One of the things that make Parks And Rec one of the very best and most beloved sitcoms out there is the characters. The way everyone grows and develops and the way they become closer and form relationships with unique and hilarious dynamics is perhaps the shows best quality.
The main cast of characters are all mostly good people, especially deep down, but they all have their flaws. There is something about each and every one of the central characters that are just glaringly bad, and we take a look at each and every one of them here.
Donna Meagle- Self Involved
Donna did not become a main character of the show until later on, but was always there and did become a big part of the show even if she did not add much in of plot and story progression.
Donna has a few flaws as a character, but all-in-all any flaw she does have comes back to her self-involvement. She cares far more for herself, her car, and material possessions than her friends most of the time, and is very secretive about a lot of her life. As well as that, her treatment of men for most of the series is not great.
Jerry/Garry/Larry/Terry Gergich- A Bit of a Doormat
Garry Gergich, also known as Jerry, Larry, and Terry, is a longstanding member of the Parks department and pretty much the butt of all office jokes and humiliation consistently throughout the show.
The worst thing about Garry in of the in-world character is his inability to stand up for himself. Everyone walks over him constantly, and he does not care. He is treated awfully at times, and as funny as it can be, he never has any moments of wanting to be himself and take a stand against all the ridicule.
Chris Traeger- Toxic Positivity
Played by Rob Lowe, the super positive, super athletic Chris Traeger was a fantastic addition to the show alongside Ben Wyatt when he was introduced in season two.
The worst thing about Chris as a character, which a lot of the other characters point out, is that Chris can be too much. His positivity can be electric, but it can also be a lot to deal with, his attitude to life, and his lifestyle itself is not for everyone. Even worse is that this over-positivity led Chris to mask his feelings, his depression, and it was pretty sad.
Tom Haverford- Arrogant
Played by Aziz Ansari, Tom Haverford is there start to finish in the show and is consistently hilarious, and grows a lot as a character as the show goes on, maturing a lot.
For most of the show, Tom is very immature, though, and for pretty much all of it, he is arrogant. Even though Tom matures a lot, he goes into lousy business ventures, is very materialistic, and has an air of swagger about him nothing short of cocky.
Ben Wyatt- Insecure
Ben Wyatt entered the show at the same time as Chris, and again became a fantastic character in the show, but of course, not a perfect one.
The biggest issue with Ben is that he is too in his shell, at least for the first few seasons. He is so uptight, insecure, and even timid, he gets so high maintenance about his job and insecure about his past that it holds him back.
Ann Perkins- Transient Identity
Best friend of Leslie, and nurse who hesitantly got involved in local government, Ann Perkins is a main character in all but the last season of the show.
Ann is not exactly a perfect character, but she is definitely good-hearted. Perhaps her biggest flaw is that she cannot be her own person sometimes. As Leslie points out, she turns into her boyfriend; she also lets people overwhelm her like Chris and Leslie, more often than not keeping quiet.
Andy Dwyer- Immaturity
Played by now superhero Chris Pratt, Andy Dwyer is the resident child-like adult of the show and is hilarious pretty much all the time.
The worst thing about Andy is easy to point out, and it is his immaturity. Everything wrong with Andy, whether it be his cluelessness, use of Ann, general selfishness, all comes back to his immaturity, something he finds extremely hard to overcome.
April Ludgate- Puts Up Walls
The true love and future wife of Andy, April, is probably the character who grows the most throughout the show, yet still retains her dark, hilarious nature start to finish.
April is a very intelligent woman, and her potential is pointed out by Leslie regularly. That is her biggest issue; she puts up too much of a wall. Whether it be stubbornness in fulfilling her potential or something smaller like not letting Andy know she likes him, she does not allow herself to grow for a long while.
Ron Swanson- Close Minded
Ron may be the most iconic character in the entire show, with so many memorable moments and quotes, played pitch-perfect by Nick Offerman.
Ron's flaw is something he tries hard to get over eventually, but Ron's narrow mindset and him being so set in his ways is undoubtedly the worst thing about him.
Leslie Knope- Relentless
The main character of the show and everyone's favorite insanely ambitious workaholic, Leslie Knope, is an incredibly well-meaning, good-hearted person.
She has a similar issue to Chris, but just in a very different way. Chris is overly positive, restless, and it can get tiring, especially when he uses it to hide his issues, Leslie can get tiring, but it is just her overbearing nature that does so. The constant "days" with Ann and Chris, the persistence, the overbearing temperament, the woman is a machine and can be too much for anyone.