After watching Season 3 of the hit NBC comedy Parks and Recreation, the show (which I’ve followed since the beginning) not only became my favorite TV show on NBC’s Thursday comedy lineup, but also my favorite TV show that’s on right now. In anticipation of Season 4, here are my 5 favorite characters on this amazing and hilarious showabout the lives of government employees in a small Indiana town called Pawnee.

 

Parks and Recreation: Season 3, $30.99 from Amazon (Will be released on September 6, 2011)

1. Tom Haverford

Aziz Ansari is no doubt one of the funniest comedians out there today. I got the chance to see his stand-up show in LA a couple of years ago and he was so hilarious! I can’t wait to watch his character, Tom Haverford, prove time and time again why he’s the most stylish man in Pawnee and watch him (hopefully) promote another one his crazy yet ambitious ideas, such as his close-to-poison drink “Snake Juice” and his media conglomerate Entertainment 720, which he started with his equally funny partner-in-crime Jean-Ralphio. Ever since I watched the episode “Soulmates,” I call Chicken Parmesan “chicky-chicky-parm-parm,” so thanks Tom.

Please enjoy one of the greatest Tom Haverford moments ever as he explains his slang nicknames (like “chicky-chicky-parm-parm”) for his favorite foods and a certain food utensil:


2. April and Andy

The surprise wedding of characters Andy Dwyer and April Ludgate (played by Chris Pratt and Aubrey Plaza respectively) last season was a surprise indeed, yet adorable and sweet nonetheless. April and Andy are lovable as the young, in-love newlyweds who don’t have a care in the world, except for each other. Andy’s sweet, childlike, and lighthearted demeanor blends well with April’s deadpan jokes and mostly apathetic attitude to life, with both characters being really kind and not-so-apathetic deep down inside. Their cute and hilarious scenes together are the some of the ones that I’ll be most excited to watch next season. As April proudly said about Andy in the episode “Soulmates,” “That’s my husband.”

Watch the young couple’s funny and sweet surprise wedding after the jump:


3. Ben Wyatt

So, when the really cute, well-dressed, and funny character with a scandalous past Ben Wyatt (played by Adam Scott) finally confessed his mutual crush on main character Leslie Knope (played by the very talented and hilarious Amy Poehler) in last season’s episode “Road Trip” and then kissed her at the very end of that episode, I was smiling from ear to ear for like four days. Ben and Leslie started secretly dating soon after and then came that oh-so-perfect cliffhanger at the end of the season finale, “Li’l Sebastian.” Leslie faces a classic dilemma that happens to many women: love or career? Will Leslie choose her political dreams or her really cute boyfriend who she had been pining after for a long time (Darn you Chris Traeger and your rules!)? I used to dislike Ben when he first appeared on Parks and Recreation, but when him and Leslie became friends, then started liking each other, there wasn’t anything more in the world that I wanted than for them to get together! Leslie’s important decision next season will either stall her dreams of becoming the next Madeleine Albright or break Ben’s heart. Now, that’s a tough call to make.

Please feel free to re-live that long-awaited kiss between Ben and Leslie from last season:


4. Chris Traeger

The über-fit and über-positive Chris Traeger, as wonderfully played by Rob Lowe, is one of my favorite characters because he reminds me so much of my equally über-fit brother, who like Chris, is an avid runner (he’s a member of the Nike Bridgerunners in New York City and will soon be a member of Nike’s Run Dem Crew in London), runs marathons, and has a tough core workout that he does like everyday. But I also like Chris because he’s absolutely hilarious, as shown by his signature way of saying literally (“litch-rully”), his obsession with his health and staying fit (he’s known as the “Million Dollar Man” on the show), and his habit of saying people’s full names when he sees them. His too positive way of dumping Ann Perkins (played by Rashida Jones) last season may have been a bit harsh, but next season we may see the ex-couple reconcile.

Watch the “Million Dollar Man” Chris literally say “litch-rully” a lot after the jump:


5. Ann Perkins

Speaking of Ann Perkins, the sweet and beautiful nurse and Leslie’s best friend had some not-so-pleasant moments last season as she was unknowingly dumped by Chris, went crazy as she was recovering from said breakup (she bought a bunch of candles, thought about buying a puppy, dyed a red streak in her hair), watched her ex-boyfriend Andy, whom she dated for a long time, marry her frenemy April, and then she dated a bunch of random guys (like a new guy every hour!). But if the end of the season finale “Li’l Sebastian” indicated anything, then it looks like Chris might want Ann back, or perhaps a new character will emerge next season who’ll become the next boyfriend of Leslie’s trusted confidant. Furthermore, Leslie will need her best friend Ann more than ever in Season 4 as she makes her very tough and life-changing choice.

Watch Ann in one of those not-so-pleasant moments after the jump. She accused Chris of cheating on her, found out that he wasn’t, but then found out that even if he did, they weren’t dating anymore anyway. Talk about harsh!

Honorable mention goes to the hilarious and one-of-a-kind Parks Department Director Ron Swanson (played by Nick Offerman), the adorable miniature horse and beloved Pawnee treasure Li’l Sebastian, and of course, Parks and Recreation protagonist and Parks Department Deputy Director Leslie Knope.

Season 4 of Parks and Recreation premieres on Thursday, September 22 on NBC at 8:30/7:30c.

Any Lovelies out there love Parks and Recreation as much as I do? Have a favorite character?

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