All right, listen up. The fact that you are reading this story right now is a good indicator that you have an opinion (probably a strong one) about the title of this piece, and you are wanting to either reaffirm the claim, or argue with me.
Bring it on.
Anyone who knows me, knows that there are specific things that I hold near and dear to my heart, and one of those things closer to the top of that list is NBC’s beloved, Emmy award-winning show, “Parks and Recreation.” Now, I could write numerous pieces about how I learned that it is okay to “treat yo self” every once in a while, how Pawnee, Indiana has had some of the funniest town slogans ever conjured up in the minds of fictional government officials, or how the death of Lil’ Sebastian was definitely not “lil” in my heart, but I will stick to the issue at hand.
“Parks and Recreation” is NOT a rip-off of “The Office.”
Look, I know that “The Office” was one of the first in this comedic, mockumentary style of television that has become popular during our time, and that “Parks and Rec” adopted it. I know that “Parks and Rec” was originally supposed to be a spinoff of “The Office,” and I know that Greg Daniels and Mike Schur are responsible for both series, but, ultimately, these two shows are so different and unique in their own special ways (aww).
So, in order to make my case, I am going to give you a classic, three-reason list on why I think that “Parks and Recreation” has plenty of unique elements on its own, and that the accusation of it copying “The Office” is unfair and frankly unjust. Just to clarify, this is not an argument on which show is better, just an explanation on how they are different.
- THE CHARACTERS IN “P&R” ARE SO MUCH BIGGER THAN THOSE IN “THE OFFICE”
Let me explain what I mean by bigger: the characters on “Parks and Recreation” are far more satirical than those of “The Office.” On “Parks,” we have characters like Andy Dwyer (Chris Pratt), who a big, loveable, goofball who can seemingly do no wrong. We also have Ron Swanson (Nick Offerman) who is a reserved, manly type who has cried twice in his life: Once when he was seven, and was hit by a school bus, and second, when heard that Lil’ Sebastian had passed. Of course, there’s Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) who is the gung-ho, spunk-master who is always trying to make tidal waves in the bureaucratic system of local government, and if you have seen the show, you know what I mean.
These few characters I mentioned, plus plenty of others, are very different than those we all know and love on “The Office.” Of course, Jim and Pam’s (John Krasinski and Jenna Fischer) shenanigans against Dwight (Rainn Wilson), as well as Michael’s (Steve Carell) endless, cringe-worthy antics are central in “The Office,” however, when it comes to overall characterization, they are far more subdued in comparison to Parks and Rec.
That is not a bad thing, it is just a different style.
- “PARKS AND RECREATION” IS MUCH MORE “WACKY” THAN “THE OFFICE”
Two words: public forums.
In “Parks and Recreation,” one of the most comedic parts of the show (and where a lot of good, quotable material comes from), is when Leslie Knope holds public forums in order to get the opinion of the citizens of Pawnee on a government project. The amount of absurd, and absolutely hilarious things said by the common-folk is almost uncountable and is sure to get at least a smirk and an eye roll from the viewer. This is where I would like to make my next point: situations in plot are so much wackier in “Parks and Recreation.”
Think about it. In one particular episode, Ann Perkins (Rashida Jones) is trying to warn the public of how terrible corn syrup is for the human body, however, an angry citizen jumps out of his chair and exclaims “Corn is a fruit! Syrup comes from a bush!” Or, in another scenario, Ron has to have multiple meeting with members of the community, and one upset women comes into his office with a misshaped piece of pottery, says, “I made this in one of your pottery classes. It’s terrible!” and throws the piece of dried clay to the ground, causing it to shatter. These are examples of the exaggerated style of comedy that the show is trying to create.
Don’t get me wrong, “The Office” has plenty of funny and memorable moments as well, but in essence, the employees of Dunder Mifflin Scranton only have to deal with Michael’s ridiculousness, and while he is silly, we still get a taste of how a realistic workplace would conduct their behavior in that situation. In Pawnee, the government employees seem to have come to terms with the fact that their citizens are just plain crazy, and that the issues that the town deals with are so farfetched and absurd that there is no way that it is even close to reality.
If they are, record the next public forum you attend and email it to me.
- THE OVERALL TONE OF THE TWO SHOWS ARE DIFFERENT
In “Parks and Rec,” Leslie Knope is a motivated government worker, who dreams of making the life of the community she serves a better place by building parks and providing other services for the enjoyment of the public. The conflict of the show is simply that a majority of the people around her don’t really care that much, which causes roadblocks and setbacks. However, the overall tone of the show is that of niceness. Sure, Leslie is mocked for her fervor, and is not nearly as appreciated for it as she deserves, but the banter never seems to be genuinely hurtful. Even the lighting and color of the show seem to reflect the gleeful and care-free environment that Pawnee seem to reside in.
In “The Office,” most of the humor stems from people in the workplace saying and doing mean things to one another. Whether it is Jim ticking off Dwight with a prank, Michael trashing Toby (Paul Lieberstein), or Angela (Angela Kinsey) yelling at Phyllis (Phyllis Smith) on the party planning committee, there is a spirit of harshness. Also, the dark lighting and colors in “The Office” is an example of dreariness. This is not bad, it is still funny, it is just a different type of humor that the show focused on, and it makes it very different than that of “Parks and Recreation.”
There you have it. Those are just a few elements showing how “Parks and Recreation” is unique to its distant cousin, “The Office.” They share similarities, especially in the earlier seasons of “P&R,” however, as the show continues into its seven seasons, it really becomes its own, exceptional program exaggerating the intricacies of bureaucracy. If you are looking for something to watch this weekend that is light, hilarious, and heart-warming, I highly recommend turning on Netflix, grabbing a couple of “beautiful, talented, brilliant, powerful muskox” friends of yours, grabbing some of JJ’s famous waffles, and powering through the first season of “Parks and Rec,” because let’s be honest, the first season is a little rough (but so was the first season of “The Office”).
I promise you, it is worth it.
