The Incredibly Handsome Rob Lowe (TM) makes his debut on Parks and Recreation tonight, and the early reviews are upbeat. But executive producer Mike Schur faced a major dilemma once Lowe actually agreed to appear alongside Amy Poehler on the NBC comedy: Just how do you properly credit a star of Lowe’s magnitude? Do you use “Very Special Guest Star,” as Heather Locklear was dubbed when she joined Melrose Place? Please, that is an insult! The man falls somewhere between the sun and a supernova on the star-brightness scale; his very presence on Parks threatens to cause plasma screens across this great nation to explode out of their inability to handle his radiance. He demands more! So how did Schur settle this impossible show-business dilemma?
“The credit will read ‘And introducing Rob Lowe,’” Schur revealed to Vulture, adding that Lowe loved the idea when he heard it.
Because Lowe actually does have a few credits to his name, Schur had to check with all manner of lawyers and assorted other suits to make sure this very clever mini-joke wouldn’t violate some labor agreement or set a dangerous precedent that would forever alter TV land. Thankfully, nobody objected, and the joke will stand. No word on how they would credit Jabba the Hutt.
