History Characters / ParksAndRecreationMainCharacters

--->[''To Ron after he gets frustrated at the Parks BBQ'']\\
'''Chris:''' The point of the barbeque was to thank the department. It was an employee appreciation barbeque. Ron, I gave you the chance to become assistant city manager, and you chose to stay here. Which is fine, but if you're going to lead the department, you're occasionally going to have to lead the department. And I say that as one of your closest colleagues, and dearest friends. ''{{Beat}}'' But also as your boss.

:: Although in a later episode he seems to understand that Ann is using sarcasm, but not that it's meant as a jab at him.

--->[''To Ron after he gets frustrated at the Parks BBQ'']\\
'''Chris:''' The point of the barbeque was to thank the department. It was an employee appreciation barbeque. Ron, I gave you the chance to become assistant city manager, and you chose to stay here. Which is fine, but if you're going to lead the department, you're occasionally going to have to lead the department. And I say that as one of your closest colleagues, and dearest friends. ''{{Beat}}'' But also as your boss.

:: Although in a later episode he seems to understand that Ann is using sarcasm, but not that it's meant as a jab at him.

%%* HotBlooded

* PluckyGirl: The absolute poster girl for the trope. She's fierce, bold and passionate and she always expects the best and always goes the extra mile.

* BunnyEarsLawyer: After the Entertainment 720 arc, he evolves into this. He's still an immature, superficial and lazy {{Cloudcuckoolander}}, but when it comes to marketing, style, PR, and advertising techniques, he ''knows'' what he's talking about.

* CharacterizationMarchesOn: Season 1 Tom is far more straitlaced, with only a few of the quirks he'd have later on, with most of the humor around him being focused on his South Asian heritage and being Leslie's NumberTwo. Season 2 added in the love of style, ramped up the perverted and hedonistic aspects and gave him far more screen time with other characters.

* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: He's so eccentric that he actually uses red carpet as his insoles and creates whimsical names for food such as calling fried chicken "fry-fry chicky chick" and cakes "big ol' cookies".

* TheHedonist: Tom likes to dream big and live a life of extravagance and luxury, so much so that he doesn't necessarily make practical decisions and he's incredibly so selfish and vain that he'll screw his friends over but will "treat himself" alongside Donna.

* InferioritySuperiorityComplex: Tom is superficially self-confident to the point of arrogance, but it's clear that his carefully crafted persona as a "baller" masks deep insecurities, likely stemming from his childhood as a social outcast. For all his entrepreneurial ventures, ConspicuousConsumption, meticulously-groomed appearance, and constant put-downs of anyone he considers uncool, he lives in terror of being left behind by the zeitgeist and turning out to be nothing more than an insignificant man working an unfulfilling government job in a nowhere small town, to the point that he suffers a borderline existential crisis when he learns that teenagers do not recognize or enjoy his favorite music. This aspect of his character disappears in later seasons when he manages to achieve success as a businessman and genuinely does become a ManOfWealthAndTaste.
** The perfect demonstration of this is when Garry retires and the department begins looking for who will be the next office ButtMonkey and quickly settle on Tom. Tom then tries to shift it over to Andy, but it doesn't work because while Andy is a clumsy, slovenly idiot who regularly humiliates himself, he also lacks any sense of shame and is genuinely and sincerely comfortable in his own skin, meaning that people laugh ''with'' him rather than ''at'' him whenever he screws up. Meanwhile, Tom's dignity is so fragile and artificial that simply saying the phrase "pile files" is sufficient to turn him into a laughing stock.
* ItsAllAboutMe: Has a big, big problem with this due to his own hedonism and materialism. It's on full display in "Meet 'N' Greet", where he turns an event for Leslie to get to know local business owners into an investment pitch for his company Entertainment 720. While he did it because [[spoiler:E720 was bankrupt and he was desperate for funds]], it also wasn't particularly out of character.

* LovableCoward: He's more of a wimp than a DirtyCoward (Ron once equated hurting Tom with hurting a defenseless child), but the lovable part holds true both ways.
* ManChild: Seems to have the mentality of a lazy and impulsive fifteen-year-old boy.

* SpearCounterpart: As a young, South Asian-American bratty manchild with a large ego, an annoyingly materialistic personality and an obsession with celebrity culture, Tom is a more sympathetic male version of [[Series/TheOfficeUS Kelly Kapoor]].

%%* HotBlooded

* TeamDad: Begrudgingly. Ron is undeniably a paternal figure to the rest of the office and while he's fiercely loyal and can be a passionate and noble gentleman, he often acts stern and uninvolved. April and Andy noticeably benefit from his influence, and he becomes a prominent role model for them, though he would fiercely deny such a statement.

* TinMan: Ron pretty likes to think of himself as an aloof, stern and stoical man who's apathetic and antisocial towards others, but he can a genuine sweetheart that can be deeply emotional and sentimental about his friends, family, food (as well as drinks) and his few interests like fishing, woodworking and hunting. He's especially giddy over Li'l Sebastian and riddle scavenger hunts.

* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Much like her husband Andy, April is a pretty strange person. Except she's more darker with her eccentricities like the time she gave birth while wearing creepy makeup.

* ButtMonkey: While not as much as Garry, he can be a massive klutz and this is mainly due to how much of a careless goofball he is.

* TheKlutz: Shares this trope with the more socially awkward Garry Gergich.

* ContrastingReplacementCharacter: To Mark, who was initially placed in the role of Leslie's love interest, presented as a playboy type who was relaxed and cynical about government. At the end of season two he was written out and Ben was added who then took on that role, him being a socially awkward nerd who could be a hard-ass but deeply believed in government and had high ambitions like Leslie.

* ProudToBeAGeek: Loves geeky pop culture and has no shame over it and he can be very creative with it like creating his board game and making Claymation videos.

* BecomingTheMask: As a baby, Chris was diagnosed with a rare blood disorder and was not expected to live longer than three weeks, but miraculously survived. As a result, he sees every day he is alive as a gift, which results in his intensely cheerful and enthusiastic personality. This also explains why Chris is a health-conscious neurotic who obsesses about everything, is an extreme perfectionist to the point that he gets really upset when his rules aren't followed and things don't go his way, and believes things like exposure to germs and red meat (and fatty foods) could ''literally'' kill him. He even freaks out when he finds out he has tendinitis.

* {{Foil}}: In many ways, he's the exact opposite of Ron Swanson. Chris is an upbeat, optimistic, health nut who sticks to the rules. Ron is a grumpy, pessimistic guy who primarily subsists on red meat; however, he does have a soft spot for the department and is more lenient with them.

* NervousWreck: While Chris is generally cheerful and optimistic, he can also be very neurotic because of his hypochondria and his anxiety and depression over his own mortality have resulted in him getting therapy for his mental health.

* BeneathTheMask: Later episodes have shown that it's actually difficult to maintain his upbeat attitude at the office in light of all the abuse he takes, which may lead to some of his clumsiness and social awkwardness.

* TheComicallySerious: Garry is a very diligent man but he's often mocked for his naivety, incompetence, clumsiness, and awkwardness.

* DumbButDiligent: Despite being a dedicated hard worker, having generally clever moments, and showing a lot of commitment to the people he cares about, he's mainly known for being a pathetic and incompetent goofball that no one takes seriously because they see him as a complete klutz who can't seem to get anything right around the office. However, he's also got the highest tolerance for doing the boring grunt work of all the characters, and if he gets it wrong the first time, he'll cheerfully stay up all night to do it over again.

* TheFriendNobodyLikes: He's kind, polite and caring to all of his coworkers, and is always invited to major events in their lives, but everyone treats him like crap, [[spoiler:unless it's something serious, like the time he had a heart attack in which even Tom, his biggest tormenter, turned his cruelty into concern (although he still ''really'' wanted the doctor to just say "fart attack").]]

* KavorkaMan: Sort of. His wife is absolutely stunning and completely adores him, despite him being an old, overweight and unattractive dork, but otherwise, all other women are just as openly disgusted by him as men are. He's even the one person who Mona Lisa Saperstein ''wouldn't'' have sex with, giving him a "hard pass", though Garry just gives a big smile at that.

* NiceGuy: Despite being constantly dumped on by his coworkers and by the universe in general, Garry doesn't have a mean-spirited bone in his body. The only exception is Kyle, whom even Garry can't help but despise for some mysterious reason.
* NoSocialSkills: Garry is often the most socially awkward person in the show and tends to incoherently mumble his speech whenever he talks more than usual.

* UnluckyEveryman: While Garry is one of the most normal characters in the show with very few quirks, he pretty much serves as the punching bag for the sake of comedy.

* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Pre CharacterDevelopment, while fairly aloof and sarcastic, he often felt genuinely guilty whenever he hurt somebody.

** The perfect demonstration of this is when Garry retires and the department begins looking for who will be the next office ButtMonkey and quickly settle on Tom. Tom then tries to shift it over to Andy, but it doesn't work because while Andy is a clumsy, slovenly idiot who regularly humiliates himself, he also lacks any sense of shame and is genuinely and sincerely comfortable in his own skin, meaning that people laugh ''with'' him rather than ''at'' him whenever he screws up. Meanwhile, Tom's dignity is so fragile and artificial that simply saying the phrase "file piles" is sufficient to turn him into a laughing stock.

** Her idealistic view of Pawnee. Despite it being clear that Pawnee is a WretchedHive run by corrupt corporations, bigots, and InsufferableImbeciles, Leslie refuses to stop viewing the town with rose-tinted glasses and accept that most of the townspeople dislike her and won't accept the policies she wants to push through. It takes Jen Barkley to make Leslie finally see that she's wasting her time trying to enact change through the town's government and that she needs to seek higher office so she can do it at a level where she's not impeded by Pawnee's corrupt politics.

* CloudCuckoolander: She is a bit... quirky, to say the least.

-->'''Ann''': ''[in a deleted scene]'' Leslie is incredible. She has the energy of a ten-year-old. [[SweetTooth And the same taste in snacks.]]

-->'''Rachel Lerpiss:''' Are you a couple?
-->'''Leslie Knope:''' No. Tragically, we are both heterosexual.

* BetaCouple: With his former ex, Lucy, in Season 7. [[spoiler: While it's not confirmed, it's implied they get married in the future after he proposed the episode before.]]

* CloudCuckoolander: He's so eccentric that he actually uses red carpet as his insoles and creates whimsical names for food such as calling fried chicken "fry-fry chicky chick" and cakes "big ol' cookies".

* InferioritySuperiorityComplex: Tom is superficially self-confident to the point of arrogance, but it’s clear that his carefully crafted persona as a “baller” masks deep insecurities, likely stemming from his childhood as a social outcast. For all his entrepreneurial ventures, ConspicuousConsumption, meticulously-groomed appearance, and constant put-downs of anyone he considers uncool, he lives in terror of being left behind by the zeitgeist and turning out to be nothing more than an insignificant man working an unfulfilling government job in a nowhere small town, to the point that he suffers a borderline existential crisis when he learns that teenagers do not recognize or enjoy his favorite music. This aspect of his character disappears in later seasons when he manages to achieve success as a businessman and genuinely does become a ManOfWealthAndTaste.
** The perfect demonstration of this is when Garry retires and the department begins looking for who will be the next office ButtMonkey and quickly settle on Tom. Tom then tries to shift it over to Andy, but it doesn't work because while Andy is a clumsy, slovenly idiot who regularly humiliates himself, he also lacks any sense of shame and is genuinely and sincerely comfortable in his own skin, meaning that people laugh ''with'' him rather than ''at'' him whenever he screws up. Meanwhile, Tom’s dignity is so fragile and artificial that simply saying the phrase “file piles” is sufficient to turn him into a laughing stock.

* PreppyName: Somewhat {{subverted}}. His full legal name is Thomas Montgomery Haverford, but A: he usually just goes by Tom, and B: it's not even his actual birth name.

-->'''Tom''': Behind every successful man is me: smiling and taking partial credit.

* CatchPhrase: "Bully for you", and "Please and thank you".
* CharacterDevelopment: While he initially starts as a no-nonsense libertarian who couldn’t care less about his co-workers, over time he comes to see them as more than just acquaintances. This is what causes the incident known as Morning Star. [[spoiler:When Leslie moves on and begins taking some of Ron’s coworkers with her and when the rest left, he suddenly realized one day he didn’t know anyone in his office space. While he is hesitant to admit, he came to view his co-workers as another fond constant in his life and eventually came to view them as friends. Which he doesn’t deny when Leslie calls them such. Ron was even willing to work with the Federal government if it meant working with his old crew again.]]
** Ron possesses a strong distaste for fruits and vegetables, and will not indulge in eating what he considers food that his food eats. When he has to eat a banana to get his potassium up, he looks at a picture of his girlfriend and her children to motivate him to do so.

* HasAType: In his own words, Ron is attracted to "Strong, self-sufficient women at the top of their fields". As such, the majority of his romantic interests are women in positions of authority with forceful personalities. While this has caused a large degree of unhappiness, he eventually finds love with the [[spoiler: forceful, forthright, but fundamentally good-hearted Diane, who is willing to accept his quirks while still putting him in place when needed.]]
** [[spoiler: This tendency briefly leads to Diane believing that the similarly forceful Leslie is a threat to their relationship, as she fears she may never reach the same level of intimacy with him.]]

* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: {{Downplayed}} given that Ron doesn't express his emotions openly, but after April accidentally schedules 93 meetings for him in one day, he yells at her, which results in her quitting. Ron refuses to admit fault until Andy points out she just made an honest mistake, to which Ron realizes he took his anger out on her unfairly and goes to apologize (in his own way) and asks her to come back. She accepts.

* {{Technophobia}}: Downplayed. This trait usually just manifests itself as a mildly backward streak and when Tom gives him an [=iPod=] with all of his jazz records installed onto it, Ron loves it without complaint, and exclaims that "it's an excellent rectangle". On the other hand, he's not happy when technology clashes with his way of life, as best shown when his first reaction when typing in his address into Google Earth is to throw his computer away in a fit of rage (which has more to do with his privacy being violated, rather than a hatred for computers).

--> '''April:''' I think I may have found a project I'd actually enjoy doing. Helping these cats and dogs. They should be rewarded for not being people. ''I hate people''.

--> '''April:''' I don't want to do things. I want to not do things.

** Her character arc starts in earnest in Season 4 and continues into Season 5 as she realizes that she can't be a complete jerk to everyone and attempts earnestly to forge a career. Besides that, April becomes more outgoing and eccentric as the show goes on, most prominently after marrying Andy. {{Lampshaded}} in "Miss Ludgate-Dwyer Goes to Washington".

* CloudCuckoolander: Much like her husband Andy, April is a pretty strange person. Except she's more darker with her eccentricities like the time she gave birth while wearing creepy makeup.

** Season 4 has her even list off the things she cares about (Andy, her dog Champion, Leslie, and the animal shelter), which the old April wouldn't have. She also starts giving relationship advice to Tom, Ann, and in season 5, [[spoiler: Ron]]. She even admits (''very'' begrudgingly) that she cares for Ann when saying goodbye to her in "Ann and Chris".

* IdiotHero: And ''how''. The man can’t do his own laundry, can’t talk about tampons without giggling, [[GlobalIgnorance thought that Mount Rushmore and the Grand Canyon were the same place]], is completely SarcasmBlind and your grandkids will have had grandkids [[LateToThePunchline before he catches up to the main plot]]. Thankfully he’s an AllLovingHero and is often useful in other ways…

* BadassBureaucrat: Ben is incredibly good and efficient at his job. He's managed to save six towns (including Pawnee) from bankruptcy. Upon taking on a new job in Pawnee, he takes to it like a duck to water. Other accountants in the series call him brilliant and he potentially ends up [[spoiler: president of the United States]]. He's so good, even Leslie considers him "a genius." The fact they're both so competent and good at their jobs is [[BirdsOfAFeather one of the reasons they work so well together]].

-->'''Caller''': Seems like eighteen is pretty young for a mayor. What were you, like, twelve?

* OppositesAttract: Subverted with Leslie, as after their rocky first impression they're actually shown to have [[{{BirdsOfAFeather}} incredibly similar qualities]] and the ShipTease ultimately results in a seasons-spanning romance arc and marriage.

* UptightLovesWild: An arguably more {{Downplayed}} example than most. He's a stuffy, [[TheCynic cynical]], [[OnlySaneMan rational]], rule-abiding state auditor and he falls for the [[GenkiGirl energetic]], [[WideEyedIdealist incredibly optimistic]], [[CloudcuckooLander quirky]], impulsive, and occasional rule-bending Parks director Leslie. They are eventually [[HappilyMarried married]] and he loosens up considerably over the course of the series because of both her and Pawnee's influence. Funnily enough, in one of his very earliest interactions with Leslie, he inverts this: she is pissed at him for cutting the budget, but rather than confront her, he invites her for a beer even though it's 10:30 AM, and is frank with her about why he does what he does, which is the first moment where she starts to think he's more than just an ObstructiveBureaucrat.

'''Chris''': The point of the barbeque was to thank the department. It was an employee appreciation barbeque. Ron, I gave you the chance to become assistant city manager, and you chose to stay here. Which is fine, but if you're going to lead the department, you're occasionally going to have to lead the department. And I say that as one of your closest colleagues, and dearest friends. ''{{Beat}}'' But also as your boss.

* CatchPhrase:

-->'''Ron''': Hello, gents! Ron Swanson. [''Reaches for a handshake)'']\\
'''Chris''': [''Point''] Ron... Swanson.\\

'''Ron''': Okay.

-->'''Chris''': Stop... pooping...

-->'''Chris''': It is exactly because of that lewd photo that I am here. [...] If I could go back in time and cut your eyeballs out, I would.\\
'''April''': Wow, that is so sweet.\\
'''Chris''': Thank you.

-->'''Chris''': If I keep my body moving and my mind occupied at all times, I will avoid falling into a bottomless pit of despair.

-->'''Chris''': (''increasingly frantic'') I have to get out of here. I have 2.8 percent body fat. My body's like a microchip. A grain of sand could destroy it. My body's a microchip. (''leaves'')

** Unfortunately picks it up by [[PrinciplesZealot his own principles]] in "The Trial of Leslie Knope". [[spoiler: He refuses to back down on his own rule of "no office relationships" to investigate and punish Leslie and Ben to the full extent of his ability]]. However, he also fully admits to not enjoying having to do this, is noticeably stressed out by it, and is openly happy it didn't uncover anything worse.

-->'''Garry''': On my first day here, the old director, he called me "Jerry" and I just didn't think I should correct him.

* CatchPhrase: "Oh jeez..." whenever someone yells at him for doing something wrong. Which happens all the time.

--> '''Chris''': ''[confused]'' Who's GJLGG?\\
'''Garry''': Garry Jerry Larry Gergich Gengurch.

** And then in "Two Funerals" [[spoiler: Ben appoints Garry Interim Mayor of Pawnee after the incumbent Mayor dies two months before his term is up, complete with a completely over-the-top inauguration ceremony, where Garry is carried to a hot-air balloon by a Roman legion and then flies away]].

* DoubleStandardAbuseFemaleOnMale: She tells Ron that her ex-boyfriend Joe is her "Tammy", which Ron takes to mean that Joe is an abusive BitchInSheepsClothing until he realizes that he's [[SheepInSheepsClothing actually a genuinely nice guy]]; Donna tells Ron that she meant that she changes when he's around him (i.e. becomes more introverted as he is), and didn't consider that as Ron might not appreciate comparing her loving if slightly boring relationship with his two abusive relationships. Ron calls out Donna's insensitivity, which [[HeelRealization convinces her to give Joe a second chance]], [[spoiler:leading to Donna and Joe eventually [[HappilyMarried getting married]] in Season 7 after the three-year time skip.]]

* DysfunctionalFamily: Comes from the passive-aggressive grudge holder variety. Donna lists off several [[NoodleIncident examples]] - the last few Meagle family ''TabletopGame/{{Pictionary}}'' tournaments all ended at the hospital and apparently, no more than 3 Meagles are allowed on an international plane together. Donna is herself estranged from her younger brother [=LeVondrias=] due to [[spoiler:an incident involving microwaved popcorn]] and he was not invited to her wedding. [[spoiler: Until April brought him anyway]].

* OddFriendship: With Garry/Jerry/Larry/Terry. They know each other well enough to win Tom's ''Newlywed Game''-style game show idea against the married April and Andy, and she cares about him enough to make sure that [[spoiler: at her wedding, he'll be known by his ''real'' name, Garry]]. She also develops one with April in the later seasons, to the point of appointing April as her [[spoiler:Maid of Honor]].

* PhoneaholicTeenager: A decidedly adult version of this, Donna is frequently seen on her phone during office hours and plots about her are often about social media (e.g. live-tweeting a Death Canoe movie in "Halloween Surprise" and her account being the subject of a political witch-hunt in "Gin It Up!").

* TheGenericGuy: For two seasons, he stood in the middle of a cast of more interesting characters and acted sane. Obviously, a StraightMan is supposed to do that, but unlike other characters who have fulfilled this role on the show (such as Ben), Mark lacked any quirks that allowed the character to take part in the shenanigans. It's {{Lampshaded}} when Ann admits that she just didn't feel their relationship had the right "spark" when explaining why she's breaking up with him and her relationship with Andy may have been unhealthy but at least was interesting.

[[/folder]]

* FatalFlaw: Selfishness. Although Leslie's best quality is that she'll always do what she thinks is right and help others, she has to be reminded that not everyone shares her personal views and just because she can help someone, it doesn't mean she should. Leslie will try her best to help people but she often ignores what that person really wants her to do for them. "Smallest Park" focuses on this flaw, as Leslie ignores Ben's insistence that they put some distance between them to deal with their break-up better, much to Ben's annoyance. Ann has to call her out on it.
-->'''Ann:''' You're a steamroller! You're a massive, enormous, runaway steamroller with no brakes and a cement brick on the gas pedal! [...] You do what you want, you ignore what other people want, and you hear only what you want to hear!

* FatalFlaw: Selfishness. Although Leslie's best quality is that she'll always do what she thinks is right and help others, she has to be reminded that just because she can help someone, it doesn't mean she should. Leslie will try her best to help people but she often ignores what that person really wants her to do for them. "Smallest Park" focuses on this flaw, as Leslie ignores Ben's insistence that they put some distance between them to deal with their break-up better, much to Ben's annoyance. Ann has to call her out on it.

* AmazonChaser: Ron often expresses his admiration for strong women, and he's got the dating history to back it up. This trait is so pronounced that it's been a problem for him in the past, leading him to acquire no less than two abusive ex-wives who both took great glee in [[HenpeckedHusband completely dominating every facet of his life and personality.]] [[spoiler:In the end, he finds [[HappilyMarried lasting happiness]] with the tough and no-nonsense but still fundamentally good-hearted Diane, who can put the fear of God into Tammy 2 with a simple DeathGlare... and who fittingly enough is played by Creator/LucyLawless; Xena, the Warrior Princess.]]

* HasAType: Mentions several times that [[AmazonChaser he prefers "strong, independent women",]] citing Steffi Graf as an example.

* KavorkaMan: Sort of. His wife is absolutely stunning and completely adores him, despite him being an old, overweight and unattractive dork, but otherwise, all other women are just as openly disgusted by him as men are. He's even the one person who [[AnythingThatMoves Mona Lisa Saperstein]] ''wouldn't'' have sex with, giving him a "hard pass", though Garry just gives a big smile at that.

* TooSpicyForYogSothoth: Garry is the only person [[ReallyGetsAround Mona-Lisa]] [[AnythingThatMoves Saperstein]] showed no interest in sleeping with.

* TookALevelInDumbass: While never particularly bright, he was originally more lazy and immature than stupid, and seemed a reasonably functional adult who just got way too co-dependent on Ann and was having trouble landing on his feet.

->''"I'd wish you the best of luck, but I believe luck is a concept created by the weak to explain their failures."''

-> [[{{Characters/ParksAndRecreation}} Return to the Parks and Recreation characters index]]

!!Leslie Barbara Knope [-(Creator/AmyPoehler)-]

!!Ann Meredith Perkins [-(Creator/RashidaJones)-]

[[caption-width-right:319:''"I'm putting myself out there, meeting some new people, having some casual fun, and it is...awkward."'']]

!!Thomas Montgomery Haverford né Darwish Sabir Ismael Gani [-(Creator/AzizAnsari)-]

!!Ronald Ulysses Swanson [-(Creator/NickOfferman)-]

!!April Roberta Ludgate [-(Creator/AubreyPlaza)-]

!!Andrew Maxwell Dwyer [-(Creator/ChrisPratt)-]

!!Benjamin Wyatt [-(Creator/AdamScott)-]

!!Christopher Traeger [-(Creator/RobLowe)-]

!!Garry "Jerry/Larry/Terry" Gergich "Gengurch" [-(Creator/JimOHeir)-]

!!Donna Meagle [-(Creator/{{Retta}})-]

!!Mark Brendanawicz [-(Creator/PaulSchneider)-]

!!Craig Middlebrooks [-(Creator/BillyEichner)-]

-->'''Donna:''' Andy…ya fine, but ya simple.
* BreakoutCharacter: Started out as the least important character on the show (being the boyfriend of someone not even in the Parks Department), but gradually becomes one of the most beloved characters in the series.

** He somehow becomes jealous of and furious at Chris based off of a purely hypothetical scenario where Chris ends up with April after Andy seemingly dies...a scenario which Andy himself came up with.
* TheDitz:

* FriendToAllChildren: He gets along great with young kids, due in part to him being an overgrown kid himself. Because of this, Andy finds his calling as a children's entertainer, and is remarkably good at it.
* GeniusDitz: He's got a pretty sharp memory and can do well when he applied himself. He memorized tons of complicated ifnformation for his women's studies final, and was also [[spoiler:the first applicant ever to get a 100 on the written part of the Police Academy exam, but [[EpicFail completely failed]] the personality test]]. And despite the often silly or simplistic lyrical content, he's also a talented musician. He also gets so bored he starts to think about existentialism after [[spoiler:Chris gives him a job as a City Hall security guard.]]

* ObfuscatingStupidity: Shows shades of this at times. When hanging with April pre-relationship, and practicing a SpitTake, it's obvious that he knows what he is doing when "doing it wrong" with a simple EyebrowWaggle to the camera.

* TooDumbToFool: April's attempts at OperationJealousy both fail because he's too dumb or naïve to be tricked. And in "Jerry's Retirement", Tom's attempts to make Andy the new ButtMonkey of the department fail because Andy is ''completely'' immune to shame and embarassment.

* OnlySaneEmployee: He's about on par with Leslie in terms hypercompetency at his job, but is both more grounded and less obsessive than she is.

* UptightLovesWild: An arguably more {{Downplayed}} example than most. He's a stuffy, [[TheCynic cynical]], [[OnlySaneMan rational]], rule-abiding state auditor and he falls for the [[GenkiGirl energetic]], [[WideEyedIdealist incredibly optimistic]], [[CloudcuckooLander quirky]], impulsive, and occasional rule-bending Parks director Leslie. They are eventually [[HappilyMarried married]] and he loosens up considerably over the course of the series because of both her and Pawnee's influence. Funnily enough, in one of his very earliest interactions with Leslie, he inverts this: she is pissed at him for cutting the budget, but rather than confront her, he invites her for a beer even though it's 10.30am, and is frank with her about why he does what he does, which is the first moment where she starts to think he's more than just an ObstructiveBureaucrat.

* TheWoobie:
** Becomes this in-universe when Donna takes him on her and Tom's annual "Treat Yo'self Day" after seeing him outside at lunch:
--->'''Donna''': Oh, Lord. Is he eating soup on a bench? Alone?
** His Woobieness increases later that day when he buys himself a Franchise/{{Batman}} costume to wear as his version of treating himself and begins to weep, his sadness over the breakup of his secret relationship with Leslie finally coming out.
--->'''Donna''': Uh oh. Batman's crying.
** He's pretty sympathetic throughout his and Leslie's break up. She at least has her campaign for city council to distract her, while Ben genuinely doesn't have much else in his life -- much like before he arrived in Pawnee -- and even asks her if they can stay away from each other because it's just too painful for him.
** He also slips into this role whenever his past as an impeached mayor is brought up.

Ben's partner, opposite and {{Heterosexual Life Partner|s}}. He is cheerful and optimistic, but, in an effort to be liked, he always forces Ben to be the messenger for any bad news. Chris is also a health nut. In Season 3 the mayor of Pawnee asks him to fill in for the city manager who's recovering from a heart attack, but he ends up holding the official title for many years after proving his competence for government work and leadership.

* BenevolentBoss: While an easygoing person as a whole, he's an incredibly competent government worker and takes his position ''very'' seriously. He's asked to temporarily fill in the City Mangager position after the previous one is incapacitated by a heart attack because of his role in resolving the Pawnee budget crisis before taking the position permanently and openly admits that he refuses to play favorites in the government, but still endears himself to everyone regardless. He also makes the time to spend time with the Parks Department and listen to their problems if the need arises, but he isn't above reminding them of his authority when things absolutely need to get done.

** In "The Trial Of Leslie Knope", Chris is beyond ''pissed'' to find out that Leslie and Ben have been secretly dating, and immediately launches an investigation. While he cares deeply for both of them (and, privately was a ShipperOnDeck otherwise), they were legally barred from fraternizing romantically while working together.
*** During said trial, Tammy Two left in a hurry without giving any testimony when Chris made it perfectly clear that he wasn't going to put up with any of her bullshit and she'd pay dearly for lying under oath.

* DysfunctionalFamily: Comes from the passive-aggressive grudge holder variety. Donna lists off several [[NoodleIncident examples]]; the last few Meagle family ''TabletopGame/{{Pictionary}}'' tournaments all ended at the hospital and apparently no more than 3 Meagles are allowed on an international plane together. Donna is herself estranged from her younger brother [=LeVondrias=] due to [[spoiler:an incident involving microwaved popcorn]] and he was not invited to her wedding. [[spoiler: Until April brought him anyway]].

* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: Despite his prominence early on, Mark was never seen, heard from, or mentioned again after he was PutOnABus at the end of Season 2, to the point of almost seeming like an UnPerson in the eyes of the writers. Ironically enough, Michael Schur himself even promised that Mark would return every once in a while, but those plans never came to fruition and Paul Schneider was never contacted about making any reappearances. It's especially notable in the episodes "Halloween Surprise" (where he is the ''only'' ex-boyfriend of Ann's to not be referenced when she assembles her "ex-boyfriend boxes") and "Pawnee Commons" (where the park plans he drew up for Lot 48 at the end of Season 2 are completely forgotten about). The only remnants of his existence in the final season are the replacement mural drawing he made in "The Camel" of a man feeding birds and the name of the construction company he was leaving the Pawnee government for being mentioned in passing. He's also notably one of the few characters to not come BackForTheFinale, doesn't appear in any flashback clips, and isn't in the 2020 ReunionShow either.

* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: Despite his prominence early on, Mark was never seen, heard from, or mentioned again after he was PutOnABus at the end of Season 2, to the point of almost seeming like an UnPerson in the eyes of the writers. Ironically enough, Michael Schur himself even promised that Mark would return every once in a while, but those plans never came to fruition and Paul Schneider was never contacted about making any reappearances. It's especially notable in the episodes "Halloween Surprise" (where he is the ''only'' ex-boyfriend of Ann's to not be referenced when she assembles her "ex-boyfriend boxes") and "Pawnee Commons" (where the park plans he drew up for Lot 48 at the end of Season 2 are completely forgotten about). The only remnants of his existence in the final season are the replacement mural drawing he made in "The Camel" of a man feeding birds and the construction company he was leaving the Pawnee government for being mentioned in passing. He's also notably one of the few (if not the only) prominent character to not come BackForTheFinale, doesn't appear in any flashback clips, and isn't in the 2020 ReunionShow either.

** LongBusTrip: Even though Pawnee is a fairly small town where it would've been fairly easy to run into him again, he never makes another appearance. The writers did plan to have Mark reappear once in a while as a DropInCharacter, but couldn't really figure out how to work him back in and Paul Schneider had no desire to return to the show again, leading to this.

* CharacterDevelopment: In the second season, he began a steady relationship with Ann and remained faithful to her. On their first Valentine's Day together, he (admittedly) gives her every clichéd Valentine's Day gift he can think of because it's the first time he's been able to give someone such a gift. In the first episode of season 2, Ann notes that his personality seems to have shifted overnight after he suffered a head injury at the end of season 1.
* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: Despite his prominence early on, Mark was almost completely forgotten about after he was PutOnABus to the point of almost seeming like an UnPerson in the eyes of the writers (ironically enough, Michael Schur himself even promised that Mark would return every once in a while, but the plans never came to fruition). It's especially notable in the episodes "Halloween Surprise" (where he is the ''only'' ex-boyfriend of Ann's to not be referenced when she assembles her "ex-boyfriend boxes") and "Pawnee Commons" (where the park plans he drew up for Lot 48 at the end of Season 2 are completely forgotten about). The only remnants of his existence in the final season are the replacement mural drawing he made in "The Camel" of a man feeding birds and the construction company he was leaving the Pawnee government for.

* AccidentalMisnaming: His name is actually Garry.

* BiggerIsBetterInBed:
** In a deleted scene from season 5 Tom mentions ''Boogie Nights'' and Garry tells the gang that Gayle always said that he reminds her of the main character. Garry looks nothing like Mark Wahlberg, but his wife does know him a little bit more ''intimately'' than we do.
** The season 4 opener has Dr. Harris admit that Garry has the biggest penis he had ever seen to the point of forgetting to check if he had the mumps.

* ButtMonkey: He gets yelled at and demeaned by ''everyone'' in the office, to the point where he's this show's version of [[Series/TheOfficeUS Toby]]. {{Inverted|Trope}} when he's with his family, when he inexplicably morphs into TheAce.

* TheComicallySerious: Garry is a very diligent man but he's often mocked for his naivety, incompetence, clumsiness and awkwardness.
* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: Not in any traditional sense, but when Leslie finally sees Garry's home life, it's very clear that he's a completely different person around his family; and even though they can be completely over-the-top with how sickeningly sweet they are, he's probably the most content and self-assured person in the entire series. Contrasted with how he's shown around his co-workers throughout most of the series, this is a pretty huge contrast.

* DumbButDiligent: Despite being a dedicated hard-worker and has generally clever moments and shows a lot of commitment to the people he cares, he's mainly known for being a pathetic and incompetent goofball that no one takes seriously because they see him as a complete klutz who can't seem to get anything right around the office. However, he's also got the highest tolerance for boring grunt work of all the characters, and if he gets it wrong the first time, he'll cheerfully stay up all night to do it over again.

* TheFriendNobodyLikes: He's kind, polite and caring to all of his coworkers, and is always invited to major events in their lives, but everyone treats him like crap, [[spoiler:unless it's something serious, like the time he had a heart attack in which even Tom, his biggest tormenter, turned his cruelty into concern.]]
* GagPenis: According to a doctor who gave him a physical, Garry has one of these. The biggest the doctor's ever seen, in fact.

* GoodParents: Adored by his three daughters. When Chris proposes a rather old fashioned idea of courting his daughter Millicent in order to seek Garry's approval, Garry immediately shuts this down by saying his daughter is a grown woman who can make her own decisions.

** And then in "Two Funerals" [[spoiler: Ben appoints Garry Interim Mayor of Pawnee after the incumbent Mayor dies two months before his term is up, complete with a completely over the top inauguration ceremony, where Garry is carried to a hot-air balloon by a Roman legion and then flies away]].

* TrueLoveIsExceptional: PlayedForLaughs when he reveals that his utterly gorgeous wife Gayle didn't physically appeal to him at first.

* UglyGuyHotWife: His wife Gayle is played by [[https://cageboy.files.wordpress.com/2008/07/christie_brinkley.jpg Christie Brinkley]], and is considered an absolute beauty in-universe. Ben constantly wonders how they got together. The reaction of the other characters is something of a joke on Garry's ButtMonkey status. That said, Garry is a quintessential NiceGuy and devoted FamilyMan -- and also a [[ArtistsAreAttractive talented artist]], [[SituationalSociability far more confident when he's away from the office]], and he casually mentions that he looked a lot like [[Creator/RobLowe Chris]] [[IWasQuiteALooker in his younger years]]. It's also revealed that he's remarkably well endowed.

* ArbitrarilyLargeBankAccount: While to a lesser extent than Ron, Donna comes from a wealthy family and has enough disposable income to drop tens of thousands of dollars on shares at the Snakehole Lounge, owns a luxury car, and is paying for a mortgage on a condo in Seattle. In Moving On, she works with April to create an educational nonprofit for children. Downplayed, at least during the series proper, as part of the reason she likes Pawnee is that it allows her to live comfortably on a smaller budget while still taking care of her other expenses, and [[spoiler:in Season 6, she earns her real estate license, just after Pawnee absorbs Eagleton but prior to the property boom which occurs during the time skip, even being drafted to broker Gryzzl's attempts to purchase a parcel of land which eventually sell for $125 million dollars.]]

* OddFriendship: With Garry. They know each other well enough to win Tom's "Know Your Boo" game show attempt, and she cares about him enough to make sure that [[spoiler: at her wedding, he'll be known by his ''real'' name, Garry]]. She also develops one with April in the later seasons, to the point of appointing April as her [[spoiler:Maid of Honor]].