ROB LOWE BECOMES NEW SERIES REGULAR ON NBC'S 'PARKS AND RECREATION' AS HE REPRISES FORMER GUEST-STAR ROLE AS CHRIS TRAEGER

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. - July 30, 2010 -- Rob Lowe ("Brothers & Sisters," "The West Wing") will become a new series regular on NBC's "Parks and Recreation," reprising his former guest-starring role as energetic state auditor Chris Traeger when the comedy series returns in mid-season 2010-11.

"I am beyond thrilled that Rob will be joining the cast for more episodes," said Mike Schur, co-creator and executive producer. "I have truly come to value his fashion sense, grooming habits and workout tips. Also, he is hilarious, and adds a wonderful dimension to the cast. But really, it's the workout tips."

"Parks and Recreation" was recognized by top entertainment magazines and newspapers as one of the best TV shows of 2009. Recent honors include an Emmy nomination for Amy Poehler's performance as Leslie Knope and Television Critics Association nominations for Outstanding Achievement in Comedy and Individual Achievement in Comedy for Nick Offerman.

Recently, Lowe co-starred on the drama "Brothers & Sisters" and is well known for his performance as presidential aide Sam Seaborn on the Emmy Award-winning "The West Wing." The actor recently completed a much talked about arc on next season's "Californication" and is currently starring in Mark Pellington's "I Melt With You." The independent feature is a dark drama about the modern male psyche.

Lowe first gained recognition for his early feature-film roles in "The Hotel New Hampshire," "St. Elmo's Fire," "About Last Night," "The Outsiders," "Masquerade," "Wayne's World," and later in "Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery," "Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me," "Austin Powers in Goldmember," "Contact" and "Thank You for Smoking."

Among Lowe's longform television projects are "Atomic Train," "The Stand," "The Christmas Blessing," "Salem's Lot," "Perfect Strangers," "The Christmas Shoes," "Too Late to Say Goodbye," "A Perfect Day," "Framed" and "Outrage."

From Emmy Award-winning executive producers Greg Daniels (NBC's "The Office," "King of the Hill") and Michael Schur (NBC's "The Office," "Saturday Night Live") comes "Parks and Recreation," a mockumentary that looks at the exciting world of local government. The half-hour comedy is set in the fictional city of Pawnee, Indiana and is brought to life by the comedic talents of the ensemble cast.

The documentary cameras follow Leslie Knope (Emmy nominee Poehler, NBC's "Saturday Night Live," "Baby Mama") a mid-level bureaucrat in the Parks and Recreation Department of Pawnee, Indiana.

Rashida Jones (NBC's "The Office," "Unhitched") portrays level-headed Anne Perkins, a local nurse and one of Leslie's only girlfriends. Leslie is alternately helped and undermined by her colleague, Tom Haverford (Aziz Ansari, "Human Giant," "Scrubs"), who cheerfully exploits his government position for personal gain. She is also thwarted by her boss, Ron Swanson (Nick Offerman "Children's Hospital"), who is philosophically opposed to government in any form.

Aubrey Plaza ("Funny People") stars as Ron's assistant April, whose budding romance with Andy (Chris Pratt, "The O.C.," "Everwood") makes Ann jealous. Adam Scott ("Tell Me You Love Me," "Party Down") and Lowe ("Brothers & Sisters," "The West Wing") join the cast as state auditors Ben Wyatt and Chris Traeger, respectively. Also starring are Retta ("It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia") as fun-loving Donna Meagle and Jim O'Heir ("Castle") as the department's punching bag, Jerry Gergich.

"Parks and Recreation" is a production of Deedle-Dee Productions, Fremulon, 3 Arts Entertainment and Universal Media Studios. Along with Daniels and Schur, Howard Klein and David Miner also serve as executive producers for the series.