Parks And Recreation: All Of Leslie’s Major Love Interests, Ranked

When Parks and Recreation first premiered, the critics dismissed it as a pale imitation of The Office. However, over the years, it grew into its own beast, and that’s mostly thanks to its lead character, Leslie Knope. After the first season struggled to characterize her, she went on to become one of the small screen’s greatest feminist icons.

Leslie spent most of the series married to Ben, so she didn’t date an awful lot of guys over the course of the show. Still, she had a few love interests, some great and some terrible. So, Parks and Rec fans, here are All Of Leslie’s Major Love Interests, Ranked.

8 Chris

No, not Chris Traeger. Chris was also the name of the MRI technician who went on a date with Leslie and ended up giving her an MRI scan after dinner – and charged her for it. He was played by Will Arnett, who was Amy Poehler’s husband in real life at the time.

He was a funny character, but he wasn’t a good romantic partner for her. He made unsubtle references to his expectations of sex, creeped her out by calling her womb “industrial-sized,” and was generally insulting to her. He didn’t hide the fact that he wasn’t impressed by her alma mater. As soon as she was conveyed into that MRI machine, she regretted going out with him.

7 Mark Brendanawicz

Mark Brendanawicz was the only main character in the history of Parks and Rec who didn’t live up the high standard of comedy set by the rest of the Pawnee Parks Department staff. It wasn’t actor Paul Schneider’s fault – the writers just didn’t know what to do with him. He was boring, never told any jokes, and wasn’t missed by anyone when he left in season 2.

The first season of the show stumbled in its depiction of Leslie, mainly because it made her a bumbling stereotype who was head over heels in love with the office “hot guy” who didn’t notice her. When Mark left, Leslie really became Leslie.

6 Justin Anderson

Justin was more of a love interest for Tom than he was for Leslie (“Am I right, Justin?”). He may or may not have been named after the actor who played him, Justin Theroux. He was a lawyer friend of Ann’s before he became Leslie’s boyfriend, and they stayed together for a few episodes.

She liked him so much that she abused her government power to impress him with a party. However, he proved to be too invested in his own self-interests to be worth Leslie’s time, as Ron pointed out to her, so she broke things off with him. If anyone was most affected by the breakup, it was Tom, who reacted to the breakup like a kid whose parents were getting a divorce would.

5 Tom Haverford

When Leslie decided to try the online dating thing, she ended up matching with her co-worker Tom Haverford. As it turned out, he just set up a bunch of accounts to attract every kind of woman. The one Leslie matched with was the nerd account. But still, they ended up sharing a kiss. Tom’s attitude towards women would not have made him a good partner for Leslie.

Plus, despite being good friends and generally getting along as work colleagues, they have basically nothing in common. Leslie’s interests are politics and scrapbooking; Tom’s are hip hop and his fruitless dreams of entrepreneurship. Leslie wanted to be the President of the United States. Tom wouldn’t exactly make a great First Gentleman.

4 Joe Biden

Leslie never actually dated former Vice President Joe Biden, although she did have a crush on him that acted as a running joke throughout the series. If they actually had gotten together, they might have been happy together, although Biden might have found an obsessed Leslie to be a little clingy.

Plus, the age difference might have gotten in the way. The main issue is that Biden’s stature in the political field, being one of the most well-known politicians in the world and a former V.P., would mean that his career would ultimately undermine Leslie’s political ambitions on the world stage.

3 Dave Sanderson

Let’s ignore for a second that Dave was played by the now-disgraced comedian Louis C.K. – who Parks and Rec creator Mike Schur has since denounced – and just talk about him as a character and how he was written. Dave was a really nice guy, he cared deeply about Leslie, and it was a great shame when he was transferred away and was no longer a part of her life.

In many ways, they were perfect for each other. Dave supported Leslie’s ambitions and Leslie liked having Dave around. She was destined to be with a different guy, but her relationship with Dave was an important part of her life.

2 Ann Perkins

Leslie’s interest in Ann might not have been romantic, but she certainly did love her and wanted to spend the rest of her life with her. It’s crazy to think that before the first season of the show, Leslie and Ann didn’t even know each other, because before too long, they were the best of friends.

Leslie’s bubbly optimism contrasted hilariously with Ann’s wry pessimism, and they helped to ground each other. Leslie’s optimism kept Ann from being too pessimistic, and Ann’s pessimism kept Leslie from being too optimistic. Amazingly, they both impacted each other’s live in a positive way.

1 Ben Wyatt

When Adam Scott abandoned his starring role in the Starz series Party Down just to appear in Parks and Rec, it was unclear whether or not he would be a love interest for Leslie. However, within just a few short years, Ben and Leslie would surpass Jim and Pam to become TV’s cutest couple.

They have one of the few TV relationships that isn’t problematic. They both support each other’s career ambitions, both put in the effort to raise their kids, and both love each other deeply. They’re not just perfect for each other; they’re a good role-model couple, too.

About The Author

Ben Sherlock
(3465 Articles Published)

Ben Sherlock is a writer, comedian, independent filmmaker, and Burt Reynolds enthusiast. He writes lists for Screen Rant and features and reviews for Game Rant. He’s currently in pre-production on his first feature (and has been for a while, because filmmaking is expensive). You can catch him performing standup at odd pubs around the UK that will give him stage time. Previously, he wrote for Taste of Cinema, Comic Book Resources, and BabbleTop.

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