On what date did The Master Plan originally air?

The Master Plan originally aired on May 13, 2010.

It is the 23rd and penultimate episode of Parks and Recreation’s second season, and the 29th episode overall. NBC broadcast it in the United States near the end of the show’s second-season budget-crisis storyline.

The episode is especially significant because Adam Scott and Rob Lowe first appear as Ben Wyatt and Chris Traeger, state auditors sent to Pawnee. Their arrival reshapes the series and helps launch its third-season direction. The story also advances the breakup of Ann Perkins and Mark Brendanawicz.

A common mix-up is the surrounding episode schedule: “Telethon” aired on May 6, “The Master Plan” followed on May 13, and “Freddy Spaghetti” aired on May 20. The episode was later released in both a standard 22-minute television version and an extended producer’s cut.