As a viewer, that’s important - just think about how many times you’ve wondered if you’re more of a Chandler or a Phoebe. Or do you?) Whereas if I were posed the question, “Are you a Stanley, Meredith, or Toby?” I would have little idea what their characters are all about. It has to do entirely with personality.Īs a whole, the characters in “Parks and Rec” more clearly represent ideas, values, and universal traits than those in “The Office.” Just think about Tom’s presentation in the finale - are you a Ron, Leslie, Ben, Donna, April, Andy, or Tom? (Doesn’t matter… all that’s important is that you don’t want to be a Jerry. The fact that “Parks and Rec” is better than “The Office” has nothing to do with whether its main characters are male or female. ![]() ![]() Then consider the main characters: Leslie Knope and Michael Scott. You only need to notice just how long it actually took for them to get around to the original downsizing problem presented in the pilot to see what I mean. Like a lot of the best shows currently airing, “Parks and Rec” burned through storylines in a single episode that would have taken “The Office” at least half a season. All seven of its waffle-loving seasons were tight - no meandering along aimlessly until the writers found a new way to move the plot forward a bit. “Parks and Rec” also never dilly-dallied or spent too much time lingering in certain storylines (Yes, I’m talking about the will-they/won’t-they Jim and Pam storyline. Instead of laughing when Michael tells everyone he has Bruce Springsteen tickets or realizes he can’t keep his promise to Scott’s Tots, I want to curl under a blanket and hide. It’s disheartening to watch Michael realize that Jan already had the baby. Whereas “Parks and Rec” has an all-around sunny disposition, “The Office” is so true to life that sometimes the characters and the situations they find themselves in actually make you sad. It’s a world where citizens get riled up at local town meetings, one of the smallest divisions of government can actually make a difference, and a tiny horse brings everyone together. This comes down to a fundamental difference between the two shows - whereas “The Office” is solidly rooted in reality, “Parks and Rec” exists in a slightly absurd, parallel world to our own. While both shows suffered from lackluster, shortened first seasons, “Parks and Rec” found its footing (unlike Leslie on the edge of the Pit) and, in my humble opinion, soared past “The Office.” It’s very funny, there are jokes that always make me laugh, and I love watching the evolution of the characters. Now look, I like “The Office” as much as any person. ![]() Often before I can get a word in, the theme song for “The Office” and those familiar shots of Scranton, PA, begin to play. This doesn’t really matter in our relationship, except when we come to a finale and must start a new background show. Like many couples, I’m sure, Luke and I fall on different sides - he’s an “Office” guy I’m a “Parks” girl. And now both shows are in our rotation of what-we-turn-on-when-we-get-home-from-workalong with “Friends” and, for a hot sec while it was on Netflix, “30 Rock” (series that I like to call “background shows”). In both cases, my boyfriend, Luke, convinced me to start watching (and also pleaded with me to make it past the first season because he promised it would get better (which it did)). They both featured ensemble casts of characters who worked together, had some star power behind them, and have gathered even bigger followings since they ended (and can now be found on Netflix for endless streaming). But for those of us who love these shows, it is a topic of conversation.īoth “Parks & Recreation” and “The Office (U.S.)” are half-hour, mockumentary style sitcoms that aired on NBC.
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