If you're stuck in a wasteland of hollow prime times, hang tight: Amy Poehler is coming to the rescue. Get ready for a second helping of her NBC mockumentary, "Parks and Recreation" this fall.

Although the show is the brainchild of "Office" producers Greg Daniels and Michael Schur and has been criticized for its similarity, don't expect to find a Michael Scott copycat or a Dunder Mifflin-lite when "Parks and Recreation" returns this Thursday. The show has a heart and mind of its own.

"Any time that we're mentioned in the same sentence as ["The Office"] it's a compliment," Poehler said. "But I think people will see this season what the show is and how it's different and certainly in its own way."

As the wonder woman of "Saturday Night Live," Poehler has tackled Hillary Clinton, Dakota Fanning and Kelly Ripa with biting wit and charm. Also joining her from season one is Aziz Ansari, the unbelievably funny Stern alumnus who broke out in a big way following his role as Randy in the movie "Funny People."

Back after a brief six-episode run last spring, Poehler's character, Leslie Knope - a woman Poehler describes as having "good intentions but no game" - continues her quest to transform an unsightly construction pit into a public park.

Tagging along for the ride is the charmingly nasty office-mate Tom Haverford (Ansari), playing cynical foil to Leslie's optimist.

"Leslie thinks that Tom is her Batman but, in many ways, he always gives her the skinny on what's really happening in real life," Poehler said.

"I don't think he's a mean-spirited guy, ultimately," Ansari said. "He does care about Leslie, and I think in this season you do see he's not like a cold-hearted dude or anything."

To construct these characters on the show, the duo tapped into their versatile backgrounds in sketch comedy. Ansari performed on MTV's "Human Giant" while Poehler shined at the Upright Citizens Brigade and "SNL." The experience allowed them to grow not only as comedians but as actors.

"The characters [on "SNL"] can be very transient and the experience can be very temporary," Poehler said. "It's been awesome to be able to just settle in and play someone and really kind of figure out where they're coming from and how they would act and behave."

The second season takes the show in a new and exciting directions, with Leslie finding some romance with, of all people, comedian Louis C.K. — another great voice in improv.

"Louis is, I think, the best standup working," Ansari said. "I was thrilled when I found out he was working on the show and he knocked it out of the park." No pun intended.

So what's the game plan? Why should we watch — or, more accurately, TiVo — a show that feels so familiar?

"We don't want to overreach, but every single episode will have life, death, happiness, sadness, anger, rebirth, redemption and a very clear conclusion," Poehler said.

And that's just the beginning.