Parks And Rec: The Main Characters, Ranked Worst To Best By Character Arc

The main reason Parks and Recreation became such a beloved sitcom was its characters. These folks who made Pawnee a better place were so much fun to follows throughout the show’s seven seasons. Fans were always cheering for the main characters and loved seeing them get the happy ending they deserved.

Not all of the character arcs on the show were overly satisfying. Some seemed to just flounder out while others got too outlandish as time went on. But there were certainly some character journeys that left fans with a big smile on their face and a warm feeling in their heart in only the way Parks and Recreation can deliver.

10 Ann

Ann Perkins was one of the most important characters in the first season of the show as she was the person who challenged Leslie Knope to fix the vacant lot. She then became best friends with Leslie which made for a very charming relationship.

However, as time went on, the show seemed to run out of ideas of how to use Ann. With the other characters being such big personalities, Ann’s persona as the level-headed voice of reason never really fit. After trying multiple ways to make her love life more interesting, the character left the show abruptly and it didn’t really seem to make a difference.

9 Chris

Though he wasn’t introduced until the end of the second season, Chris Traeger quickly became a very entertaining character due to his endless positivity and obsession with physical fitness. However, that joke started to wear thin over time and the show took the character in some disappointing new directions.

They started to explore the fragility of Chris’s positive behavior as he kept getting his heart broken and would fall into states of depression that were just not very fun to witness. Eventually, he moved out of Pawnee to have a baby with Ann which seemed like a forced conclusion for the character.

8 Donna

Donna Meagle started out as one of the supporting characters in the Parks Department, but her character soon grew and became an integral part of the main cast. In the earlier season, the show kept much of Donna’s personal life a mystery and only hinted that she leads a pretty extravagant life with plenty of suitors.

The final season finds her embracing a real relationship and committing to domestic life. This just seemed unnecessary as Donna always seemed perfectly pleased with the single life and it just seemed to suggest she could only have a happy ending if she found the right man.

7 Andy

Andy Dwyer was another character who started off as a side character but eventually became a fan-favorite. He was always a very entertaining character thanks to his immaturity and his buffoonish behavior.

Andy’s biggest character development comes in the third season when he starts dating and quickly marries April. Their relationship was sweet and made Andy a better character. Other than that, the show follows his various career paths and eventually having a child with April. But he doesn’t undergo much more growth as a character.

6 April

April Ludgate was introduced as the cynical and dark-humored intern of the Parks Department who seemed totally uninterested in participating in the job. Over time, and with the encouragement of Leslie, she starts to take things more seriously.

Like many of the other characters, April’s career path is constantly changing throughout the show and what seems to be her true passion at one moment is then quickly forgotten. But regardless of her many jobs, it was nice seeing April become a more loving and open person as time went on.

5 Tom

Tom Haverford was one of the biggest personalities on the show which made for a lot of fun. He was someone who saw himself as destined for big things and had countless business ideas that he pursued throughout the series. He was also looking for love through many failed relationships.

While his eventual romance with Lucy seemed a bit forced, Tom’s journey wasn’t always a success. After countless failed business ideas that started to feel repetitive, Tom finds his calling as a motivational speaker based on what he learned from those failures. It was a clever ending that felt right.

4 Ben

Ben Wyatt was introduced alongside Chris at the end of season three and became one of the most important characters in the series. Though he started as antagonistic towards Leslie, they eventually form a very sweet romance that becomes the heart of the show.

Along with watching this relationship with Leslie grow, the show also explores Ben’s future in politics. He is seen getting more confident in himself and continues to rise to positions of power alongside Leslie in a way that feels organic.

3 Ron

Ron Swanson not only became the breakout character of this show, but he is also seen as one of the best television characters of the 21st century. He is seen as an ultra-macho man who loves red meat and woodworking but hates the government.

The show wisely didn’t change much about what fans loved about Ron and only softened his character slightly with his eventual marriage and children. They also successfully explore him embracing his friendship with Leslie and finding a job in the government he truly loves.

2 Leslie

At the center of the show is Leslie Knope, the optimistic and passionate government employee who strongly believes Pawnee is the greatest town in the world. The early seasons have fun with the idea that this bold and high-spirited individual is stuck in the confines of local government where she cannot accomplish much.

The series gradually shows that how the slow-moving government process is a match for Leslie’s drive. She faces many setbacks but continues to prove herself and accomplishes so much by the end of the series. Some of it is a little farfetched but it is still satisfying to see.

1 Jerry

Though he is the most overlooked of all the Parks Department employees Jerry Gergich somehow managed to have the best arc of them all. While he is constantly unfairly abused by his colleagues, Jerry seems to have the last laugh.

As the series goes on, it is revealed that Jerry is married to a stunningly beautiful woman and has a perfect family. Though he is something of an incompetent government employee, he is made mayor of Pawnee for what was meant to be a temporary basis. But Jerry proves to be so popular in the role that he becomes the longest-running mayor in the town’s history.

About The Author

Colin McCormick
(2032 Articles Published)

Colin McCormick is a Senior Writer with Screen Rant and has been a proud member of the team since 2019. In addition to his work as Screen Rant, Colin is also a writer of News, Feature and Review pieces at Game Rant. Colin has had a long passion and obsession with movies going back to the first time he saw The Lion King in theaters. Along with movies, Colin stays up-to-date on the latest must-see TV shows. While he loves to find interesting projects in any kind of genre, he has a special movie of crime stories that are infused with a little dark humor much like the work of his favorite author, Elmore Leonard.

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