Parks and Recreation cast: Where are they now?

It’s been over five years since fans said farewell to Pawnee and the cast of characters that made up the town’s Parks and Recreation department. With a planned reunion in the works and the original series coming soon to NBC’s new Peacock streaming service, go ahead and “treat ‘yo self” and catch up with everyone from the Star-Lord to Lone Star.

After starring as Leslie Knope for seven seasons, Amy Poehler moved on from her local government days for new shows and films. She currently serves as co-host of NBC’s craft competition series Making It with her fellow Parks and Rec alum Nick Offerman. She also voices the characters Duncan and Annie Harris in Fox’s animated series Duncanville, which she created. Recently she earned triple threat status by starring in, directing, and executive producing Netflix’s original film Wine Country.

Currently starring in Alex Garland’s FX on Hulu miniseries Devs as Forest, the long-haired, wizard-bearded tech mogul attempting to decode the mysteries of quantum mechanics (and god), Nick Offerman also co-hosts Making It with Poehler. He recently traded in his flannels and woodworking as Ron Swanson for … other flannels and more woodworking to play a version of himself in The Good Place’s series finale. Over the past few years, he’s racked up many acting and voiceover credits in shows and films like Lucy in the Sky, 3Below: Tales of Arcadia, Frances Ferguson, Good Omens, Bob’s Burgers, The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part, Bad Times at the El Royale, Hearts Beat Loud, White Fang, and Will & Grace, among others. In addition to his busy screen career, Offerman put out a book with his wife Megan Mullally, The Greatest Love Story Ever Told, in 2018.

After years of playing sarcastic, apathetic teen turned hardworking government employee April Ludgate, Aubrey Plaza has stayed busy with many TV shows and films once Parks and Rec wrapped. She recently reprised her role of Cat Adams on Criminal Minds, starred in the drama thriller Black Bear, played the instantly iconic role of Lenny on FX’s Legion, and served repeat performances on Comedy Central’s Drunk History. Other recent credits include Child’s Play, Ingrid Goes West, Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates, and Castle. 

During Parks and Rec’s run, Chris Pratt shed Andy Dwyer’s beer weight to become an action movie star, and that’s continued after the NBC comedy wrapped its seven-season run. Currently starring in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Peter Quill a.k.a. Star-Lord, Pratt’s next appearance is set to come in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, currently in pre-production. His most recent MCU appearance was in Avengers: Engame. He’s also filming the next Jurassic World film, Dominion. He recently voiced one of the lead roles in Pixar’s Onward. Other post-Parks credits include The Kid, The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Avengers: Infinity War, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, an episode of Mom, Passengers, and The Magnificent Seven.

After Parks and Rec wrapped, Aziz Ansari found awards recognition with his Netflix series Master of None, in which he created, directed, and starred. He also voiced Darryl on Bob’s Burgers. But Ansari also found himself mired in controversy during the #MeToo movement when, in January 2018, a woman using the pen name “Grace” accused him of sexual misconduct in a Babe.net piece that inspired new conversations about enthusiastic consent. After spending some time away from the spotlight, he came back with his own Netflix comedy special Aziz Ansari: Right Now in 2019 in which he addressed the issue.

Jim O’Heir moved on from playing lovable fool Jerry Gergich for a new sitcom with Bless This Mess and daytime soap The Bold and the Beautiful. He also recently appeared on TV shows and movies like Criminal Minds, 2nd Chance for Christmas, No Time Like Christmas, Drowning, Liza On Demand, The Neighborhood, Pearson, and Bad Times at the El Royale.

From supporting player to star, Retta has leveled up since Parks and Rec ended. After playing fan-favorite Donna Meagle, Retta now plays Ruby Hill, one-third of Good Girls’ main trio, on the NBC crime drama. She also recently racked up TV and film credits in projects like DuckTales, Big Mouth, Where’s Waldo, Good Boys, and Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce. Plus, her live tweeting has never been better.

Even in the post-Parks and Rec world, you can’t split up the BFF duo of Ann Perkins and Leslie Knope — Rashida Jones currently voices Mia on Duncanville along with Poehler. She also stars as Joya Barris on the new Netflix series #blackAF. Her Netflix documentary Quincy about her father Quincy Jones won a Grammy for Best Music Film. She also recently voiced the role of Marcy in Spies in Disguise and Alva in Netflix’s Klaus. Her other recent credits include Between Two Ferns: The Movie, The Sound of Silence, Angie Tribeca, and Tag.

Adam Scott played the perfect boyfriend-turned-husband on Parks and Rec, but he turned around and played the exact opposite of Ben Wyatt in his biggest post-Parks gigs. From playing a much more realistic version of a husband on Big Little Lies to an actual demon on The Good Place, Scott also appeared on The Twilight Zone reboot, I’m Sorry, I Love You America, and Ghosted.

Rob Lowe traded in Chris Traeger’s running shoes for a cowboy hat with his new series 9-1-1: Lone Star. After Parks and Rec ended, he leaned into holiday films with Netflix’s Holiday in the Wild and The Knight Before Christmas. Recently he also voiced Simba in The Lion Guard, starred in Wild Bill and Code Black, and logged appearances in The Bad Seed, Super Troopers 2, and The Orville. In addition to his work on Lone Star, Lowe is also the current host of Fox’s game show, Mental Samurai.

Pawnee’s favorite TV anchor didn’t stay local after Parks and Rec ended. Jay Jackson, best known for playing Perd Hapley on the NBC comedy, also went on to play a reporter on The L Word: Generation Q reboot, a news anchor on Silicon Valley, What/If?, and Scandal. In other, non-news roles, Jackson also went on to appear on Black Monday, The Neighborhood, Good Girls (with fellow Parks and Rec alum Retta), and Criminal Minds, among others.

In a strange twist of fate, Jean-Ralphio might be the busiest guest character after Parks and Rec ended. Ben Schwartz is set to star in the upcoming series Space Force, he voices Dewey Duck in DuckTales, voiced the titular character in the Sonic the Hedgehog movie, as well as starred in the improv sensation Middleditch & Schwartz, appeared on Modern Family, Bajillion Dollar Propertie$, and the YouTube series Ryan Hansen Solves Crimes on Television, and voiced roles in Bob’s Burgers, Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and BoJack Horseman.

On Parks and Rec, Lucy ended up married to Tom. In real life, Natalie Morales voices the role of Lois Lane on DC Universe’s animated adult comedy Harley Quinn, starred in NBC’s short-lived comedy Abby’s, voiced Miss Calleros in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and Yolanda Buenaventura in BoJack Horseman, and appeared on Santa Clarita Diet, Sunnyside, Stuber, and Room 104.

After playing Pawnee’s iconic talk show host Joan Callamezzo on Parks on Rec, Mo Collins went on to appear on Fear the Walking Dead, Lady Dynamite, Dream Corp LLC, Single Parents, Teachers, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and more. She also did voiceover work with roles on Puppy Dog Pals, F is for Family, and American Dad!

On the final seasons of Parks and Rec, Jon Glaser played local orthodontist and city councilman Jeremy Jamm who lived to annoy Leslie Knope. Once the series wrapped, he wrote, executive produced and starred in his own mockumentary series Jon Glaser Loves Gear and went on to voice Larry Kudlow on Our Cartoon President and appeared on Mr. Robot, Living With Yourself, Hustlers, Wine Country, and worked as a writer on Inside Amy Schumer.

Billy Eichner stopped screaming as Craig Middlebrooks on Parks and Rec once the series ended, but he continued to scream on the sidewalk for his award-winning series Billy on the Street. Now a part of the Ryan Murphy extended universe, Eichner will next be seen in Impeachment: American Crime Story playing Matt Drudge after his appearances in multiple seasons of American Horror Story. He’s also voiced the role of Timon in The Lion King remake, Mr. Ambrose in Bob’s Burgers, Big Man in Green Eggs and Ham, and appeared in Disney+ film Noelle and Netflix’s Friends From College.