Every Season Of Parks And Recreation Ranked Worst To Best

To say Parks and Recreation peaked at its third season is a little misleading, despite the truth behind it. By no means is anything that followed bad, but season three feels like the show at its very best. Having introduced Adam Scott and Rob Lowe, the show finally felt like the entire cast were on the same page and their on-screen chemistry is a joy to watch.

The character development throughout season three is the main reason it came out so well. Critics had long been wondering where the romantic interest for Leslie was hiding. Louis C.K.'s character had attempted to fill that void in season two, but the actor's awkward personality clashed too much with Leslie's overly positive attitude. The wait turned out to be more than worth it though, as the will-they-won't-they between Ben and Leslie had viewers yelling at the screen until they finally hooked up.

Reflecting the financial issues facing the country at the time, season three focused on the budget crisis Pawnee faced. It was a bold move for a show based in the walls of a government building. With less emphasis on the day to day of a small government department, the show found more space to experiment with other ideas.