Hey, it's Empire's Book of the Day. I'm Andrew Limbong. As Jerry Gerkich, Jim O'Hare wasn't the star of the NBC TV show Parked and Recreation, but I don't know if the show would have had the same energy without him.

O'Hare's new book about his time working on the show is called Welcome to Pawnee. And in this interview, he talks to MPR's Juana Summers about how it took until season two for him and the writers of the show to

really gel and figure out who this Jerry guy was and how he fit in with the rest of the cast.

That's coming up. In the U.S., national security news can feel far away from daily life.

Distant wars, murky conflicts, diplomacy behind closed doors.

On our new show, Sources and Methods, NPR reporters on the ground bring you stories of real people,

helping you understand why distant events matter here at home.

Listen to sources and methods on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.

The show Parks and Recreation transformed Jim O'Hare's career.

He'd been working as an actor for some time when he landed a small part on the NBC sitcom, which

wrapped in 2015.

He ultimately became a series regular as Jerry Gergich,

who fans will remember as the Parks and Rec Department's favorite punching bag. And now,

he is out with a new book all about the series and the people on and off camera who made it happen.

The book is called Welcome to Pony, stories of friendship,

waffles, and parks and recreation. The book is part memoir, but it also weaves in stories from O'Hare's

castmates, as well as the voices of creator Greg Daniels and showrunner Mike Scher. When O'Hare and I

started talking, I had to ask him about one unforgettable scene.

Anyway, hunting and fishing season is winding down.

Okay, and we all know that it's already closed season on 12.

So now, I said 12 instead of trout.

Everything goes wrong.

...