Television Review: What Makes the Cast of Parks and Rec Special

If you asked me to name my favorite TV show of all time, I'm not sure I'd be able to narrow it down to one. But if you asked me to name my top five, I'm certain that Parks and Recreation would make the list. Created by Greg Daniels (known for his work on The Office and King of the Hill) and Michael Schur (co-creator of Brooklyn Nine-Nine and The Good Place), Parks and Rec originally ran for seven seasons from 2009 to 2015. But this past Thursday (at the time of writing), a reunion special aired, allowing series fans to take another glimpse at the lives of the characters they've come to love. Full disclosure: I might have cried a little bit by the end.

But watching the reunion special got me thinking: what is it that makes the characters of Parks and Rec so great? What is it about the residents of Pawnee, Indiana that just seeing them talk to each other again is enough to make a (relatively) grown man cry?

Well, the obvious answer is that they're all well-written, well-acted characters, who receive extensive character development over the course of the series. And indeed, credit must be given to the writing talents of Daniels and Schur, as well as the incredibly talented main cast. Amy Poehler as Leslie Knope, Adam Scott as Ben Wyatt, Rob Lowe as Chris Traeger, Chris Pratt and Aubrey Plaza as Andy and April... and of course, Nick Offerman - quite possibly the manliest man alive - as the iconic Ron Swanson.

But I think the true appeal of Parks and Rec goes deeper than that. I believe that the main characters of the series have something that most sitcoms don't: nuance. Though they appear at first glance to be over-the-top caricatures, each member of the main cast grows into a more complex, well-rounded person over time. Take Ron Swanson, for instance. On the surface, he's an exaggerated cliche of the archetypical manly man. He's tough, stoic, and patriotic. He loves meat, hunting, and woodworking, and hates anything he considers weak or unmasculine. But deep down, he's fiercely loyal to his friends, and doesn't hesitate to go out of his way to help them. By the end of the series, Ron's opened up enough to grow into a loving family man. While he's still the same old Ron, he's stopped trying to hide the warmth beneath his gruff exterior.

Ben and Chris are more great examples of the layers Parks and Rec gives to its characters. One of Ben's most prominent quirks is his love for all things nerdy - he loves Batman, Star Wars, and Game of Thrones, among others. On any other show, he'd be the stereotypical geek, whose nerdiness is treated as a punchline. But while characters like Tom and Donna might poke fun at Ben's interests, the show never frames them as something to be ashamed of. Ben's more than just a one-note fanboy: he's a clever, competent, and compassionate man, trusted and relied on by his peers... and he also happens to write Star Trek fan fiction. Meanwhile, Chris first comes off as a friendly, hyperactive health nut with nigh-unsettling levels of positivity. And he is all those things, of course. But later episodes show that Chris is just as capable of fear and anxiety as anyone else, and sometimes uses his cheerful persona to cope with negative feelings.

Nobody in Parks and Rec's main cast is one way all the time: they may seem larger than life, but they're all human in their depth. And that humanity is what allows for - in my opinion - the thing that makes the series truly exceptional. It's a perfect showcase of the ways that people with differing personalities, backgrounds, and beliefs can form strong emotional bonds with each other.

Take Andy and April, for instance. On the surface, they're polar opposites. Andy is cheerful, honest, and outgoing, while April is sullen, sarcastic, and withdrawn. And yet, not only do they get along perfectly, they wind up marrying each other after only a month of dating - and they stay together for the rest of the series without any major conflicts in their relationship. They're the last two characters you'd expect to find any common ground, yet they couldn't be happier together.

Ben has a similar dynamic in his two closest relationships: his friendship with Chris, and his romance with Leslie. Ben is a jaded, practical realist, while Leslie and Chris are irrepressible optimists. Despite this, Ben and Chris maintain an incredibly close and loyal friendship for the duration of the show. Meanwhile, Leslie initially butts heads with Ben when he tries to cut the Parks Department's budget. But when they start getting to know each other, Leslie starts to see that Ben is more selfless than he appears. Before long, they begin dating. What started as a bitter rivalry eventually evolves into a loving marriage, with Ben and Leslie supporting one another in their political careers.

But without a doubt, the greatest of Parks and Rec's unlikely friendships is Leslie and Ron. Leslie is a sunny, idealistic feminist who dreams of becoming president. Ron is a cranky, cynical man's man who hates everything about the government. You'd expect the two to despise each other based on their opposing beliefs and personalities. And yet, they're the best of friends, always staunchly supporting each other through the entire series. They have their disagreements, sure, but what friends don't? No matter what happens between them, their bond is healthy enough that they're always able to forgive each other.

Parks and Recreation may make us laugh because of its larger-than-life comedy, but the emotional core of the series is the sincere, human relationships between its characters - relationships that show how people who seem to have nothing in common can look past their differences and form bonds that last a lifetime. In a world where people can be divided all too easily, that's a lesson that we can all take to heart.

For more articles by Barrett Smith, check out his blog at http://www.alliterativeanalysis.com. New posts every Saturday!