Parks and Recreationnever got a sequel series or spinoff, despite setting up the perfect spinoff series thanks to its funniest side character. The 2000s were a great decade for sitcoms, with some of them now ranking amongthe best TV shows of all time, and among them isParks and Recreation. Created by Greg Daniels and Michael Schur,Parks and Recreationpremiered in 2009.
Although it had a rough start,Parks and Recreationfound its own voice and style on time and became one ofthe best TV shows of the decade. The success and popularity ofParks and Recreationallowed it to stay for seven seasons, ending in 2015 with one of thebest TV finales of the 2010s.
Parks and Recreationfollowed Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) and her friends and colleagues from the Parks Department in Pawnee, Indiana, all of them with different personalities and views. Throughout its seven seasons,Parks and Recreationintroduced a variety of recurrent and side characters, and one of them would have made the perfect spinoff.
Ben Schwartz’s Jean-Ralphio Is Easily Parks & Recreation’s Funniest Side Character
Jean-Ralphio Has Some Of Parks & Recreation’s Funniest Scenes
Parks and Recreationhas many memorable side characters, such as TV host Joan Callamezzo (Mo Collins) and Sweetums heir Bobby Newport (Paul Rudd); however, the funniest and most memorable by far was Ben Schwartz’s Jean-Ralphio Saperstein, the son of Dr. Saperstein (Henry Winkler) and the twin brother of Mona-Lisa (Jenny Slate).
Unlike Tom, Jean-Ralphio didn’t have a job, but both came up with bizarre business ideas that never worked.
Jean-Ralphio was Tom Haverford’s (Aziz Ansari) best friend, but they were a very chaotic pair. Unlike Tom, Jean-Ralphio didn’t have a job, but both came up with bizarre business ideas that never worked. Jean-Ralphio made his debut inParks and Recseason 2, episode “The Set Up”, when Tom brought him for an interview to be Ron’s (Nick Offerman) assistant.
Jean-Ralphio didn’t waste a second in showing his loud and overly confident personality, as well as his sense of humor, which also earned him the annoyance of Ron and the Parks Department. However, Jean-Ralphio was very well-received by the audience, as he added a different type of comedy to the show.
Jean-Ralphio was chaotic in the best way, always encouraging Tom to move forward with his crazy business ideas and investing in them. Jean-Ralphio’s most memorable moment with Tom was launchingEntertainment 720, a multimedia entertainment company that went completely broke in just six months. The finale ofParks and Recdidn’t forget about Jean-Ralphio, showing him faking his death with Mona-Lisa and being caught.
Schwartz’s performance, comedy style, and the character’s personality, randomness (because he always appeared all of a sudden), and the absurd situations he found himself in most of the time made Jean-RalphioParks and Rec’s best and funniest side character, and he deserved his own spinoff.
Jean-Ralphio’s Antics Would Make The Perfect Storylines For A Spinoff Series
Jean-Ralphio Was Never Boring
Jean-Ralphio was so unpredictable and naturally funny that he’s the best subject for aParks and Recreationspinoff series. At the end ofParks and Rec, the show opted for different time jumps to show the future of the main characters and some recurring ones, as was the case with Jean-Ralphio.
It was the finale that revealed Jean-Ralphio’s and Mona-Lisa’s fake death, but not all the details about it. The plan was to fake their deaths to get insurance money and build a casino in Tajikistan, but even if they hadn’t been caught, that surely wouldn’t have gone well. A Jean-Ralphio spinoff could have explored what happened next, as they surely came up with something else.
Another time jump in theParks and Recfinale, though not focused on Jean-Ralphio, showed his name on a champagne bottle served to Craig and his husband, implying thatJean-Ralphio eventually had the successhe had always wanted. This makes the perfect story for a spinoff,showing his road to success and all his failures in the process.
Jean-Ralphio’s dynamic with his twin sister also makes a great story for a spinoff show, even more becauseParks and Recdidn’t give Mona-Lisa as much timeas it gave Jean-Ralphio. Following the Saperstein twins and their many chaotic adventures would be a funny and fitting return to the world ofParks and Recreation, leaving the door open to the return of other characters.
What Ben Schwartz Has Said About Returning To The World Of Parks & Rec
Ben Schwartz Knows Jean-Ralphio’s Limits
A Jean-RalphioParks and Recreationspinoff would be wild and fun, but there are some limits to someone like him. Speaking toScreen Rantin 2024, Ben Schwartz admitted that a Jean-Ralphio and Mona-Lisa spinoff show would be fun, but he remembered something that Mike Schur once told him about his character.
Schur said that he’s a character better had in “tiny little bursts”, as half an hour of Jean-Ralphio can be too much.
Schwartz mentioned that during an interview for one oftheParks and Recseasons, Schur shared his love for Jean-Ralphio, but said that he’s a character better had in “tiny little bursts”, as half an hour of Jean-Ralphio can be too much. Schwartz agreed with Schur, but at the same time agreed it was time to do something crazy.
However,Schwartz also said that he and Slate carrying a full episode (let alone a whole show) would be overwhelming, but reiterated his love for theParks and Recteam. A Jean-Ralphio spinoff might not happen at all, and, although Schwartz and Schur have a point about it possibly being too much Jean-Ralphio, it’s still one ofParks and Recreation’s biggest missed opportunities.
