The beloved NBC comedy Parks and Recreation includes some of TV's most iconic characters. Fans love to watch Leslie Knope, Ron Swanson, Tom Haverford, and the show's other well-rounded characters as they struggle through bureaucratic red tape as well as their own complicated relationships.
The good and bad traits of the Parks and Recreation characters make them larger than life, and fans adore their worst moments just as much as their best ones, able to see the characters as genuine people navigating life in the quirky fictional town of Pawnee, Indiana.
Leslie Knope
BEST TRAIT: Passionate
Leslie deeply believes in the power of government and the good it can do for its people. She sets high goals for herself and her team, so she can get frustrated when her plans fail. However, Leslie powers through with determination and tries not to get discouraged.
WORST TRAIT: Stubborn
Leslie's stubbornness accomplishes a lot throughout the series, but her refusal to back down can be a detriment to her team. She regularly clashes with her friends over their opposing views and can't understand why they might have goals that differ from hers.
Ron Swanson
BEST TRAIT: Caring
Although he absolutely hates talking to people and refuses to get involved in his co-workers' personal lives, Ron deeply cares about his friends and will help them out when they need him. He becomes a father figure to April, respects Leslie despite her beliefs, and even lets Diane's kids put makeup on him and pretend that he is a princess.
WORST TRAIT: Stoic
Although Ron's stoicism gives way to tons of great moments throughout the series, it can be to his detriment. Ron refuses to ask for help when he suffers a hernia, preferring to stay at his desk all day rather than show weakness. Ron is horrified at being thought of as a nice person, especially by his "workplace proximity associates."
Ann Perkins
BEST TRAIT: Helpful
As a nurse, Ann is the one that the other characters turn to when they are injured, especially Andy, who treats Ann like a servant while he recovers from an injury in the first season. Ann happily helps Leslie in achieving her goals even when it is not in Ann's favor to do so, and she participates in events that show her helpful nature.
WORST TRAIT: Dependent
Ann depends on Leslie and her various boyfriends for company and identity. In the first few seasons of Parks and Recreation, Ann isn't really her own person and struggles to find an identity outside of her relationships. Although she is a capable nurse, she depends on others just as much as they depend on her.
Tom Haverford
BEST TRAIT: Entrepreneur
Tom's character grows throughout the show to become much more spirited and excitable, chasing big business dreams. His businesses lead him through some of the saddest moments in Parks and Recreation, such as giving up his dream due to a conflict of interest at work. Still, Tom never gives up and keeps moving forward, finally becoming the businessman he wants to be at the end of the series.
WORST TRAIT: Self-Involved
Tom's selfishness is the root of a lot of arguments in the show, such as inviting Tammy 2 to an event to get revenge on Ron, and his business ideas often conflict with his work ethic. His sarcastic and cocky attitude means that he makes himself the center of attention, perfectly matching his business-oriented goals.
April Ludgate
BEST TRAIT: Supportive
Although April is a deadpan and sarcastic loner, she takes on lots of jobs throughout the series, most of which revolve around assisting other people such as Chris and Leslie. April is always supportive of her husband, Andy, at one point deciding to become his manager when he wants to become a children's entertainer.
WORST TRAIT: Mean
April often insults people and threatens to harm them — although she would never actually hurt someone — and is especially mean to Ann and Jerry, the former because she dated Andy and the latter because he is an easy punching bag. April refuses to show her kind side, wielding her caustic sense of humor whenever someone tries to talk to her (which only makes fans like her more).
Andy Dwyer
BEST TRAIT: Goofball
Andy has a big imagination, creating alter egos for himself such as FBI agent Burt Macklin and TV performer Johnny Karate. Andy is the member of the cast that most often engages in physical comedy, hurling himself around the room and creating inventive ways to solve problems, such as the Super Straw for drinking out of cans. Andy and April's wedding is an adorable Parks and Recreation moment that shows they are not afraid to be goofy around each other.
WORST TRAIT: Lazy
At the start of the show, his worst trait is that he is spoiled and refuses to do any work to help Ann around the house. Andy is frequently lazy throughout the show, leaving dishes and dirty laundry around his house and resorting to eating off Frisbees, which horrifies neat freak Ben.
Donna Meagle
BEST TRAIT: Impulsive
Donna's secretive second life is one of the many things fans love about her, as well as the random bits of information that she supplies from time to time, such as the fact that she speaks fluent French, served on a NASCAR pit crew, and came in ninth on Italy's Got Talent. Donna's impulsiveness leads to brilliant moments alongside Tom, including the iconic Treat Yo'self Day.
WORST TRAIT: Selfish
Donna gets upset when Tom fires a gun at her beloved Mercedez-Benz but doesn't care that Ron is shot in the process. She is very hesitant to date Joe, a perfectly nice and selfless person, because she finds him boring and unlike herself.
Ben Wyatt
BEST TRAIT: Honest
At first, Leslie and Ben don't get along because he wants to cut the Parks department's budget, being honest about the way it is run rather than listening to Leslie's gut feelings. However, Leslie comes to appreciate his integrity when it helps people, such as providing Tom's company with trustworthy financial advice.
WORST TRAIT: Nervousness
Ben self-destructed his mayoral career by creating Ice Town, and the fallout from that made him afraid of assuming responsibility. Through Leslie, Ben regains his confidence, but his nerves still get in his way at times. For example, he gives several disastrous radio and television interviews, tripping over his words and blurting out things he shouldn't.
Chris Traeger
BEST TRAIT: Positivity
Chris's whole persona is based on his happiness at being alive, and he makes everyone smile just by being around him. He appreciates life because he almost died from a disorder as a baby, and wants to ensure that he and his friends are as happy as they can be. He is strict when he needs to be, such as enforcing a no-workplace-romance rule, but overall his happiness is infectious.
WORST TRAIT: Body-Conscious
Chris has meltdowns when he is sick, has injured himself, or when he becomes aware of his own mortality. Although this makes Ann feel less intimidated by him, Chris becomes despondent during these times and has to be comforted by his friends.
Jerry Gergitch
BEST TRAIT: Kindness
Despite being the most forgetful and clumsiest guy in the office, Jerry baffles everyone when his artistic and kind side comes out. Ben is surprised when he spends the day with Jerry after Leslie is unable to attend, seeing a side of Jerry that gets buried under the constant insults from their co-workers. Jerry is also the one that suggests Chris and Ann get married when he observes how in love they are.
WORST TRAIT: Clumsy
Jerry trips over his words and calls himself Larry at one point, leading the whole office to change his name to Larry, despite his real name being Garry. He is consistently clumsy and unaware of his surroundings. For example, while helping out at Tom's bistro, Jerry knocks over several shelves of glasses and ends up being a nuisance.