Here Are What The "Parks And Rec" Characters Would Be Like If The Show Were Set In 2023

Ron Swanson believes hybrid work schedules are for the weak, but also conducts all of his conference calls over Zoom so that he can mute people.

With Parks and Recreation streaming on Peacock, a return to Pawnee is in order. Watching the show through for a second time reminds me of how brilliant this cast of characters is, from Ron Swanson and Donna Meagle to *Janet Snakehole* and *Burt Macklin, FBI.*

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I started to wonder what the good people of Pawnee might be like if the show were set in 2023. The Parks Department might not be wildly different from its mid-2000s canon setting, but there would definitely be some upgrades. Here's what I think the Parks and Rec characters would be up to in the modern world...

Leslie Knope

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Leslie Knope is bringing the entire Parks Department to a showing of Barbie this weekend. She actively advocates for women's rights and recently went to The Eras Tour after managing to snag a pair of tickets. Ann Perkins was her plus one, naturally.

In a 2023 recasting of Parks and Rec, Leslie would be played by Kate McKinnon

April Ludgate

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April Ludgate proudly spends her workdays *quietly quitting* and actually enjoys getting the Sunday scaries. Even though Leslie is forcing her to see the Barbie movie, she will be attending the Oppenheimer screening next door.

In a 2023 recasting of Parks and Rec, April would be played by Jenna Ortega

Ron Swanson

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Ron believes hybrid work schedules are for the week, but also conducts all of his conference calls over Zoom so that he can mute people. Unbeknownst to him, he was selected to star in the next season of Jury Duty.

In a 2023 recasting of Parks and Rec, Ron would be played by David Harbour

Ben Wyatt

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In his free time, Ben likes to complain about how there hasn't been anything good to watch since The Last of Us. He is enjoying Silo, however, and shares his theories in a community on Discord.

In a 2023 recasting of Parks and Rec, Ben would be played by Tyler James Williams

Donna Meagle

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Donna is TikTok famous and just posted a review of the steamy A Court of Thorn and Roses series to BookTok. She also uses her platform to give dating advice and recap each episode of Love Island.

In a 2023 recasting of Parks and Rec, Donna would be played by Lizzo

Tom Haverford

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Tom is constantly rummaging through peoples' desk drawers for his ASMR TikTok videos. He has the time to do this because he says A.I. can now do his job for him. He has multiple profiles on each dating app to maximize his success rate and was one of the first users on Threads.

In a 2023 recasting of Parks and Rec, Tom would be played by Manny Jacinto

Jerry Gergich

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Jerry/Garry/Larry's role has actually been replaced by A.I., but that's okay. He still comes into the office every day...even when everyone else is remote.

In a 2023 recasting of Parks and Rec, Jerry would be played by Alan Ruck

Ann Perkins

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In 2023, Ann Perkins remains a beautiful, talented, brilliant, powerful musk-ox. She is a plant mom who brings her babies to work for extra sunlight. She also stole all of the Eagletonians' friendship bracelets at the Taylor Swift concert.

In a 2023 recasting of Parks and Rec, Ann would be played by Olivia Cooke

Andy Dwyer

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After Tom documented Andy's lunch of week-old pizza and Sour Patch Kids, Andy accidentally started the "boy dinner" trend. 

In a 2023 recasting of Parks and Rec, Andy would be played by Tom Holland

Chris Traeger

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Since the pandemic, Chris disinfects his office every day. He also taught a virtual workout class during the lockdown. He loves his Peloton and treats himself to a prebiotic soda every Friday night.

In a 2023 recasting of Parks and Rec, Chris would be played by Simu Liu

Jean-Ralphio Saperstein

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Jean-Ralphio originated the belt bag trend. He is also the reason Ticketmaster went down during The Eras Tour sale. He shares his Spotify Wrapped with everyone he knows.

In a 2023 recasting of Parks and Rec, Jean-Ralphio would be played by Joe Keery

Mona Lisa Saperstein

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Mona Lisa was a short-lived contestant on The Bachelor. She doesn't even care that the producers made her the villain. Now that she's back home, she's job-free, because she prefers not to work when Mercury is in or out of retrograde.

In a 2023 recasting of Parks and Rec, Mona Lisa would be played by Awkwafina