Opinion: “The Office” wins over “Parks and Recreation”
Taylor Deaton, News/Opinion Editor
The views and opinions expressed on in this article are solely those of the original author. These views and opinions do not necessarily represent those of The Vision NGU or North Greenville University.
When it comes to the land of TV sitcoms; opinions are prominent, ratings are diverse and political-correctness isnt always fair-game. With that being said, two TV shows that are commonly known among television-watchers are The Office and Parks and Recreation.
NBC definitely knew what they were doing when creating these sitcoms. Both shows were loved during their time on TV. The Office ran from 2005-2013, and Parks and Recreation ran from 2009-2013.
These sitcoms feature very similar styles of comedy, but The Office wins with flying colors when it comes to being a funny, entertaining and relatable show.
Michael Scott (Steve Carell) can only be described by the word eccentric. Scott loves his job, his employees and making viewers cringe with his sometimes-irrational decisions on the show. Scott can definitely be described as a train-wreck, and most of the time its impossible to not laugh at his character on the show.
Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) is the leading female of Parks and Recreation, and while she knows how to make a scene, none of Knopes comedy compares to the way Scott comes alive in The Office.
If the title doesnt give it away, The Office is a work-place orientated TV show, which makes it that much more relatable to viewers. Parks and Recreation also is centered around a work-place environment but doesnt focus on the aspect of life at work quite like The Office does.
Lets talk about viewership. Both shows have been off of TV for a few years now, but they are currently on Netflix and Hulu, two major streaming services used by many internationally.
NBC Entertainment chairman Robert Greenblatt spoke to the Vulture about The Office on Netflix, stating that [he] believes its the No. 1 most-popular acquired show on Netflix.
Greenblatt also goes farther to show The Offices popularity by explaining that it had a big audience on the network (NBC) tooyounger people werent watching it on this network and theyre watching it in droves on Netflix.
The Office resonating with millennials is a huge factor in the shows popularity. According to an article from Entertainment Weekly, The Office was one of the most popular TV shows for men ages 18-34 to watch while it aired on NBC.
Another reason as to why The Office triumphs over Parks and Recreation is the dynamic duo known as Jim and Pam. Jim Halpert (John Krasinski) and Pam Beesley (Jenna Fischer) are the it-couple of The Office. Their love story captured the hearts of viewers while the show was still on NBC and has only become more popular as the show gained attention on Netflix.
While Leslie Knope and Ben Wyatt (Adam Scott) had a few aw moments on Parks and Recreation, theres a much higher chance of seeing a couple dress up as Jim and Pam for Halloween, or seeing a tweet which reads something along the lines of, just looking for the Pam to my Jim.
One thing is for sure. When we sit down on a Saturday to binge-watch shows on Netflix, The Office will definitely be on the screens of viewers all over the world.
