Parks & Rec Got So Much Better When Leslie Knope Stopped Resembling Another Iconic Sitcom CharacterParks & Rec Got So Much Better When Leslie Knope Stopped Resembling Another Iconic Sitcom Character

When Parks and Recreationpremiered in 2009, it introduced audiences to Leslie Knope, the public service-loving government employee with dreams of changing the world one small town at a time. From the start, Leslie was front and center, leading the fictional Parks Department in Pawnee, Indiana with boundless energy and sometimes cringe-inducing optimism. However, during early Parks and Rec episodes, Leslie didn’t yet have the personality that made her so endearing when it finished. Fans of mockumentary-style sitcoms couldn’t help but notice how much Leslie resembled another iconic figure from a hit NBC comedy - and not in a good way.