The Office and Parks and Recreation share many similarities, including cast members. Both sitcoms aired on NBC and could be identified as workplace comedies. Despite the fact that both series have ended their respective runs, they each continue to gain loyal followers.
The Office first made its debut in 2005. The series, developed by Greg Daniels, was based on the U.K. hit-series of the same name. Viewership was rocky during the show's first season, but it later found its footing and became one of NBC's bright spots in their TV lineup. Four years later, Daniels, along with Michael Schur, a writer and producer on The Office, created Parks and Rec. The duo hit gold again with a series that followed Leslie Knope and her fellow employees working for a small-town government.
For a time, Parks and Rec was intended to be a spinoff of The Office with a key cast member moving from one show to the other. Daniels and Schur quickly abandoned that idea and made Parks and Rec a standalone series. That, however, didn't stop using actors in The Office for roles on Parks and Rec. Here's every actor who has appeared in both NBC sitcoms.
Rashida Jones
Jones was the only actor to have prominent roles in both The Office and Parks and Recreation. She joined The Office at the start of season 3, portraying Karen Filippelli, a co-worker of Jim's at Dunder Mifflin Stamford branch. The character relocated to Scranton after the merger, but Jones left the show ahead of season 4. Jones made a few more cameos and was later cast as Ann Perkins in Parks and Rec, a role she played for the majority of the show's run. At one point, Jones was cast to headline Parks and Rec when it was still planned as a spinoff of The Office.
Will Arnett
Arnett appeared in The Office season 7 as Fred Henry, a man who interviewed for Michael Scott's managerial position. Prior to his cameo in the episode, which featured several other guest stars, Arnett played the MRI technician in Parks and Rec who went on a date with Leslie in season 2. The actor was married to Amy Poehler, the actress who portrayed Leslie, at the time of his cameo.
Rob Huebel
Huebel portrayed A.J., an employee at Dunder Mifflin Nashua, in multiple episodes of The Office. Viewers will remember that Holly Flax dated A.J. for a time before she ended up with Michael. The actor joined Parks and Rec for a season 6 episode as the character Harvey. When the Parks Department was planning the Unity Concert, Ben tried to rent tents from Tent World's CEO, Harvey, who wouldn't give him a fair deal, prompting Ben to blackmail him.
April Eden
Her name might not be recognizable but Eden played two memorable characters in both series. Eden played the chair model in The Office that Michael became infatuated with before learning of her death. In Parks and Rec, Eden played the winner of Miss Pawnee '09, Trish Ianetta, a character that appeared in two episodes during season 2.
Other Actors That Appeared In The Office And Parks & Rec
Jon Ingle: The actor played one of the Dunder Mifflin co-founders, Robert Dunder, in an episode of The Office before appearing in the second episode of Parks and Rec as a man that Leslie encountered while canvassing.
Eugene Cordero: After playing a gas station attendant in The Office season 7, Cordero portrayed Minister Xorpaxx-7 in the Parks and Rec series finale. The actor would also be known for portraying Pillboi in The Good Place.
Sara Van Horn: Sara Van Horn had a minor role in The Office season 2 episode, "Michael's Birthday", where she played a store manager. She later appeared in six episodes of Parks & Rec as Gretel, a Pawnee woman who made unreasonable demands of the Parks Department, such as asking Leslie to remove the slugs from around her house, but without killing them and not moving all of them.
Michael Patrick McGill: The actor played Roy Anderson's brother, Kenny, twice in The Office season 3, and again in the show's ninth and final season. In Parks and Recreation, McGill portrayed a sanitation worker named Steve that gave Leslie and April a hard time when they wanted a shot at being garbagemen.