the role of Mr. Ambrose on “Bob’s Burgers.” Additionally, he played Oliver Studebaker in two scenes in “Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising.” In “Noelle” on Disney+, Eichner played Gabriel, the tech support cousin of protagonists Noelle (Anna Kendrick) and Nick Kringle (Bill Hader), who reluctantly takes on the role of the interim new Santa Claus, in 2019, earning him his most significant live-action film role to date.
Eichner was one of the main stars of one of the all-time highest-grossing movies in 2019, which was also another year. He was cast flawlessly as Timon in Disney’s “live-action” adaptation of “The Lion King,” giving the audience’s favourite sarcastic meerkat all of his crazy energy. His portrayal was one of the few consistently acclaimed aspects of the otherwise critically criticised movie, forming a powerful combination with Seth Rogen’s as Pumbaa.
This year, Eichner’s career advanced because he co-wrote and starred in Nicholas Stoller’s romantic comedy “Bros,” which infamously bombed at the box office but impressed audiences anyway. We can only hope that this is only the start for the legendary actor and comedian.
