Parks And Recreation: Every Main Character Ranked Worst To Best

11. Mark Brendanawicz

It feels like a fallacy to refer to Mark as a leading character, thanks to his untimely departure after Season Two. However, from the beginning of the show he was clearly designed to be a leading figure as he featured in the introduction and was highly-billed.

The quick and unceremonious departure of this character came after Paul Schneider chose to leave since he was no longer playing the role he wanted to. He has gone on record to discuss how the part was entirely different from the one he signed on for, and has claimed that he felt the narratives and development for Mark were sidelining him.

This is correct, as even had Mark remained in the show longer he would likely still rank at the lower end of this list. Although Schneider is a talented performer, he always felt out of place in the cast as his energy was so reserved and quiet compared to the other characters.

Perhaps Mark could have improved in later seasons, but at it stands now, his departure was hardly a massive blow to the series.