There are some things you should know about me, the 8th or 9th being that I love Parks and Recreation on NBC, but the first thing you should know is that I am something of a master at over thinking trivial things and coming up with systems around them (This is called being a nerd about stuff.). So here is where these two things mix.

This is the cast of Parks and Recreation.

And for those who haven't seen the show, it's about a parks department in a small town in Indiana and the super driven deputy director who wants to be the best public servant in the history of people. Also if you haven't seen the show its on Hulu, start with season three, trust me, you'll be fine.

The thing I see in the show, and I think a key to why all the characters are so likeable is because they are all grown up versions of High school stereotypes, with nice little twists. So what follows is a who's who comparison of Pawnee.

Leslie Knope- The student body president/Valedictorian.

                      Leslie is the main character of the show, it follows her slow rise to power by little successes in her life. She is a bottle of energy and fully committed to the things she does, and much like any student body president or valedictorian that thing being good and achieving something is the MOST IMPORTANT THING IN THE WORLD! "Oh God, lets panic, the water pressure in the drinking fountain is too high, what if they drown? What if it shoots someones eye out? We Have to fix this or people are going to go blind and drown." That's how she reacts, and it's because of this her projects tend to be such a success, well that and it's a show and it's heartwarming to see people do well when they really care, and that is the heart of Leslie, she cares way too much, and it's adorable.

Ron Swanson- The Principal.
                    Ron is the director of the apathetic head of the parks department, he is the man that man's man men look up to, he likes pretty brunettes and breakfast food. The reason he fits the principal model is he sits above all the things that happen, he's not ever willing a part of the drama that is Leslie's drive to be the best person who has ever lived, he could care less if the parks are fine, he would rather see them run by private industry like everything else. He doesn't seem to need anything that those around him have to offer, because he does tend to have the answers for everything. He is in this way the overseer and in a way protector of the cast, principled in how he lives and despite how he may feel about Government he does want everyone around him to succeed and since he is so super handy with pretty much everything he often facilitates that success.

Andy Dwyer- The slacker kid/ class clown

              Andy is the guy who never had any idea idea what was going on in class because he was too busy being awesome in his own head. He's joyfully harmless, a puppy dog of excitement and joy, he's a big kid, but...he's also thirty and doesn't really have a direction in his life or anything really going for him when we first meet him yet he seems to be mostly ok with that, because there isn't really a way to bring him down. He's sort of oblivious to the rest of the world because his world, where sometimes he plays Bert Macklin, FBI is just so fun for him....but then there is April.

April Ludgate- The Goth Chick
              She may not wear black all the time and dress freaky but her demeanor and lovable hatred of everything  but her husband Andy and animals, who she loves for not being people, totally puts her in the dark camp of the goth chick. She hates everything for being where it is, doesn't care about anything, and takes a certain amount of joy in things going terrible. Yet and this is the brilliance of the show, she is married to the happiest most bright character in the show. It's like having a cat and a puppy get married, or watching the class clown make out with the goth chick. they don't seem to belong together and yet they balance each other so incredibly well.

Ben Wyatt- The Nerd
              This almost goes without saying, He is everything a nerd is, socially awkward, very specific and with a tendancy to want to be right about even tiny stupid things that don't matter, and of course a fan of Game of thrones, Star wars, and Star Trek. and Lord of the Rings. He's got strange hobbies, basically the only thing he hasn't done is just come out and say he's played Dungeons and Dragons. I guess nerds don't change that much once they leave school because all the things they are he is. I love him.


Tom Haverford- The popular kid
                Tom is obsessed with being on the cutting edge and looking cool. That's the most important thing to him, being the cool guy with the cool things. if he doesn't have that, then life is sort of terrible. He's a schmoozer, a party person, and fairly shallow about most things. Being in the know, having the cool thing, and most of all having other people think he is cool is the most important thing to him. He is also very influenced by all those who are the setters of cool  in culture, almost being a wannabe version of all those people combined.

Ann Perkins- The Cheerleader
             She's pretty, but beyond that she is a little bland. She is the girl who goes from relationship to relationship and has been able to coast on her looks. Lets face it people are nicer to pretty people, but now that as she is getting older she is finding that she needs a drive and personality all of her own. In the past she has taken on her boyfriends personality and now that's not enough. I think Leslie likes her so much because in a strange way she takes loving pity on her for never having had to develop as Leslie did, in an inverse way to the way a cheerleader would to an unattractive girl in high school for not being as pretty as she is. Still not to make Ann sound terrible, she's at least grounded as a person which is needed for most of the group who have there head in the sky.


Chris Trager- The Jock.

                 He is obsessed with heath and fitness and he Literally the most enthusiastic person I have ever seen. I like him, because he thinks it's great and it is literally the best. He's a machine. There really isn't much more to say about him other than that except he has a big heart which is easily touched. Cry baby.








So there it is, the cast of the show. As you can see they all sort of fit these things that we've all known for years via High School archetypes. It's sort of sweet in a way because it gives you all these very different people yet they all seem to like each other and get along.