Parks and Rec vs. The Office (US version)

[Rican]

I saw a poll on twitter today about this and was curious to see thoughts on here. My vote is for Parks and Rec. It never let up in quality in my opinion while The Office drops off around season 6. Parks and Rec also ended in a good amount of time and didn't drag on.

[chazraps]

Parks never hit the absolute peaks of The Office. From the start of season 2 through around the writers' strike break in season 4, you won't find a more consistent run of any American sitcom that decade.

Not knocking Parks, but from a technical standpoint it didn't have as sustained and consistent of a world as what The Office created within the mockumentary medium.

That said, Parks never got as awful as The Office's penultimate season with Robert California, which is a huge black eye on an otherwise very, very strong run. Still, The Office managing an against all odds rebound for a stellar final season is a feat you rarely see.

[Deleted]

If The Office ended sooner, I could see more people voting for The Office. But I'm going with Parks and Rec because the show just seemed to get progressively better, I liked the characters more, and the growth of everyone felt organic and natural. With The Office at times there was tons of retconning with some characters because they realized they made a mistake with said character or they don't know how to make the progression work. See Andy from heel to babyface back to heel. It's also possibly one of my all time favorite shows.

Plus I'm a sucker for Midwestern/Southern Americana and Parks and Rec had plenty of Americana. Tons of it. As pointed in the bloody historical murals found in Pawnee City Hall.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Spoiler}


(The year was 1973)

[Big Bad Kahuna]

Never got the love for The Office (also Seinfeld and other wannabe-smart sitcoms), slightly funny at times but not engaging from a character standpoint

Parks&Rec wins this by a landslide. Smart, endearing, hilarious, nuanced, quality never fell off

[StuntGranny®]

I liked the first few seasons of The Office, but it definitely fell way off after a while. I think Parks and Rec was good all the way through. So, yeah, easily Parks and Rec.

[Mr PONYMANIA Mr Jenzie]

never watched officeUS so P&R wins by TKO

[salz4life]

I remember Season 1 of Parks and Rec seemed to try way too hard to be the new "The Office". Season 2 and on, it became its own show and was brilliant. I loved them both.... overall, I probably like Parks and Rec the best.

[BRV]

Jan 23, 2017 0:41:51 GMT -5 chazraps said:

Parks never hit the absolute peaks of The Office. From the start of season 2 through around the writers' strike break in season 4, you won't find a more consistent run of any American sitcom that decade.

Not knocking Parks, but from a technical standpoint it didn't have as sustained and consistent of a world as what The Office created within the mockumentary medium.

That said, Parks never got as awful as The Office's penultimate season with Robert California, which is a huge black eye on an otherwise very, very strong run. Still, The Office managing an against all odds rebound for a stellar final season is a feat you rarely see.

This is also pretty much how I feel in a nutshell. Parks & Recreation never got as good as The Office but it also never got as bad as The Office did in seasons seven and eight. Although the final season of Parks & Recreation is particularly dire but it would probably still rank ahead of The Office's seventh and eighth seasons.

[chazraps]

Jan 23, 2017 20:24:16 GMT -5 BRV said:

Jan 23, 2017 0:41:51 GMT -5 chazraps said:

Parks never hit the absolute peaks of The Office. From the start of season 2 through around the writers' strike break in season 4, you won't find a more consistent run of any American sitcom that decade.

Not knocking Parks, but from a technical standpoint it didn't have as sustained and consistent of a world as what The Office created within the mockumentary medium.

That said, Parks never got as awful as The Office's penultimate season with Robert California, which is a huge black eye on an otherwise very, very strong run. Still, The Office managing an against all odds rebound for a stellar final season is a feat you rarely see.

This is also pretty much how I feel in a nutshell. Parks & Recreation never got as good as The Office but it also never got as bad as The Office did in seasons seven and eight. Although the final season of Parks & Recreation is particularly dire but it would probably still rank ahead of The Office's seventh and eighth seasons.

I mean, Office's seventh season does have Threat Level Midnight, which might be my all time favorite stand-alone episode.

[Shy Guy]

parks and rec, because i relate to April way too much

[BRV]

Jan 23, 2017 20:28:02 GMT -5 chazraps said:

Jan 23, 2017 20:24:16 GMT -5 BRV said:

This is also pretty much how I feel in a nutshell. Parks & Recreation never got as good as The Office but it also never got as bad as The Office did in seasons seven and eight. Although the final season of Parks & Recreation is particularly dire but it would probably still rank ahead of The Office's seventh and eighth seasons.

I mean, Office's seventh season does have Threat Level Midnight, which might be my all time favorite stand-alone episode.

And that's where we disagree, as I rank "Threat Level Midnight" as my single least-favorite episode in the show's nine-season run.

[Red Impact]

I still liked teh Office for most of it, even after Steve Carrell left (though I didn't like Robert California at all). I thought the last episode was pretty perfect and that wouldn't have worked without the set up from the previous two seasons.

But Parks and Rec has Ron Swanson and The Office does not, so Parks and Rec wins by default.

[SHAKEMASTER TV9 is Don Knotts]

Jan 23, 2017 20:35:08 GMT -5 BRV said:

Jan 23, 2017 20:28:02 GMT -5 chazraps said:

I mean, Office's seventh season does have Threat Level Midnight, which might be my all time favorite stand-alone episode.

And that's where we disagree, as I rank "Threat Level Midnight" as my single least-favorite episode in the show's nine-season run.

If they were committed to make Threat Level Midnight into a film actually made by Michael Scott like the commercial he made in the episode Local Ad, the episode would've been great.

I think maybe I agree that The Office had a higher peak with season 3 and followed up by a strong season 4. Season 5 was good, but you could tell the paint was chipping. The last 2 seasons with Michael Scott were very good either. That's why I voted for Parks and Recreation. Not only did they not have to retool the show around a supporting character, the quality didn't drop while the main character was still on the show.

[Shai]

I find Steve Carell supremely annoying. So Parks and Rec wins.

[chazraps]

Jan 23, 2017 20:35:08 GMT -5 BRV said:

Jan 23, 2017 20:28:02 GMT -5 chazraps said:

I mean, Office's seventh season does have Threat Level Midnight, which might be my all time favorite stand-alone episode.

And that's where we disagree, as I rank "Threat Level Midnight" as my single least-favorite episode in the show's nine-season run.

Really? You know neither Robert California nor Nellie make a single appearance in it, right?

[Crimson]

I think the Office had the highest peaks, but Parks and Rec was more consistently well-written over it's run. It also avoided the pit trap that the Office did of derailing some of it's characters into become hateable (looking at you Andy.)

[Deleted]

The Office helped me through my divorce, the wedding episode was the first one I ever watched. I watched the first four seasons and it was amazing to see that world come together. Even at it's worse, (I'm looking at you Dani California & Nelly) it was still great to spend time with those people each week, and the last two episodes did a fantastic job bringing that series to a close.

While I enjoyed Parks & Rec, I started losing interest towards the end like I did with 30 Rock, Community, or HIMYM, I can still watch reruns but all the episodes but a few kinda blend together. Not like watching The Office when it's like oh man I remember when Dwight did that!

[häšhtå.gdālėÿ]

I always liked Parks & Rec. Nothing more, nothing less.

At a point I absolutely loved The Office. Sure it had its lows, but it's highs give it the win for me.

[The Unconquered Sun]

Hmm, Parks & Rec had a character named Janet Snakehole, the Office did not. 
I think it's pretty clear who wins this one.

[BRV]

Jan 23, 2017 23:35:46 GMT -5 chazraps said:

Jan 23, 2017 20:35:08 GMT -5 BRV said:

And that's where we disagree, as I rank "Threat Level Midnight" as my single least-favorite episode in the show's nine-season run.

Really? You know neither Robert California nor Nellie make a single appearance in it, right?

None of it felt legitimate. It was the one episode of the TV show that most felt like a TV show. Why would people like Roy, Karen, Stanley, Oscar, et. al. participate in Michael Scott's home movie when they regard him with either disregard, derision, or outright disdain? Outside of that, I couldn't stand how Michael, a character who was supposed to be on his final redemption tour before departing Scranton, behaves like such a petulant child when he comes across anyone who doesn't shower his film with glowing praise.

On top of it all, it wasn't a funny episode. "The Scarn" dance number is the single worst scene in the series' entire history.