10 Most Underrated Parks And Recreation Characters

Believe it or not, Barney Varmn has been in Parks & Recreation since season two.

In the episode "Leslie's House", Barney first appears unannounced at (you guessed it) Leslie's house and demands an evaluation for his rec centre course: accounting. Delivering a tedious QuickBooks Pro presentation then and there in her living room, Barney bores everyone into submission and even makes the series' very first accounting joke – 'there's no accounting for taste' – which later becomes one of the tropes that defines his on-again, off-again working relationship with Ben.

Played to perfection by John Balma, Barney is so dull he almost vanishes into the scenery, but in the best possible way. Guest starring throughout the rest of the show's run, he tries time and again to ensnare Ben into his employ, at Tilton & Radomski Accounting, but a recurring gag has Ben either turn him down outright or quit the job almost as soon as he has taken up post. Alas, theirs is the bromance we never saw flourish.

Last gracing our screens during the show's seventh season, Barney is persuaded by Ben, Andy and Ron to give April a job at his firm, before Ben turns him down one last time in her stead...