Photo by Colleen Hayes
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Parks and Recreation can now celebrate a bittersweet final season premiere, as the first episode of its last batch gave the veteran NBC comedy its highest viewership in nearly two years.

With 3.8 million total viewers, it was the show's most since February 2013. Additionally, its 1.5 rating in the 18-49 demo was the best since May 2013.

The second episode, which followed the premiere, was watched by 3.3 million. Considering the final season buzz, these numbers will likely increase more than usual for live + 7 day DVR viewing.

As we previously mentioned, NBC will air new back-to-back episodes weekly until a Feb. 24 series finale following the premiere of The Voice.