Parks & Rec: 10 Controversies That Almost Killed The Show

For seven seasons Parks and Recreation had some of the best writing on TV. We saw a strong female lead who was tackling the world of politics while also making the world a better place. Along the way, we met the wonderful characters of the fictional town Pawnee and followed along as they conquered their goals one episode at a time.

The show has been named one of The Guardian’s “100 best TV shows of the 21st century” and has a list of accolades and awards to its name. But like most TV success stories, there’s always criticism and rumors that have the ability to discredit and drag a good show through the mud. Parks and Recreation did a fine job but was not bulletproof to controversy. Keep scrolling to see 10 controversies that could have killed Parks and Rec’s immaculate reputation.

10 Tom’s Behavior With Ann Is Seen As Obsessive

Tom Haverford was a hopeful womanizer who was always out for himself. He did the bare minimum for the parks department and was more focused on creating his own brand than helping Pawnee. The worst of Tom’s behaviors was how he acted towards women. He was seen as obsessive over women he liked and controlling once he sunk his teeth in them. His relationship with Ann is the perfect example of his gross behavior. He pushed and prodded and annoyed Ann to the point where she finally accepted his offer. The message here is “keeping annoying the heck out of a woman until she says yes” and that is not okay.

9 Did Parks & Rec. Use A Person’s Image Without Consent?

The first season of Parks and Recreation is completely different from the following seasons. You could say it was a season full of tests. If fans can remember, Ron Swanson had a poster of Bobby Knight in his office — the former Indiana University basketball coach who’s an icon. However, by season two, Bobby’s poster is no longer there. As it turns out, there were some “legal reasons” that made production take the poster down. Did they not ask Bobby Knight for his consent?

8 Poehler’s Pregnancy Put The Show In A Bind

Pregnancies and working on multiple projects can put any leading show in a tough situation. Writers now need to add the pregnancy to the show or hide the pregnancy the best they can.

With Amy Poehler as the star of the show, her second pregnancy forced production to start filming season three earlier than expected so that Amy could still work. If Amy wasn’t able to work on the show when production needed her, where would Parks and Recreation be?

7 Parks & Recreation Was Basically The Office 2.0

The biggest criticism revolving around Parks and Recreation is that it was far too similar to The Office. The Office did a fantastic job with the mockumentary-style of filming and Parks and Rec. followed suit. Critics say Leslie Knope is too similar to Michael Scott’s character. Both wanted to be liked, they loved being in charge, and they made their co-workers their family. Over time, Parks and Rec. separated itself from The Office but had they not, there’s no telling if they would have made it to seven seasons.

6 Leslie Created Her Own Problems

Throughout the series, Leslie has fought tooth and nail to overcome battles for her own political career and for the safety of Pawnee. But fans have pointed out a massive truth bomb: Leslie creates most of the problems she finds herself in. She’s essentially trapping herself.

When the show’s main focus was the pit, Leslie was the one who got shunned by locals after she told a woman she didn’t care about her child if she didn’t want a park. She’s the one who got in trouble with the Native American community after she stole private Native artifacts and placed them in the pit. She’s the one that got Tom arrested after keeping him in the van while spying on the community garden. Leslie was the greatest problem without even realizing it.

5 Hiring Louis C.K. As Dave Sanderson Was A Mistake

Actor and comedian Louis C.K. portrayed Dave Sanderon, a Pawnee cop. Dave was Leslie’s love interest for a few episodes before he moved to California. He came back in later seasons to tell Leslie he still loved her but at that point, she was very much in love with Ben.

Louis got himself in some trouble for inappropriate behavior from various women during the #MeToo movement. Because of Louis’s scandal, Parks and Rec. creator Mike Schur said he regretted hiring Louis and apologized to viewers for doing so.

4 Ron’s Exes Are Abusive

Everyone giggles when they see Ron Swanson running away from the Tammys in his life. Both ex-wives were named Tammy and both were horrible human beings who break Ron down and suck him in. Tammy 1 wasn’t just his first wife, she was also his babysitter, his teacher, and everything above. She practically groomed him to become her sex slave. Tammy 2 wasn’t any better. She too used Ron for his love-making, putting Ron in a very low place. Both scenarios were made to be comical but they were actually massive issues.

3 A Woman That Supports All Women (Except Strippers?)

Part of Leslie Knope’s charm is that she’s a feminist who stands for equality. She prides herself on treating everyone the same and wanting the best for all (except for Eagleton). However, when Tom was getting divorced from Wendy, Leslie gave in and took Tom to a strip club. Instead of treating the strippers with respect, she treated them as if there was something wrong with them. She kept ignoring the one woman and called her by the wrong name and judged them for not having other aspirations in life. Did we see Leslie’s true colors in this episode?

2 There’s A Reason Leslie Changed So Much From Season One

The first season of Parks and Recreation had a ton of promise but there were glaring issues in the storyline. Not only was it too similar to The Office but Leslie acted way too dumb for the role. Instead of being an empowering and brave figure like she was in seasons two through seven, she was timid and acted like the stereotypical dumb blonde. This did not sit well with critics and viewers.

1 They Took A Shot At Silicone Valley

In the seventh season, Leslie is trying to crack down the new tech company that’s taking over Pawnee, Gryzzl. Gryzzl was essentially data-mining and using private information to their advantage. The storylines revolving Gryzzl were comical and felt true to viewers but it also made tech companies quite defensive and offended that their field was being dragged through the mud by one of the most popular shows on TV.

About The Author

Lynn Gibbs
(1654 Articles Published)

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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