We’re five seasons into Parks and Recreation now, and we still have yet to meet office doormat Jerry Gergich’s oft-discussed wife, Gayle. I was starting to suspect that Gayle would be a never-seen character a la Norm’s wife Vera on Cheers. Parks co-creator/showrunner Michael Schur is a noted Cheers enthusiast, but we’re apparently going to see Gayle Gergich on Parks and Rec this season, after all. Entertainment Weekly reports that model and actress Christie Brinkley will play Gayle in an episode that’s set to air in late November and will also feature Megan Mullally and Lucy Lawless. Brinkley’s biggest comedy credit to date is playing “The Girl in the Ferrari” in the original National Lampoon’s Vacation, and she’s appeared more recently on Ugly Betty and in Jack and Jill. Hopefully, this is the first step towards Jerry and Gayle getting their own 90s-style “fat guy and a hot wife” sitcom as a spin-off.
