![Parks and Recreation characters](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f8/Parks_and_Recreation_characters.jpg)
The primary characters of the American television comedy series ''
Parks and Recreation'' are the employees of the parks department of
Pawnee Pawnee initially refers to a Native American people and its language:
* Pawnee people
* Pawnee language
Pawnee is also the name of several places in the United States:
* Pawnee, Illinois
* Pawnee, Kansas
* Pawnee, Missouri
* Pawnee City, Nebraska ...
, a fictional
Indiana
Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...
town. The protagonist is
Leslie Knope
Leslie Barbara Knope ( ) is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the NBC sitcom ''Parks and Recreation''. She is portrayed by Amy Poehler. For most of the show's run, she serves as deputy director of the Parks and Recreation Departm ...
(
Amy Poehler
Amy Poehler (; born September 16, 1971) is an American comedian, actress, writer, producer, and director. After studying improv at Chicago's Second City and ImprovOlympic in the early 1990s, Poehler co-founded the improvisational-comedy tro ...
), the deputy parks director as well as serving on city council, and the rest of the ensemble cast consists of her friends and co-workers, including nurse
Ann Perkins (
Rashida Jones
Rashida Leah Jones (; born February 25, 1976) is an American actress.
Jones appeared as Louisa Fenn on the Fox drama series '' Boston Public'' (2000–2002), as Karen Filippelli on the NBC comedy series ''The Office'' (2006–2009; 2011), and ...
), parks director
Ron Swanson
Ronald Ulysses Swanson is a fictional character portrayed by Nick Offerman from the situation comedy television series ''Parks and Recreation'' on NBC, created by Greg Daniels and Michael Schur. In the series, Ron is the director of the Parks ...
(
Nick Offerman), and parks department employees
Tom Haverford
Thomas Montgomery Haverford (born Darwish Sabir Ismail Ghani) is a fictional character on the NBC series ''Parks and Recreation''. He is a sarcastic, underachieving government official for the city of Pawnee who—in his own mind—is revered f ...
(
Aziz Ansari
Aziz Ismail Ansari (; born February 23, 1983) is an American actor and stand-up comedian. He is known for his role as Tom Haverford on the NBC series '' Parks and Recreation'' (2009–2015) and as creator and star of the Netflix series '' Mas ...
),
April Ludgate
April Roberta Ludgate-Dwyer, née Ludgate, (portrayed by Aubrey Plaza) is a fictional character in the NBC comedy ''Parks and Recreation''. She is first seen as an apathetic college student working as an intern in the Pawnee Department of Parks a ...
(
Aubrey Plaza
Aubrey Christina Plaza (born June 26, 1984) is an American actress, comedian, and producer. She began her career performing improv and sketch comedy at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater. She starred as April Ludgate on the NBC sitcom ''Pa ...
),
Andy Dwyer
Andrew Maxwell Dwyer KBE () is a fictional character in the NBC comedy ''Parks and Recreation'' portrayed by Chris Pratt. Originally meant to be a temporary character, Andy was so likable that producers asked Pratt back as a series regular. H ...
(
Chris Pratt),
Jerry Gergich
Garry Gergich, also known as Jerry, Larry or Terry, is a fictional character in the TV series ''Parks and Recreation'', portrayed by Jim O'Heir. The character has appeared in every episode of the series, with the exception of the first-season epis ...
(
Jim O'Heir
Jim O'Heir (born February 4, 1962) is an American actor and comedian, perhaps best known for portraying Jerry Gergich on the NBC sitcom '' Parks and Recreation''.
O'Heir first became active in Chicago theater and improv during the late 1980s ...
), and
Donna Meagle
Donna Marie Meagle is a fictional character in the NBC comedy ''Parks and Recreation''. She is portrayed by Retta and has appeared in the show since the pilot. For the first two seasons of the show she appeared as a recurring character; she be ...
(
Retta
Marietta Sirleaf,Jung, E. Alex Vulture.com, May 23, 2018. rchived https://web.archive.org/web/20180523214634/https://www.vulture.com/2018/05/retta-has-a-story-to-tell.htmlon 05-23-2018 ).
While most of the main cast have been with the series since it debuted in April 2009, actors
Rob Lowe
Robert Hepler Lowe (born March 17, 1964) is an American actor, filmmaker, and podcast host. He made his acting debut at the age of 15 with ABC's short-lived sitcom ''A New Kind of Family'' (1979–1980). Following numerous television roles in ...
and
Adam Scott joined the cast late in the
second season portraying
Chris Traeger
Christopher "Chris" Traeger is a fictional character played by Rob Lowe on the NBC comedy series ''Parks and Recreation''. He began on the show as an Indiana State Auditor who visits the fictional city of Pawnee to help solve their crippling bu ...
and
Ben Wyatt, two state auditors who later take permanent jobs in Pawnee.
Paul Schneider was a regular cast member during the first two seasons as city planner
Mark Brendanawicz
Mark Brendanawicz is a fictional character in the NBC comedy series ''Parks and Recreation''. He is the city planner for Pawnee, Indiana, as well as Leslie Knope's colleague and one of Ann Perkins' ex-boyfriends. He is portrayed by Paul Schne ...
, but he departed at the end of season two.
Billy Eichner who portrays
Craig Middlebrooks
The primary characters of the American television comedy series '' Parks and Recreation'' are the employees of the parks department of Pawnee, a fictional Indiana town. The protagonist is Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler), the deputy parks director as ...
, the "associate administrator" of the Pawnee parks department, recurred throughout the show's
sixth season until he was promoted to the main cast in the fourth episode of the
seventh season. The majority of ''Parks and Recreation'' episodes are set in Pawnee, and most of the recurring and supporting characters are friends of the main characters or residents of the town.
Several guest stars have made appearances on the show, including
Louis C.K.
Louis Alfred Székely (; born September 12, 1967), known professionally as Louis C.K. (), is an American stand-up comedian, screenwriter, actor, and filmmaker. C.K. won three Peabody Awards, three Grammy Awards, six Primetime Emmy Awards, and a ...
,
John Larroquette
John Bernard Larroquette (; born November 25, 1947) is an American actor. He is known for his starring roles in the NBC military drama series '' Baa Baa Black Sheep'' (1976–1978), the NBC sitcom '' Night Court'' (1984–1992; for which he rec ...
,
Justin Theroux
Justin Paul Theroux (; born August 10, 1971) is an American actor and filmmaker. He gained recognition for his work with director David Lynch in the mystery film ''Mulholland Drive'' (2001) and the thriller film ''Inland Empire'' (2006). He also ...
and
Parker Posey
Parker Christian Posey (born November 8, 1968) is an American actress and musician. Posey is the recipient of a Golden Globe Award nomination, a Satellite Award nomination and two Independent Spirit Award nominations.
Posey made her film debu ...
.
Megan Mullally, Offerman's real-life wife, played his character's ex-wife Tammy Swanson, and Poehler's former husband
Will Arnett
William Emerson Arnett (; born May 4, 1970) is a Canadian actor, comedian and producer. He is best known for his roles as Gob Bluth in the Fox/Netflix series '' Arrested Development'' (2003–2006, 2013, 2018–2019) and as the titular char ...
made an appearance as a man on a
blind date
A blind date is a social engagement between two people who have not met, usually arranged by a mutual acquaintance.
Structure
A blind date is arranged for by a mutual acquaintance of both participants. The two people who take part in the blind ...
with Leslie. Several of Poehler's past colleagues on the
sketch comedy series ''
Saturday Night Live
''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock (streaming service), Peacock. ...
'' have appeared on ''Parks and Recreation'', including
Fred Armisen
Fereydun Robert Armisen (born December 4, 1966) is an American actor, comedian, writer, producer, and musician. With his comedy partner Carrie Brownstein, Armisen was the co-creator and co-star of the IFC sketch comedy series '' Portlandia''. ...
,
Will Forte
Orville Willis Forte IV ( ; born June 17, 1970) is an American actor, comedian, writer, and producer. Forte is known for being a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' (2002–2010), a recurring character on the show leading to a feature film ada ...
and
Andy Samberg
Andy Samberg (born David A. J. Samberg; August 18, 1978) is an American actor, comedian, musician, producer and screenwriter. He is a member of the comedy music group The Lonely Island and was a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' from 2005 ...
.
Main cast
Each of the following primary characters were played by members of the ''Parks and Recreation'' regular cast, rather than guest stars or non-regular supporting cast members.
Leslie Knope
![Amy Poehler (8894155873) (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e8/Amy_Poehler_%288894155873%29_%28cropped%29.jpg)
Leslie Knope (
Amy Poehler
Amy Poehler (; born September 16, 1971) is an American comedian, actress, writer, producer, and director. After studying improv at Chicago's Second City and ImprovOlympic in the early 1990s, Poehler co-founded the improvisational-comedy tro ...
) is the deputy director of the Pawnee Parks and Recreation Department, and the protagonist of ''Parks and Recreation''. Leslie is a passionate, hard-working and ambitious woman who loves her hometown of Pawnee and, unlike many around her, has not lost her optimism in the face of government bureaucracy.
She believes strongly in the mission of her job, sometimes going over-the-top in her dedication to helping people.
Her dream is to become the first female
President of the United States
The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...
. During the first two seasons, Leslie seeks to turn a construction pit into a park, despite several government obstacles and
red tape.
When the parks department is hindered by Pawnee's budget problems, Leslie successfully relaunches the town's harvest festival, which makes her department sustainable again. The
third season ends with political scouts approaching her about possibly running for elected office, although she declines to inform them of her secret affair with
Ben Wyatt, which could prove to be a political scandal.
In season four, Leslie furthers her political ambitions when she successfully runs for city council.
Season 5 focused mainly on Leslie's experiences on the
Pawnee Pawnee initially refers to a Native American people and its language:
* Pawnee people
* Pawnee language
Pawnee is also the name of several places in the United States:
* Pawnee, Illinois
* Pawnee, Kansas
* Pawnee, Missouri
* Pawnee City, Nebraska ...
City Council. In season six, however, she is
recalled and returns full-time to work in the Parks and Recreation department.
Ann Perkins
![Rashida Jones at 2017 MIFF (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d9/Rashida_Jones_at_2017_MIFF_%28cropped%29.jpg)
Ann Perkins (
Rashida Jones
Rashida Leah Jones (; born February 25, 1976) is an American actress.
Jones appeared as Louisa Fenn on the Fox drama series '' Boston Public'' (2000–2002), as Karen Filippelli on the NBC comedy series ''The Office'' (2006–2009; 2011), and ...
), Leslie's best friend, is a nurse who eventually takes a part-time position with Pawnee's department of public health.
Ann and Leslie meet after Ann requests at a town meeting that an abandoned construction pit be filled, and Leslie pushes to have it turned into a park.
Even before getting her part-time Pawnee job, Ann often spent time at city hall and helped the parks department on their endeavors due to her friendship with Leslie.
Ann was dating
Andy Dwyer
Andrew Maxwell Dwyer KBE () is a fictional character in the NBC comedy ''Parks and Recreation'' portrayed by Chris Pratt. Originally meant to be a temporary character, Andy was so likable that producers asked Pratt back as a series regular. H ...
at the start of the show, but she broke up with him after the
first season after learning Andy faked the severity of an injury so that Ann would pamper him.
She started dating city planner
Mark Brendanawicz
Mark Brendanawicz is a fictional character in the NBC comedy series ''Parks and Recreation''. He is the city planner for Pawnee, Indiana, as well as Leslie Knope's colleague and one of Ann Perkins' ex-boyfriends. He is portrayed by Paul Schne ...
, but they split up by the end of the
second season.
Ann briefly dated
Chris Traeger
Christopher "Chris" Traeger is a fictional character played by Rob Lowe on the NBC comedy series ''Parks and Recreation''. He began on the show as an Indiana State Auditor who visits the fictional city of Pawnee to help solve their crippling bu ...
until he broke up with her,
leaving Ann emotionally distraught and prompting her to go on a string of dates with multiple men.
The two got back together in the
sixth season and Ann became pregnant. Shortly after, Ann and Chris moved to
Ann Arbor, Michigan. She had a son, Oliver, on Galentine's Day.
Mark Brendanawicz
![Paul Schneider (2018) (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/09/Paul_Schneider_%282018%29_%28cropped%29.jpg)
Mark Brendanawicz (
Paul Schneider) was a Pawnee city planner who dated Ann Perkins for much of the second season. According to Aziz Ansari's character, Tom Haverford, "He's stuck it in some crazy chicks." At the start of the show, Mark was an unrequited love interest for Leslie Knope. The two had once had a
one-night stand
A one-night stand or one-night sex is a single sexual encounter in which there is an expectation that there shall be no further relations between the sexual participants. It draws its name from the common practice of a one-night stand, a single ...
six years earlier and Leslie never got over him, although Mark did not return her affections.
Jaded and disillusioned with his job due to government
red tape, Mark often pragmatically insisted to Leslie that her ambitions to turn a construction pit into a park were unlikely to succeed.
Nevertheless, he admired Leslie's unwavering optimism in the face of government ineffectiveness and tried to help her.
In the first-season finale "
Rock Show Rock Show may refer to:
* "Venus and Mars/Rock Show", a 1975 song by Paul McCartney & Wings
* ''Rockshow'', a 1980 concert film by Paul McCartney & Wings
* "Rock Show", a song by Run–D.M.C. from their 2001 album, ''Crown Royal''
* "The Rock Show ...
", a drunken Mark tried to kiss Leslie, but she rejected him and he accidentally falls into the pit.
Although Mark is selfish and promiscuous with women at the start of the show,
he becomes kinder when he starts dating Ann, and even plans to propose to her.
After she broke up with him, Mark left his city hall position for a job in the private sector, marking Schneider's departure from the series.
He did not appear in any episodes after Season 2, and the show pointedly made no references to him ever having been there at all, most notably in the episode where
Ann Perkins left Pawnee and the storyline reviewed her many pre-marriage/pregnancy romances but erased Mark from that listing even though they dated for almost all of Season 2. The only remaining references are that the mural mock-up he made hangs in Ron's office through season 6, and a laptop bag he gives to Ann Perkins appears as a prop through season 5.
Tom Haverford
![Aziz Ansari 2012 Shankbone](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e1/Aziz_Ansari_2012_Shankbone.JPG)
Tom Haverford (
Aziz Ansari
Aziz Ismail Ansari (; born February 23, 1983) is an American actor and stand-up comedian. He is known for his role as Tom Haverford on the NBC series '' Parks and Recreation'' (2009–2015) and as creator and star of the Netflix series '' Mas ...
), birth name Darwish Sabir Ishmael Gani, was an administrator in the parks department for most of the show, although he also became a minor investor in the Snake Hole Lounge and quit at the end of the third season to form an entertainment company with his friend
Jean-Ralphio.
Tom was Leslie's immediate subordinate on the parks department and the two would often work together on tasks.
The sarcastic Tom seemed to care little for his mid-level government job and seldom showed any initiative or work ethic. This made him a favorite of Ron Swanson, who once quipped, "I like Tom. He doesn't do a lot of work around here. He shows zero initiative. He's not a team player. He's never one to go that extra mile. Tom is exactly what I'm looking for in a government employee."
However, Tom harbors strong aspirations of becoming a
media mogul
A media proprietor, media mogul or media tycoon refers to a entrepreneur who controls, through personal ownership or via a dominant position in any media-related company or enterprise, media consumed by many individuals. Those with significant co ...
, and sometimes used his parks department job to increase his stature and curry favors with others.
Tom considers himself an extremely stylish dresser and smooth
pickup artist
Pickup artists (PUA), self-identified as dating coaches, the seduction community or the pickup community, is a movement of men (or women) whose goal is seduction and sexual success. The community exists through Internet newsletters and blogs, ma ...
, and believes he carries himself in the style of rapper
Jay-Z.
He constantly hits on women, particularly
Ann Perkins, but usually to little success.
Tom was married to an attractive surgeon named
Wendy
Wendy is a given name now generally given to girls in English-speaking countries.
In Britain, Wendy appeared as a masculine name in a parish record in 1615. It was also used as a surname in Britain from at least the 17th century. Its popularity ...
at the start of the show, but it is eventually revealed to be a
green card marriage
A sham marriage or fake marriage is a marriage of convenience entered into without intending to create a real marital relationship. This is usually for the purpose of gaining an advantage from the marriage.
Definitions of sham marriage vary by ...
that amicably ends in divorce.
Ron Swanson
![Nick Offerman at UMBC (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f6/Nick_Offerman_at_UMBC_%28cropped%29.jpg)
Ron Swanson (
Nick Offerman) is the parks and recreation director, although he allows Leslie to do almost all the real work in the department. Despite working in a government job, Ron is a steadfast
libertarian who believes in as little government as possible and feels the parks department should not even run or maintain parks.
He advocates for program cuts wherever possible, actively works to make city hall less effective, and especially detests interacting with Pawnee taxpayers.
Nevertheless, Ron has a deep respect for Leslie and genuinely cares about his fellow employees, despite his efforts to hide it.
Ron has a deadpan, inexpressive personality,
and loves meat, hunting and breakfast foods.
He has two ex-wives, both named
Tammy, both of whom he hates.
Ron Swanson has been praised as the show's
breakout character
A breakout character is a character in serial fiction, especially a member of an ensemble cast, who becomes much more prominent, popular, discussed, or imitated than expected by the creators. A breakout character may equal or overtake the oth ...
, and some of his traits were based on elements of Offerman's real-life personality, like their shared affinity for
woodworking
Woodworking is the skill of making items from wood, and includes cabinet making (cabinetry and furniture), wood carving, joinery, carpentry, and woodturning.
History
Along with stone, clay and animal parts, wood was one of the first mate ...
and saxophone-playing.
April Ludgate
![Aubrey Plaza 2012 Shankbone](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/11/Aubrey_Plaza_2012_Shankbone.JPG)
April Ludgate (
Aubrey Plaza
Aubrey Christina Plaza (born June 26, 1984) is an American actress, comedian, and producer. She began her career performing improv and sketch comedy at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater. She starred as April Ludgate on the NBC sitcom ''Pa ...
) is an extremely sarcastic, apathetic and goth-like college student who started the show working as an intern in the parks and recreation department, but is eventually hired as Ron Swanson's full-time assistant.
She always speaks in a deadpan and uninterested tone of voice, often making dry comments or mocking those around her, and expresses little interest in her job.
Nevertheless, she secretly has a deep appreciation for Leslie Knope.
In contrast to April's personality,
her parents are extremely positive and enthusiastic people.
At the start of the show, April was dating her openly gay boyfriend,
Derek
Derek is a masculine given name. It is the English language short form of '' Diederik'', the Low Franconian form of the name Theodoric. Theodoric is an old Germanic name with an original meaning of "people-ruler".
Common variants of the name ar ...
, who was simultaneously dating his gay boyfriend,
Ben
Ben is frequently used as a shortened version of the given names Benjamin, Benedict, Bennett or Benson, and is also a given name in its own right.
Ben (in he, בֶּן, ''son of'') forms part of Hebrew surnames, e.g. Abraham ben Abraham ( he, ...
.
April and Derek eventually broke up, and April harbored a crush on Andy Dwyer for most of the second season.
They started dating in the third season and, after a very short period, were married during an impromptu ceremony in the episode "
Andy and April's Fancy Party".
She also became the manager of Andy's band, Mouse Rat, previously known as Scarecrow Boat.
When Pawnee's Animal Control division is threatened, April recommends that the Animal Control division should be absorbed into the Parks and Recreation division. She is put in charge as the deputy director of the animal control part of Parks and Recreation. With Ann's help, she applies and is accepted into veterinary school, which she declines to attend. Eventually she finds enjoyment in a job in Washington D.C. as a career placement counselor.
Andy Dwyer
![Chris Pratt by Gage Skidmore 2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c2/Chris_Pratt_by_Gage_Skidmore_2.jpg)
Andy Dwyer (
Chris Pratt) is a goofy and dim-witted but lovable slacker who works as a
shoeshiner
Shoeshiner or boot polisher is an occupation in which a person cleans and buffs shoes and then applies a waxy paste to give a shiny appearance and a protective coating. They are often known as shoeshine boys because the job was traditionally d ...
at Pawnee city hall, and later works for Leslie in the Parks Department. He was dating Ann at the start of the show and, prior to the events of the
first episode
A series premiere is the first aired installment of an episodic entertainment series, most often a television series. In the United States, many series premieres are aired in the fall time or, for mid-season replacements, either in the spring or ...
, he falls into a construction pit and breaks both his legs. This inadvertently caused Ann to meet Leslie after Ann attends a city hall meeting to demand the pit be filled in.
Ann broke up with Andy after learning he faked the severity of his injuries so she would pamper him.
The unemployed and homeless Andy initially lives in the pit, but became more self-sufficient when Leslie gets him the shoeshiner job.
Andy started dating April Ludgate during the third season and, after a very short period, the two got married on a whim in the episode "Andy and April's Fancy Party".
Andy is the lead singer and guitarist for his band, Mouse Rat.
In the final season, he is shown hosting a children's TV show as the character "Johnny Karate". Andy was originally only meant to appear in the first season, but the ''Parks and Recreation'' producers liked Chris Pratt so much that, almost immediately after casting him, they decided to make him a regular cast member.
Ben Wyatt
![Adam Scott by Gage Skidmore](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4e/Adam_Scott_by_Gage_Skidmore.jpg)
Ben Wyatt (
Adam Scott) is Leslie's husband. He joined the show in the penultimate second-season episode "
The Master Plan" as an
Indiana
Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...
state auditor, but eventually took a job at Pawnee working with Chris.
When he was 18, Ben was elected mayor of his
Minnesota
Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
hometown, but was impeached after two months because he had no government experience and bankrupted the town.
He became an auditor as an attempt to redeem himself and prove he can responsibly manage city government.
At the start of the show, Ben contrasted Chris' cheery personality by bluntly describing the need for economic cuts in Pawnee, which caused conflicts between Leslie and Ben.
While Ben never previously established roots in a town due to the constant traveling from his job, Ben gradually came to develop a love of Pawnee, which coincided with his developing romantic interest in Leslie herself.
The two start dating in the episode "
Road Trip", despite Chris' strict policy forbidding workplace romances.
When he learns Leslie is running for office in the episode "
I'm Leslie Knope
"I'm Leslie Knope" is the first episode of the fourth season of the American comedy television series '' Parks and Recreation'', and the 47th overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on September 22, 2011. In ...
", they break up for fear of jeopardizing Leslie's chance of winning the election in the event they could get caught and create a scandal. However, they decide to get back together in "Smallest Park", and later get married.
Chris Traeger
![Rob Lowe 2012 Shankbone 2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/ba/Rob_Lowe_2012_Shankbone_2.JPG)
Chris Traeger (
Rob Lowe
Robert Hepler Lowe (born March 17, 1964) is an American actor, filmmaker, and podcast host. He made his acting debut at the age of 15 with ABC's short-lived sitcom ''A New Kind of Family'' (1979–1980). Following numerous television roles in ...
) first appeared in "The Master Plan", along with Ben Wyatt, as an Indiana state auditor who visits Pawnee to help solve their crippling financial problems.
This led to major budget cutbacks and, eventually, a three-month government shutdown.
In the episode "
Camping
Camping is an outdoor activity involving overnight stays away from home, either without shelter or using basic shelter such as a tent, or a recreational vehicle. Typically, participants leave developed areas to spend time outdoors in more na ...
", he took a job as acting city manager after the previous manager,
Paul Iaresco, suffered a heart attack.
Chris is an extremely positive person who is always upbeat and energetic.
Extremely health-conscious, he exercises constantly and eats only healthy foods, and hopes to be the first human being to live 150 years.
He briefly dated Ann Perkins, but the two split up in the third season.
Chris imposed a strict policy against workplace dating at city hall, which serves as a detriment to Leslie and Ben.
Rob Lowe was originally expected to appear in only eight episodes as a guest star, but eventually signed on to remain on the show as a permanent cast member.
Jerry Gergich
![Jim O'Heir 2012 (2) (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/28/Jim_O%27Heir_2012_%282%29_%28cropped%29.jpg)
Garry "Jerry"/"Larry"/"Terry"/"Gengurch"/ Gergich (
Jim O'Heir
Jim O'Heir (born February 4, 1962) is an American actor and comedian, perhaps best known for portraying Jerry Gergich on the NBC sitcom '' Parks and Recreation''.
O'Heir first became active in Chicago theater and improv during the late 1980s ...
) is a parks and recreation department employee who is regularly mocked and taunted by his fellow co-workers. Jerry is clumsy, overweight and often mangles his speech while speaking publicly. He is teased so badly that, after falling and dislocating his shoulder in the episode "
Park Safety", he falsely claimed he was mugged just so his co-workers would not make fun of him.
However, despite their jokes at his expense, the parks department employees like Jerry, and Jerry himself claims not to mind the jokes because he is nearing retirement with a full pension.
Jerry often demonstrates great artistic talent and is an excellent pianist and painter,
although his talents are usually overlooked, ignored or even mocked by his colleagues as though they were character faults.
Jerry's personality was not established until the second season, but the producers cast O'Heir at the start of the show because they liked the actor and decided they would develop the character later in the series.
In an episode of season 4 during Leslie's trial for the relationship she had with Ben, Jerry reveals his real first name, Garry, while under oath. He then goes on to explain that he was accidentally called Jerry by a high-ranking employee of the city and thought it was rude to correct him. It was also revealed that he has a
Leap Day
February 29, also known as leap day or leap year day, is a date added to leap years. A leap day is added in various solar calendars (calendars based on the Earth's revolution around the Sun), including the Gregorian calendar standard in m ...
birthday and is 64/16 years old. In contrast to his awkwardness at work, Jerry leads an idyllic family life with his gorgeous wife, Gayle (played by
Christie Brinkley
Christie Lee Brinkley (née Hudson; born February 2, 1954) is an American model, actress, and entrepreneur. Brinkley gained worldwide fame with her appearances in ''Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issues'', ultimately appearing on an unprecedented ...
), and their children, as shown when he hosts a holiday party in the Season 5 episode "Ron and Diane". In season six, his coworkers take to permanently calling him Larry instead of Jerry. In a flash forward sequence in the season six finale, Jerry is shown working for Leslie at her new job three years in the future, with Leslie now calling him Terry. He is named mayor of Pawnee in the second to last episode of season 7. In flash forwards in the series finale, it is revealed that he was elected mayor multiple times before retiring and dying peacefully in his sleep on his 100th birthday.
Donna Meagle
![Retta 2012 (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b6/Retta_2012_%28cropped%29.jpg)
Donna Meagle (
Retta
Marietta Sirleaf,Jung, E. Alex Vulture.com, May 23, 2018. rchived https://web.archive.org/web/20180523214634/https://www.vulture.com/2018/05/retta-has-a-story-to-tell.htmlon 05-23-2018 ) is an employee for the parks and recreation department. Confident and lively, she has been described by
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
as the "parks
diva
Diva (; ) is the Latin word for a goddess. It has often been used to refer to a celebrated woman of outstanding talent in the world of opera, theatre, cinema, fashion and popular music. If referring to an actress, the meaning of ''diva'' is cl ...
". Donna enjoys partying, and often takes two
shots of alcohol at once without any problem.
She can be extremely competitive, especially when it comes to dating, where she has an
every woman for herself philosophy.
Nevertheless, Donna helped Ann recover from her bad break-up with Chris by giving her advice and encouraging her to pursue
rebound dates.
Donna has worked at the parks department longer than Leslie, and is one of the few people who can speak sternly to Ron Swanson.
She is the proud owner of a
Mercedes, which she is extremely protective of and often brags about.
As with Jerry Gergich, the personality for Donna was not established until the second season, but Retta was cast during the first season because the producers liked her, and they decided they would establish her character as the series progressed.
Craig Middlebrooks
![Billy Eichner May 2014](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/db/Billy_Eichner_May_2014.jpg)
Craig Middlebrooks (
Billy Eichner) is the former office manager of Eagleton's parks department, the equivalent of Donna's position in Pawnee. In the episode "Doppelgangers", he and other Eagleton employees were brought in to Pawnee's offices after the Pawnee–Eagleton city merger. Craig is the one former Eagleton Parks employee not laid off after the merger, and continues to work at the Pawnee offices under the title of "Associate Administrator". By 2017, he has replaced Ron Swanson as director of the Pawnee Parks department. Craig at first seemed to be the polar opposite to Donna's more laid-back personality (with layoffs imminent, Donna actually suggested to Leslie that Craig should have her job because he was much more passionate). The two of them bonded over their mutual love of the TV series ''
Scandal
A scandal can be broadly defined as the strong social reactions of outrage, anger, or surprise, when accusations or rumours circulate or appear for some reason, regarding a person or persons who are perceived to have transgressed in some way. Th ...
''. The overdramatic Craig often raises his voice to the point of shouting, and frequently blows things out of proportion, although he proves to be a highly efficient employee who is familiar with city politics and a strong negotiator. After recurring heavily during the show's sixth season, Eichner was promoted to a starring cast member in the seventh season, beginning with the fourth episode "Leslie and Ron".
Family and friends of main characters
Marlene Griggs-Knope
Marlene Griggs-Knope (
Pamela Reed
Pamela Reed (born April 2, 1949) is an American actress. She is known for playing Arnold Schwarzenegger's hypoglycemic police partner in the 1990 movie ''Kindergarten Cop'' and as the matriarch Gail Green in ''Jericho''. She appeared as Marlene ...
) is Leslie's mother and a major political figure in Pawnee's school system.
She is a shrewd and cunning politician who is willing to resort to unethical tactics to get her way. Although Leslie has very different standards, she nevertheless sees Marlene as a source of inspiration, and is extremely eager to impress her mother.
Marlene has low expectations for her daughter's ability to succeed, but is ultimately supportive of her, as indicated in "
Canvassing" when Marlene attended Leslie's public forum in support of her despite privately predicting it would be a "train wreck".
In "
The Banquet", Marlene encouraged Leslie to use scandalous information to
blackmail a Pawnee zoning official into supporting Leslie's park project. In "
The Bubble", Leslie secretly prepared her boyfriend Ben for a meeting with Marlene with the hopes her mother would be impressed with him. The plan backfired, however, when Marlene became attracted to Ben and made a pass at him.
Though not seen after early in season 5, Marlene is still referenced from time to time. In particular, in season 7 it is mentioned on several occasions that she is babysitting Leslie and Ben's triplets (who are also her grandchildren.)
Wendy Haverford
Wendy Haverford (
Jama Williamson
Jama Williamson (born March 12, 1974) is an American actress. She was active in New York City theater throughout the early 2000s, during which she appeared in such shows as Avery Crozier's ''Eat the Runt'', Hunt Holman's ''Spanish Girl'', A. R ...
) starts the first season as the wife of Tom Haverford, although they are later revealed to have a
green card marriage
A sham marriage or fake marriage is a marriage of convenience entered into without intending to create a real marital relationship. This is usually for the purpose of gaining an advantage from the marriage.
Definitions of sham marriage vary by ...
. Wendy came to Pawnee from
Ottawa,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
and married Tom so she could remain in the country.
Introduced in the first-season finale "Rock Band", Wendy is an attractive, outgoing and wealthy pediatric surgeon, and various characters are surprised she is married to Tom, who often brags about her good looks and impressive job.
When the parks department employees hold a contest in "Practice Date" to see who can find out the dirtiest secret about their colleagues, Ron learns the real reason for the marriage, but keeps it a secret at Tom's request.
In "
Tom's Divorce
"Tom's Divorce" is the 11th episode of the second season of American comedy television series ''Parks and Recreation'', and the seventeenth overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on December 3, 2009. In the ...
", Wendy is granted permanent residence in the United States, and immediately begins planning for a divorce. Tom outwardly claims he is fine with it, but secretly wishes for the marriage to continue, as he has developed romantic feelings for Wendy.
When Ron asks him if he can ask Wendy out after the divorce, Tom is heartbroken, despite giving Ron his blessing. In "Galentine's Day", Tom confesses his true feelings to Wendy, but she rejects him, prompting an angry Tom to sue her for alimony in the hope of blackmailing her into being with him; however, he soon recognizes how unreasonable this is, and apologizes to Wendy. The divorce goes smoothly, and the two part on good terms.
In the second-season finale, "Freddy Spaghetti", a horrified Tom learns that Wendy and Ron are indeed dating.
Although the pairing causes significant tension between Ron and Tom, Ron proves so happy in his relationship with Wendy that it allows him to resist the temptations of his horrible ex-wife Tammy II. However, in "Ron & Tammy: Part Two", Ron and Wendy break up after she decides to return to Canada to take care of her ailing parents.
Dave Sanderson
![Louis CK 2012 Shankbone](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3e/Louis_CK_2012_Shankbone.JPG)
Dave Sanderson (
Louis C.K.
Louis Alfred Székely (; born September 12, 1967), known professionally as Louis C.K. (), is an American stand-up comedian, screenwriter, actor, and filmmaker. C.K. won three Peabody Awards, three Grammy Awards, six Primetime Emmy Awards, and a ...
) is a former boyfriend of Leslie Knope and ex-police sergeant in Pawnee. Socially awkward, Dave always speaks in an extremely deadpan and technical tone of voice,
but has a sweet personality despite his serious and sometimes gruff exterior, with one Pawnee cop telling Leslie that Dave had been the crankiest member of the force until he met her.
He first appears in "
The Stakeout", where he arrested Tom after finding him suspiciously lingering in a parked van. Leslie angrily demanded that Dave set Tom free, and Dave immediately found Leslie attractive.
He asked her on a date in "
Beauty Pageant
A beauty pageant is a competition that has traditionally focused on judging and ranking the physical attributes of the contestants. Pageants have now evolved to include inner beauty, with criteria covering judging of personality, intelligence, ...
" and she accepted, although she initially hesitated when Dave failed to recognize photos of major female political figures hanging in Leslie's office.
Nervous about the upcoming first date, Leslie became drunk in "
Practice Date
"Practice Date" is the fourth episode of the second season of ''Parks and Recreation'', and the tenth overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on October 8, 2009. In the episode, Ann takes Leslie to dinner to ...
" and visited Dave's house in the middle of the night, acting foolish until Dave brought her home. Leslie was humiliated, but Dave comforted her the next day and they continued dating.
In "
Greg Pikitis", Dave helped Leslie monitor her nemesis, high school student Greg Pikitis, on
Halloween night and ultimately helped catch him in the middle of committing a prank.
Dave made what seemed to be his final appearance in "
Christmas Scandal", when he told Leslie he is in the
United States Army Reserve
The United States Army Reserve (USAR) is a reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the Army element of the reserve components of the United States Armed Forces.
Since July 2020 ...
and has been called for maintenance work in
San Diego
San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United State ...
. He invited Leslie to move there with him, but she insisted she could not leave her home of Pawnee, so they amicably split up. In "
Dave Returns
The fourth season of '' Parks and Recreation'' originally aired in the United States on the NBC television network, and began on September 22, 2011, and ended on May 8, 2012. The season contained 22 episodes. It stars Amy Poehler, Rashida Jones, ...
", Dave comes back to Pawnee for the retirement party of the current police chief. On a whim, Leslie invites Dave out to dinner with her and Ben and while Ben is in the bathroom, Dave reveals to Leslie that he still has feelings for her. He then handcuffed Ben in the bathroom, but Ben had access to his cell phone and called Leslie, who then sat down for a friendly but firm chat with Dave where she said she was in love with Ben. Dave apologized for his behavior and accepted the situation, being glad to know that Leslie is happy.
At the end of the episode, he finally convinced Ben to use the bathroom (Ben has a fear of cops) in the form of a command, which Ben gratefully accepts.
Derek and Ben
Derek (
Blake Lee
Blake Lee (born August 31, 1983) is an American actor, known for his roles on ''Mixology'', ''Parks and Recreation'' and the Freeform hit '' Cruel Summer''. Blake and his husband Ben Lewis made history starring in ''The Christmas Setup'', Lifeti ...
) is April Ludgate's openly bisexual ex-boyfriend, who himself had a gay boyfriend named Ben (Josh Duvendeck) while dating her. Like April, both Derek and Ben are cynical and sarcastic, often mocking others around them. The two first appear together in "
Pawnee Zoo", where they and April congratulate Leslie for organizing a publicity stunt that married two
homosexual penguins
Penguins (order Sphenisciformes , family Spheniscidae ) are a group of aquatic flightless birds. They live almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere: only one species, the Galápagos penguin, is found north of the Equator. Highly adapt ...
at the local
zoo
A zoo (short for zoological garden; also called an animal park or menagerie) is a facility in which animals are kept within enclosures for public exhibition and often bred for conservation purposes.
The term ''zoological garden'' refers to zoo ...
.
In "
Sweetums", they begin to notice April is spending more time with Andy Dwyer, and they mock his personality, upsetting and embarrassing April.
In "
Galentine's Day", Derek and Ben attend a senior citizen dance party, where they mock the seniors. Tired of their constantly sarcastic behavior, and growing more romantically interested in Andy, April breaks up with them.
Derek and Ben reappear again, in the episode "
Andy and April's Fancy Party", making cameos as
flower-men at Andy's and April's wedding.
Dr. Harris
Dr. Harris (Cooper Thornton) is a doctor who works at the hospital with Ann Perkins. He has an extremely sarcastic personality and responds to everything in a deadpan manner. He first appeared in the first-season finale "Rock Show", where he tended to Andy Dwyer, who broke his legs falling into a construction pit.
He appeared again in "Greg Pikitis", where he attended Ann's Halloween party dressed as a doctor.
When the party proved boring, Dr. Harris left early and took the bottle of wine he brought to Ann's party because no one drank it.
Dr. Harris tended to Andy again in "
Freddy Spaghetti
"Freddy Spaghetti" is the second season finale of the American comedy television series ''Parks and Recreation'', and the 30th overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on May 20, 2010. In the episode, as Ro ...
", after Andy was struck by a car while riding his motorcycle. When Andy asked whether Dr. Harris can have him fully healed in the next 10 minutes, the doctor sarcastically responded, "Sure, I'll just advance medical science 30 years." He also appeared in the third-season finale "
Li'l Sebastian
"Li'l Sebastian" is the sixteenth episode and season finale of the third season of the American comedy television series ''Parks and Recreation'', and the 46th overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on May ...
", where he treated Chris Traeger for a case of
tendinitis
Tendinopathy, a type of tendon disorder that results in pain, swelling, and impaired function. The pain is typically worse with movement. It most commonly occurs around the shoulder (rotator cuff tendinitis, biceps tendinitis), elbow (tennis elbo ...
. Chris responded to Dr. Harris' sarcasm by declaring him "literally the meanest person I have ever met."
Jean-Ralphio Saperstein
Jean-Ralphio Saperstein (
Ben Schwartz) is the idiotic and cocky friend of Tom Haverford who, like Tom himself, fancies himself a
pickup artist
Pickup artists (PUA), self-identified as dating coaches, the seduction community or the pickup community, is a movement of men (or women) whose goal is seduction and sexual success. The community exists through Internet newsletters and blogs, ma ...
and
baller, although he is looked upon with contempt by most people around him except Tom.
He tries to dress stylishly, makes up and raps spontaneous rhymes and often speaks in slang terms such as variations of the suffix