Since The Office debuted in 2005, fans have followed those at the Dunder Mifflin Scranton branch and saw how they transformed over the years as employees and friends. Four years later, Parks and Recreation showed its spin on a mockumentary with the lives of those working at Pawnee's Parks & Recreation Department. And as different as the sitcoms were, both had very similar themes and characters.
There were dreamers, pop culture enthusiasts, realists, creeps, romantics... Both sitcoms were in no way connected but have counterparts that connect to each other. This made it easy for The Office viewers to be fans of Parks and Rec. and vice versa.
Updated on July 7th, 2022, by Lynn Gibbs: Now that Parks and Recreation and The Office are both off-air and streaming on services like NBC's Peacock, the workplace comedies are gaining even more fans than ever before. Because of the similar camera angles, jokes, and personalities in office settings — it's easy to see the similarities between both shows. In fact, there are parallels between the characters that aren't talked about enough. From Kelly Kapoor and Tom Haverford's love language being pop culture to Leslie Knope and Michael Scott having equivalent managing styles, both shows have counterparts.
Kelly Kapoor & Tom Haverford
Kelly Kapoor was Dunder Mifflin's customer service representative before quitting in season 9 to move to Ohio with her new partner, Ravi. She loved to talk, adored pop culture, and was the first to gossip in the office. But as lovely as a person as Kelly was, many of her workers couldn't stand her constant talking.
Likewise, Tom Haverford started as an administrator but it was obvious that's not where his heart was. He wanted to be a famous business tycoon and had plenty of good and bad business ideas. Tom had all of these unique ideas but working for a government office was hindering his expansion. Both he and Kelly loved fashion, celebrities, gossip, and any chance to be in the spotlight. If the shows combined, they'd be best friends.
Michael Scott & Leslie Knope
Michael Scott and Leslie Knope may as well be the world's greatest bosses. Both were main characters in their respective shows. Michael was the Regional Manager of Dunder Mifflin Scranton, and Leslie started out as the Deputy Director of the Pawnee City Department of Parks & Recreation.
Both characters were enthusiastic, loved their jobs, and treated their employees like they were family. If Leslie and Michael weren't working, they weren't happy. To them, the office was a place to be with their best friends and to do work they were passionate about. If these two met, they'd be the greatest managing duo of all time.
Pam Beesly & Ann Perkins
Since Rashida Jones participated in both sitcoms, some would have made Ann Perkins' counterpart Karen Filippelli. However, Ann Perkins had more in common with The Office's Pam Beesly. Pam and Ann were both Leslie and Michael's righthand person. While Pam and Michael weren't best friends like Ann and Leslie, Pam's respect grew for him as time went on and the two formed a lifelong bond.
In the romance department, Pam left a long-term relationship to be with her best friend and closest confidant, Jim. Likewise, Ann also left her partner of two years for a new life and ended up falling for her colleague as well. There were a lot of parallels between the two, and while Pam's transformation was slower than Ann's, the two had a lot in common.
Andy Bernard & Chris Traeger
Andy Bernard and Chris Traeger had their obvious differences but they also had a lot in common. Chris was mature, into personal fitness, and more understanding than Andy but they were both wildly theatrical and upbeat. Andy loves musicals and the theater while Chris's passion was geared toward physical fitness.
Regardless of what made them happy outside of work, they both acted similarly when they were doing what they loved. Andy and Chris also had some of the best quotes in the series. Both men also fell in love while at work and left the series to start new lives outside of Pawnee and Scranton.
Jim Halpert & Ben Wyatt
Jim Halpert and Ben Wyatt were both level-headed and clear-thinking characters. Ben was more ambitious than Jim was but that was because he found his passion for politics at a young age. It took time for Jim to find out what he wanted to do for the rest of his life but as soon as Athlead came around, Jim found his calling.
Jim and Ben were two of the more relatable characters on their shows. Both men were respected at work, good at what they did, and were natural romantics when it came to the women in their lives. Both Jim and Ben fell in love with their leading ladies years after creating a fundamental friendship with them.
Stanley Hudson & Ron Swanson
Stanley Hudson and Ron Swanson were their respective show's office grumps. Stanley wasn't interested in forming relationships at work. He showed up every day to sell the paper so that he could retire faster. Ron wasn't all that different on Parks and Rec.
Ron showed up to the office because he had to but was all too happy when Leslie did his job for him. If Ron and Stanely met outside of work, they would both hit it off over a glass of scotch and a good meal. These two were content working in silence and were the more serious characters on their shows.
Toby Flenderson & Jerry Gergich
Toby was Dunder Mifflin's human resource representative on The Office and Jerry Gergich was the office manager in Parks and Recreation. Both men were sweet and caring, but for whatever reason, were hated by their colleagues.
Michael despised Toby because he viewed HR as fun-suckers, and those in Pawnee loved picking on Jerry because he was always making silly mistakes. As sad as it was to see these two men bullied and tormented season after season, they both came out on top in the end. But that didn't make it less upsetting to see these men as the butt of the joke. The saddest things happened to Jerry and Toby in a setting that was supposed to be safe.
Creed Batton & April Ludgate
Fans may have originally paired April Ludgate up with Angela Martin but April's real counterpart is Creed. Angela was far too religious and against spooky things to be a counterpart for April. April had a dark, creepy side that left her feeling excited instead of afraid.
She bought a haunted house with Andy, she gave birth with zombie makeup on, and she loved Halloween decor. The only Office counterpart that matched this was the one and only Creed. Creed was a very mysterious man with plenty of "WTF?" moments. He had a trunk full of secrets and lived a life of intrigue. All of these things scream April.
Jan Levinson & Tammy 2
If Jan Levinson and Tammy 2 ever met each other, both women would end up in a physical altercation because of their dominant energies. They're both highly intelligent and beautiful women and would wind up going after the same man, fighting over him.
They're both put together from a distance but once the characters get to know them, they're far more unhinged than anticipated. Jan tormented Michael for years on The Office. She loved him but hated him at the same time. That sounds a lot like the relationship between Tammy 2 and Ron.
Kevin Malone & Andy Dwyer
Kevin Malone and Andy Dwyer were their shows' resident airheads. They were both a little lost but too adorable to ever be mad at. Andy was a man who didn't get many opportunities in life but took advantage of them when they presented themselves. With April's help, he found his passion and was able to make a living from it.
Kevin Malone was also a little lost and awful at his job, but he was such a good friend that his inconsistencies and mistakes were overlooked. Both characters acted like teenagers in the bodies of grown adults. However, their dimwitted personalities gave them some of the more hilarious quotes on Parks & Rec. and The Office.