10 Iconic TV Characters Only ONE Actor Could Play

When Parks and Recreation first premiered, many dismissed the show as a pallid knock-off of The Office, and in turn reductively referred to protagonist Leslie Knope as a "female Michael Scott."

Yet Amy Poehler worked hard to combat that assertion, depicting Leslie as not merely a tireless ball of energy but also a deeply caring individual and a far more competent, less-idiotic human being than Michael Scott could ever dream to be.

That's not to say that Leslie doesn't take full advantage of Poehler's comedic chops, because she certainly does, but it's Poehler's singularly sunny demeanour which makes Leslie such an admirably optimistic, even heroic figure rather than an obnoxiously chirpy one.

Leslie may be a lot at times, but you can't ever say that she doesn't care about every single thing she does, and Poehler's fearless performance is much the same: intense, energetic, and wholly committed.

Yet the ultimate proof that only Amy Poehler could play Leslie? The show's creators, Greg Daniels and Michael Schur, didn't start writing the show until they knew that Poehler would be available to play the part. They had nobody else in mind and never considered the show without her involvement.