Parks and Recreation is a beloved series for many reasons, yet perhaps the main thing that keeps us binge-watching the show over and over again is the fascinating characters throughout. It almost feels as though we are watching a Pixar film due to how animated and colorful these individuals on the NBC series are. Pawnee, Indiana has a whole plethora of characters who we are desperate to see more of, while others already had story arcs on Parks and Rec that felt whole and complete. Here are five characters that deserve spinoffs (and five that don’t need one).
APRIL LUDGATE- DESERVES A SPINOFF
Aubrey Plaza adds something truly special to Parks and Recreation with her character’s puckish charm and unusual antics. April Ludgate stands out in the series as a character who takes drastic measures in order to avoid conformity. We have truly never seen anyone else like her, and because of this, we definitely think she deserves a spinoff. Plus, it would be an excuse to see what’s going on in her family life with Andy and their baby, Jack, whose real name is Burt Snakehole Ludgate Karate Dracula Macklin Demon Jack-o-Lantern Dwyer. Cheers to simplicity!
April goes from being a cartoonish character who is as dark and gothic as Wednesday Addams to a multi-dimensional individual that we as an audience can seriously relate to. We’d love to see more of her and to get an update on the various ups and downs at the Dwyer-Ludgate household.
LESLIE KNOPE - DOESN’T NEED ONE
Although Leslie Knope is one of the most lovable characters of all time, we feel as though Parks and Recreation already established her story to completion. We feel satisfied with the journey Leslie took throughout the series and thoroughly enjoyed watching her grow into a more selfless and driven individual.
We laughed and cried with her as she went from being Deputy Director to Governor of Indiana and (quite possibly) the president of the United States. While we are obsessed with this waffle-loving queen, Parks and Rec was Leslie’s show from beginning to end.
JERRY GERGICH- DESERVES A SPINOFF
It is undeniable that Jerry Gergich is a fascinating character. In fact, he is arguably the most interesting out of all the characters on the show because he is one great mystery. Why is he so accepting of the fact that everyone treats him as the office punching bag?
How did he manage to score such a beautiful wife and children? Why is Jerry so gosh-darn nice? These are questions that no one has answers to, but it makes us all the more inclined to get to know him better. We’d love to see more of his perfect home life because it’s so nice to see Jerry in an environment where people love and accept him for who he is.
TOM HAVERFORD - DOESN’T NEED ONE
We are in love with Tom Haverford as a character, but in a way, we feel as though he already got his own spinoff. In the Netflix original series, Master of None, Aziz Ansari plays a character who is extremely similar to Tom on Parks and Rec. Although his character is a lot less materialistic and juvenile on Master of None, there are a ton of similarities between Dev and Tom. Both are creative idealists who are looking to achieve greatness. Both have the same hilarious charm. If Tom Haverford is your favorite character on Parks and Rec and you want to see more of Aziz, be sure to check out Master of None if you haven’t already.
DONNA MEAGLE - DESERVES A SPINOFF
Donna might just be the greatest character on Parks and Rec. Not only is she the most kind-hearted person in the office, but she has amazing social skills that we can all learn from. Donna is able to see the thriving potential in others, even if they can’t see it themselves. Her character’s mysterious charm makes us crave to witness more from this woman and we would absolutely love to get a peek into her new home life in Seattle with her husband Joe, played by the hilariously talented Keegan Michael Key. Who in their right minds wouldn’t want to see more of Donna?
ANN PERKINS - DOESN’T NEED ONE
Ann Perkins is hard not to love on Parks and Recreation and in a lot of ways, she is the easiest character to identify with. She seems to be the only normal person in a room full of cartoonishly animated personalities, and she plays the straight role brilliantly throughout. Although we adore Ann as much as Leslie does (which is saying a lot) we feel as though we have already gotten to the meat of her storyline. Now she is literally living the happiest life imaginable with Chris Traeger and we’re so happy how things worked out for her.
JEAN RALPHIO AND MONA LISA - DESERVE A SPINOFF
Jean Ralphio and Mona Lisa Saperstein are two of the strangest, most terrible people on Parks & Rec- And we are seriously in love with both of them. If anyone deserves a spinoff from this series, it should absolutely be these two who know exactly how to turn our “frizzowns upside-dizzity”. Although they were only minor characters, they filled our screens with something insanely special and beautiful every time. We honestly don’t know where we’d be without them which is why we are in desperate need of a spinoff from these genuine Gods of television.
BEN WYATT - DOESN’T NEED ONE
Ben Wyatt is another character on Parks and Recreation that we absolutely adore. We are obsessed with his devotion to calzones and all things nerdy. He is the perfect match for Leslie Knope because his gentle nature is always quick to comfort her and Ben is supportive of Leslie’s big dreams from beginning to end.
He sees her incredible potential and he is never threatened by it. While we love Ben, we think he has already gotten a good chunk of screentime on the original series and we feel satisfied with his whole character arc.
CRAIG MIDDLEBROOKS - DESERVES A SPINOFF
Craig Middlebrooks is one fascinating persona on Parks and Rec. Just when you thought the show couldn’t possibly get any more hilarious, Billy Eichner came in to grace our screens with an out of this world character who has some serious anger issues that he might need to sort out. The truth of the matter is, he just cares so much. It’s a shame he came onto the series so late in the game because we would give anything to see more of his character.
RON SWANSON - DOESN’T NEED ONE
Ron Swanson is one of our favorite characters on Parks and Rec, without a doubt. Although we love this bacon-obsessed libertarian, he is yet another character who had a satisfying arc that feels complete. He finally was able to ditch all of the Tammys in his life in order to find a real connection with Diane Lewis and her kids. They all seem to make Ron a kinder and more open individual and we thought his character’s ending was just perfect.
