10 Ways The Office And Parks & Rec Could Be Connected

Four years into The Office’s run, a very similar mockumentary sitcom hit TV called Parks and Recreation. Both shows were NBC creations and revolved around the workplace. The US version of The Office was created by Greg Daniels and produced/written by Mike Schur. Funny enough, both Daniels and Schur created Parks and Recreation.

Parks and Rec. was originally supposed to be a spinoff to The Office. NBC had asked Daniels and Schur to create a spinoff but they thought Parks and Rec. would have done better on its own. And they were right. However, fans have noticed some unexplainable similarities between both shows.

10 Jerry Was Spotted In Scranton

There’s no way around this. In the background of this scene in The Office is—what appears to be—Jerry from Parks and Rec. Perhaps Jerry was visiting family in Scranton, or perhaps he and Gail were vacationing in the Poconos. Either way, that man looks an awful lot like Jerry, solidifying the two universes.

9 Did Karen Leave Scranton To Start A New Life In Pawnee?

As fans of both series know, Rashida Jones has a role in both shows as Karen Filippelli and Ann Perkins. Because of her presence in both shows, fans have created compelling theories to connect the association between The Office and Parks and Rec.

One fan’s theory on Reddit stated “Karen testified against the Scranton Strangler and was forced to enter the Witness Protection Program. They sent her to a little-known town called Pawnee, Indiana.” Since Karen left The Office in season three, the idea that she fled the state for another city to start over is unique.

8 Sabre Printers Spotted!

In the eighth season of The Office, a company called Sabre bought Dunder Mifflin and added printers to their lineup. Sabre introduced us to Jo Bennett and Gabe who became fan favorites of the series.

Over in Parks and Rec., there was evidence of The Office being in the same universe when Ben was using a Sabre printer! A fan on Reddit noticed the Sabre logo in the episode “Meet ‘N’ Greet.”

7 Did Dwight Almost Adopt Champion!?

When Andy and April became more serious, they adopted a three-legged dog in need and named him Champion. Before they gave birth to their own baby, Champion was their baby. He was a fun part of the show once Lil Sebastian passed on.

Funny enough, in The Office episode “Fundraiser,” Angela’s husband threw a silent auction to benefit animal rights. In a plea to get his job back, Andy adopted all the dogs. And one of those dogs looks a whole lot like Champion from Parks and Rec. Could this mean Andy and April adopted Champion from Andy Bernard?

6 Robert California And Zorp

In the 1970s, there was a cult in Pawnee called The Reasonabilists. The Reasonabilists god was a massive human-like lizard named Zorp. It was predicted that in years to come, Zorp would come back to Pawnee and essentially wipe out the town with his fire-breathing mouth. Ironically, over in Scranton, Robert California called himself the “Lizard King.” Could this mean that Robert is part of The Reasonabilists and is considered their God?

5 Did Creed Steal Another Identity?

Fans of The Office know Creed as Creed Bratton because that’s the name he was introduced with. Years later, it’s stated that the original Creed Bratton was dead and that “Creed” took his identity. If that’s the case, this so-called Creed character could be anyone.

Fans have theories about Creed actually being Lou Prozotovich from Parks and Rec. Lou used to be the leader of The Reasonabilists before he “died” in the ’70s. But knowing that Creed has taken an identity in the past and has been apart of a cult before (both as a leader and a follower), this could mean Creed is actually Lou!

4 The Decemberists

One of the smaller correlations between Parks and Recreation and The Office is the musical group The Decemberists. It’s not very often a musical group is in the same universe as another show, which furthers the connection between the two.

The Decemberists played live at Pawnee’s Unity Concert in the sixth season of Parks and Recreation but they also showed up at Schrute Farms in the ninth season!

3 Are Ron Swanson & Dwight Schrute Cousins?

If there’s anyone that could be related between the cast of Parks and Rec. and The Office, it would be Ron Swanson and Dwight Schrute. Both men are outdoorsy, know the way of the land, and enjoy a weapon or two. Fans of both shows on Reddit think it’s plausible that both men are cousins. Ron uses Schrute Farms as a getaway. Both men hunt and farm together before going back to work their “city” jobs.

2 Leslie Is The Female Version Of Michael

Michael and Leslie are almost too much alike for their own good — especially in the beginning of Parks and Rec. As the series went on, Leslie became sharper, smarter, and more respected. Due to Michael’s popularity on The Office, Leslie should have had a similar reception from Parks and Rec. fans but that wasn’t the case. According to Cheat Sheet, fans found Leslie too “ditzy” to be believable. However, with both of their personalities being so similar, what if Leslie was one of Michael’s stepsisters that he’s spoken about in the past?

1 The Chair Model & Miss Pawnee Are The Same!

April Eden is the actress who portrayed the “chair model” in the episode of the same name. She had no speaking roles at all; in fact, she was just a picture of a woman posing on a chair. Michael fell in love with the chair model’s beauty and did everything to find her. He later found out that his dreams of wooing her crashed and burned when he learned that she died in a car accident. Shockingly, Eden was also in Parks and Rec. as the winner of the Miss Pawnee pageant! Although both women had different names (Trish versus Deborah), what if Debroah got herself into trouble on the night of her car accident, so she fled to Pawnee to start a new life?

About The Author

Lynn Gibbs
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Lynn is a nomad who travels the globe on the hunt for her next adventure with her husband. A lover of being outside (and finding the best latte in town), Lynn is typically hiking, walking, or jogging when she’s not focusing on her love of writing. When it comes to shows streaming on Netflix or anything Bravo-related, Lynn’s your gal.

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