Andrew Robinson
It’s been one of the most hotly debated topics in television ever since Parks and Recreation bowed out in 2015 after a wonderful seven-season run. Which is the greatest workplace comedy in American (sorry, fans of the British version of The Office: this article focuses solely on the American version) history: The Office, which aired nine seasons from 2005-2013, or the aforementioned Parks and Rec, which graced our television screens from 2009-2015?
People have very, very strong opinions on this subject. Personally, I essentially have the two listed as 1a and 1b on my list of favorite comedies (for those of you wondering, The Office is 1a and my seventh-favorite television show of any genre, while Parks and Rec is 1b and my eighth-favorite). While I can see the argument for both shows, and don’t have super strong feelings either way, I too do have an opinion: The Office, by the thinnest of margins, is the better show.
Public Opinion
Using imdb.com as a resource, it appears that, while both shows are lauded as some of the finest television ever produced, The Office is considered to be just a bit better. On a weighted scale of 1-10, 251,987 people have voted The Office as an 8.8/10, which makes it the #55 TV show of all-time. Parks and Rec, on the other hand, has a still-extremely-high 8.6/10 on 155,722 votes. This makes Parks and Rec the 109th-best TV show in history, according to imdb.com voters.
What shouldn’t be lost here is the fact that The Office has nearly 100,000 more votes than Parks and Rec. Many people tend to vote only on shows that they have strong opinions on, which could be why The Office has so many more votes. It’s also common knowledge, however, that The Office experienced better ratings that Parks and Rec throughout their runs; put simply, more people watched The Office than Parks and Rec. Using viewership as evidence of a show’s quality, however, is dangerous. Extremely high-quality shows such as Freaks and Geeks, American Crime, The Exorcist, Arrested Development (although Netflix did revive the star-laden Arrested Development to much fanfare, it greatly struggled for ratings while airing on FOX), and Hannibal have been cancelled prematurely due to ratings issues, while lower-quality (mostly reality) shows tend to be among the most popular on television. Therefore, saying The Office is better than Parks and Rec solely due to its viewership is misguided. It does, however, show that, while both are considered to be among the best American comedies ever, The Office may have appealed to a slightly larger audience than Parks and Rec.
Viewership/Appeal: The Office 10/10 Parks and Rec 9/10
Furthermore, despite the fact that Netflix doesn’t release ratings for its television shows, it is widely believed that The Office is Netflix’s most-watched show (or at least top-3). Whenever there is a rumor that Netflix may be removing The Office from its streaming site, people threaten to cancel their subscription, never watch Netflix again, etc. Like clockwork, this rumor is always dispelled by Netflix, calming people down until the next rumor starts back up, continuing the strange circle of events. I simply haven’t seen the same level of passion from Parks and Rec lovers, especially considering the fact that Parks and Rec is also on Netflix.
Passion From Fans: The Office 10/10 Parks and Rec 6/10
My Opinion
Now, I’ve never been one to care much for a television show’s viewership, so that is not really something that I hold in huge accord when attempting to rank the quality of TV shows. I do, however, use imdb quite often (the fact that I have 194 titles on my ‘Watchlist’ on the site is telling enough), and trust that as a source for finding out how good a show/movie really is. If a show/movie is rated as an 8.0ish or higher, I know it is likely very good (although there are a few notable exceptions for me). Both The Office and Parks and Rec pass this initial threshold with flying colors.
Public Opinion: The Office 10/10 Parks and Rec 10/10
This leads me, then, to my personal opinions after watching each series. First, when judging a comedy, I look for one thing: the show’s rewatchability. If a comedy is good, but I feel it is not easily and enjoyably rewatchable (I will catch some hate for this, but Friends epitomizes this issue for me), then my rating for that show decreases. Both The Office and Parks and Rec, however, in my opinion are completely and totally rewatchable. In fact, I’ve rewatched The Office four times through, and Parks and Rec two/three times through. Simply put, both shows easily pass this test.
Rewatchability: The Office 10/10 Parks and Rec 10/10
Then, I look at the show’s main characters. If I believe the show is carried by a single character, as great as that character is, I decrease my rating for the show. Both Steve Carell (as Michael Scott in The Office) and Amy Poehler (as Leslie Knope in Parks and Rec) are remarkably well-written and well-acted characters. Both have shown their ability to carry their specific show in certain instances, but neither show relies solely on that character to be the source of all the comedy present. The Office, for example, has John Krasinski as Jim Halpert, Jenna Fischer as Pam Beesly, and Rainn Wilson as Dwight Schrute, plus a very strong supporting cast that is slightly less prominent than the top-four billed cast members, but still produce hilarious situations nearly every episode. The Office, then, passes this test, as it has a very strong supporting cast behind the lead man (Carell), and a remarkably effective lesser-used cast that rarely fails to deliver. Parks and Rec does not have quite as many effective supporting characters, but their top characters after Knope are slightly better than those behind Carell. Including Nick Offerman as Ron Swanson, Aubrey Plaza as April Ludgate, Aziz Ansari as Tom Haverford, Rashida Jones as Ann Perkins, Adam Scott as Ben Wyatt, and Chris Pratt as Andy Dwyer, Parks and Rec has, arguably, a stronger cast that is immediately behind Poehler than The Office does immediately behind Carell.
The supporting cast behind the top billed actors, however, brings an edge back to The Office. Quite often, Parks and Rec’s supporting cast, including Jim O’Heir as Jerry Gergich, Rob Lowe as Chris Traeger, Retta as Donna Meagle, Mo Collins as Joan Callamezzo, and Ben Schwartz as Jean-Ralphio are a bit overdone; oftentimes, their characters seem to be written more as one-dimensional, sometimes-ridiculous characters who are made to be more and more outlandish as the series progresses. The Office, on the other hand, outside of a few characters (David Koechner as Todd Packer and Brian Baumgartner as Kevin Malone, mostly), feature extremely well-written characters throughout the entire cast. Including Ed Helms as Andy Bernard, B.J. Novak as Ryan Howard, Leslie David Baker as Stanley Hudson, Phyllis Smith as Phyllis Vance, Angela Kinsey as Angela Martin, Creed Bratton as Creed Bratton, Kate Flannery as Meredith Palmer, Oscar Nunez as Oscar Martinez, Mindy Kaling as Kelly Kapoor, Craig Robinson as Darryl Philbin, Ellie Kemper as Erin Hannon, and Paul Lieberstein as Toby Flenderson, The Office presents characters that are extremely well-written, despite being minor/supporting characters. The edge here is given to The Office.
Initial “Main” Cast: The Office 8.5/10 Parks and Rec 10/10
Supporting Cast: The Office 9.5/10 Parks and Rec 7.5/10
Finally, with a comedy, I look at one final piece: the non-comedic aspects of the show. As someone who normally doesn’t like comedies, it takes a special comedy-based show to rope me in. This special aspect is generally found in the show’s ability to create characters that I can relate to and feel for. There are a few notable exceptions to this rule (namely Arrested Development), but it normally takes characters that I can truly relate to for me to enjoy a comedy. Both The Office and Parks and Rec achieve this to a certain degree, but I believe The Office features slightly more relatable characters, as they don’t feel so much as means to an end, as actual people. For example, Parks and Rec features characters that do crazy things and think crazy things that are present simply for the comedy found in their often-ridiculous thoughts. Outside of Leslie and her extreme work ethic and care for others, plus Ann and her level-headedness and care for others, I simply don’t find many of the other characters relatable. Ron, as awesome a character as he is, is used generally to provide a laugh through what-the-heck moments including his extreme dieting choices, views on the government, etc. Tom is a womanizing, self-indulged character who, while somehow lovable, isn’t very relatable. Andy, while evolving from the lazy boyfriend in the beginning to a good husband by the end of the series, is a character whose stupidity and extreme childlike nature increases as the show goes on, to the point where he doesn’t know much of anything at all. April, one of my favorite characters on the show played by one of my favorite actresses, is hard to relate to, given the extremes of most of her character’s choices. I could go on and on about this, but I think my point has gotten across; despite how much I love Parks and Rec, I simply cannot say that I can relate to many of the characters whatsoever.
The Office also features characters who do crazy, stupid things (most comedies do), but I find its characters more relatable. Led by Jim, who nearly everyone can relate to, the characters in The Office are lovable, largely because the audience can see themselves in many of them. Even with how naïve Michael can be, his love for his friends, willingness to do nearly anything for nearly anyone, longing for a wife and family, and simple innocent-feeling nature is something that many can relate to. Pam is the character who wants to follow her dreams, doesn’t know exactly what she’s doing romantically, and, for the large part, puts others before herself. Phyllis and Stanley represent the older coworkers who have seen it all; Oscar is the intellectual who finds many of the situations that Michael finds himself in to be absolutely preposterous; Meredith is the woman who can’t control her children and gets drunk at office parties; Ryan is the employee who wants to be a big shot. Kevin, Creed, and Dwight are hard to relate to, but they are the exceptions to the rule. Most characters present in The Office are relatable in one way or another; I simply don’t feel like Parks and Rec characters are as easily relatable.
Relatability: The Office 9/10 Parks and Rec 6/10
Finally, I think it is of note that, without The Office, there likely wouldn’t ever have been a Parks and Rec; The Office started the American workplace comedy craze, serving as a bit of a test subject for networks that soon realized the fact that people actually enjoyed this genre, paving the way for series such as Parks and Rec.
Wrap-Up
So, while both The Office and Parks and Rec are extremely well-written, well-acted, enjoyable comedies, I believe that The Office is slightly better. The strength of The Office’s characters from top-to-bottom exceeds that of Parks and Rec, even though Parks and Rec’s immediate “main” characters are slightly better than The Office’s. The Office also features characters that are more relatable than those of Parks and Rec – this, in my opinion, is the biggest thing giving The Office the slightest of edges over Parks and Rec. Finally, The Office paved the way for shows like Parks and Rec to be broadcast in the United States.
Final Ratings: The Office 9.8/10 Parks and Rec 9.65/10
