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HI!! Thanks 4 clicking! :D In this blog, I will be comparing and contrasting the two popular comedy TV shows, The Office (US) and Parks and Recreation. These are two of my favorite shows ever. My family and I often debate on which show is better, and after thinking about it a lot on my own, I decided to actually write out all of my thoughts on the topic. Again, thanks for clicking! I am very passionate about these shows and I made this blog for personal leisure, so I enjoy knowing that there are people that think like me and share my interests! :P
DISCLAIMERS!!: I am NOT a professional media critic NOR writer. This blog is EXTREMELY OPINIONATED and BIASED!
SOME SPOILERS AHEAD!! :D
So!!! Let's find out which is the better show...
First of all, I just wanna preface that Michael Schur was heavily involved with both of these shows, along with Brooklyn Nine Nine and The Good Place, to name a few more. There's no doubt he's a comedic genius and I love him and his work.
Now, I'll start with what poses to ME as the biggest differentiating factor between the two shows.
Mood
I believe that the overall mood of The Office is more dry and sarcastic due to the atmosphere of a typical working office, and due to the way that Michael is.. in his ways... This leads the show into a more cringe, awkward, and relatable style of humor. This is obvious.
Whereas the mood of Parks and Rec is more upbeat and holds more opportunity for positive humor and positive leaning scenarios. I believe the show definitely has an easier grasp on a more lighthearted comedy style due to the profession. Working for the city/government doing public service has just a wider scale in what you can do for context of writing scenes. There's more that the characters can get "caught up in," if that makes sense. However, in The Office, they just work in an office. Not much more than that. So, props to the writing for making 9 seasons of entertainment in just one single office workspace XD
Characters
The Office has around 14-15 main characters in the majority of the series. Parks and Rec has around 10 (I am NOT counting Mark bro idc XDDD) Every single character in both of these series has something hilarious to offer. I feel like with Parks and Rec each character has the same amount of value, if that makes sense. In other words, the cast was beautifully put together and the character dynamics never fail to make me rewatch the series.
However, in The Office there are more characters, so therefore more can be shadowed by the main group (Michael, Dwight, Jim, Pam...). Take Meredith and Creed for example. I personally love some of their little remarks here and there, but overall they could definitely be forgettable due to screen time and overall character value to the show. Now, is this really a negative factor? Not quite, but it is something to pick up on.
Direction
The direction style of The Office is very clearly a mockumentary. The theoretical walls that were built for the concept of The Office is incredibly fascinating. It's a show about a paper company that's being filmed for a documentary. The "camera crew" for the show is so emphasized on and noticed regularly. This definitely puts the show in an interesting perspective when watching.
Parks and Rec has almost the same type of direction style, but no camera crew or documentary is mentioned in the series. Many shows are like this, I am aware :P But the simplicity of the camera work for the show, followed by the "looking into the camera" and "talking heads" definitely makes for a great viewing experience. You feel like you're really there with them, whereas with The Office there's so many layers to it which can also be extremely engrossing.
Character Development
Both shows provide an excellent display of character development over the seasons. For The Office, Michael is a perfect example of that. If you compare season 1 Michael to season 7 Michael, there's such a drastic difference in wisdom and other traits. You really get to see him navigate the paths of right and wrong. You get to grow with him, as rough as it may be to handle lol XD
In Parks and Rec, the development of these characters is very subtle, but very satisfying. I think a good example of this would be Tom. Comparing how goofy and egotistical he was in season 1, it was lovely to finally see him settle down with a steady profession in the later seasons.
Setting
This could possibly fit in with mood, as already acknowledged in the first section, but the setting of both shows definitely plays a role in what all is brought to the show in terms of situations and humor. The Office is placed in this mundane office in the middle of Scranton. Not much goes on. The dullness of the setting puts you in the mood that the characters are most likely feeling on the daily. The classic, "I hate my job.. get me out of here.. how do I make this fun?" This makes for some funny interactions within the workplace.
The setting of Parks and Rec is so perfect and quirky as it is. The town and its people are a big part of the show. I believe there are more background characters in Parks and Rec than there are in The Office. I mean, they work for the entire town. The townspeople make some great appearances, along with every other background character in that show. It all makes for a nice ensemble of forgettable but recognizable background characters. One of my personal favorites is Gretel, who, if you've watched the show you probably don't know by name but you'll know her face if you look her up XD
Rewatch Ability
As I've stated previously, I've seen both of these shows over 20 times. In my humble opinion, both have an extremely high rewatch ability. However, I think I would rather rewatch Parks and Rec instead of The Office. This was a tricky thing to determine though. I believe that Parks and Rec is easier to rewatch because it has more of that "I didn't notice that last time" factor that makes you laugh. The Office is a little more predictable in it's ways. Perhaps I only say that because I've seen The Office more than Parks and Rec (not by much), but I don't know... the scenes in The Office just have such a memorable quality about them that makes them comforting, but COULD get old. Parks and Rec scenes are just more exciting, there's more to laugh at.
Relationships
I think the Jim and Pam trope gets old very fast. There, I said it. To new viewers this may be an absurd thing to say. I remember the first time I witnessed Jim and Pam's relationship and it was so incredibly enticing and romantic and cute. But I don't think it's crazy to say that after a few rewatches it just gets kind of old. No shade doe. Personally I LOVE Dwight and Angela. And Kelly and Ryan are super toxic and funny.
I just think that Ben + Leslie and Andy + April are more believable. They're more relatable, and they seem like real couples. When Jim and Pam first kissed my jaw was on the floor, but when Ben and Leslie first kissed I was grinning ear to ear :D
Consistency
If someone were to ask me what the worst season of Parks and Rec is I really wouldn't be able to give them an answer. I mean, besides the first season... but the first season of ANY show is always rough.. we know this (honestly though season is REALLY good in my opinion). But truly, Parks and Rec is just overall a very consistently good show. No huge potholes that really shift the entire dynamic. This could be tied to what I mentioned in the character section. The value of the characters in Parks and Rec definitely adds to the consistency, I feel. Many of the characters shifted towards the end of the show, including the main favorites. With the time jump and how crazy everything gets, including certain characters coming to the show and/or certain characters leaving, I could definitely see how people could be upset with the final couple seasons. But, I thoroughly enjoyed it. They made it interesting. People were leaving and the plot was thickening. They handled it so well in my opinion.
On the other hand... season 8 is the worst season of The Office. It's a fact. It hurts me to say it because every season has quotable and hilarious moments of their own, but season 8 is very bad compared to the rest of the show. The reason is extremely clear. They had a tough time making up for Michael's loss. The experimentation was definitely interesting to say the least, but it just wasn't the same without him in the show. He meant so much to the dynamic that it was super awkward watching it without him. Now, while we're on the topic... I would like to praise the Tallahassee trip. That is genuinely one of the most hilarious subplots to the show (close second after Michael Scott Paper Company). That episode revived the show for me. The Florida Trip is the Office equivalent to Parks and Recs' "Leslie & Ron." It really rejuvenated the series for me.
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I believe I've successfully portrayed all of my feelings on this topic thus far... XD
To summarize, I love both of these shows. Both shows have MANY lovable factors that make them great in their own way. Writing all of my thoughts down really helped get them out of my head and onto paper.
However, I believe that the better show is rightfully... Parks and Recreation.
Parks and Rec has great writing, and it is incredibly rewatchable. It's setting, mood, and characters definitely contribute to it being the greater show in my humble opinion. Does this mean I like The Office any less? Absolutely not.
The Office is my favorite show of all time. However, Parks and Rec is just...better.
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If you read the whole thing, thank you so much!! I thoroughly enjoyed writing this :D
I would VERY MUCH APPRECIATE hearing your thoughts on this! Please comment!!
Again, thanks so much for reading XD
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Peace out Fart-Tube🤘
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