NameLeslie Knope
CompanyPawnee Parks and Recreation
CategoryThe Merlin Award
Executive SummaryLeslie Barbara Knope is the protagonist in the NBC comedy Parks and Recreation.
For most of the show's run, she serves as the Deputy Director of the Parks and Recreation Department of the fictional city of Pawnee, Indiana. An over-achiever, Knope believes the government should serve the people.
She is portrayed by Amy Poehler.
Although born in the neighboring rival town of Eagleton, due to the fact that the Pawnee hospital was overrun with raccoons, Leslie is a definite Pawneean. She vowed early on to give back to this vibrant and fascinating town by living a life of public service.
Leslie graduated in the top 5% of her class at Pawnee North High School, where she was Co-Vice President of the Student Body and a member of Model United Nations, Key Club, Debate Club, Mock Trial, Young Democrats, Young Independents (founding member), Drama Club, Historical Society, Orchestra, Color Guard, and junior varsity field hockey.
She attended Indiana University, graduated summa cum laude with a degree in History from the School of Environmental and Public Affairs, and is a Hoosier athletics fan. Her father, Robert, passed away in 1985 (when Leslie was 10) and was buried in a cemetery in Florida.
Leslie is a mid-level bureaucrat in the Parks and Recreation Department of Pawnee, Indiana who hopes to advance her career and improve her town, while working towards her goal of becoming the first female President. She and Mark Brendanawicz, a coworker of hers and reputable womanizer, hooked up leaving Leslie with romantic feelings towards him, although it meant nothing to Mark.
Knope is a fan of Hillary Clinton (whom Amy Poehler spoofed during her tenure on Saturday Night Live), prominently displaying her official portrait as Secretary of State on the wall next to her door. In addition, she displays the photographs of Madeline Albright, Condoleezza Rice, Janet Reno, and Nancy Pelosi.
Leslie is a proud member of numerous action committees in and around City Hall, including, but not limited to: the Equal Opportunity Committee, the Fun in the Sun Committee, the Clean Restroom Task Force, the Increased Access to Restrooms Task Force, the Handicapped Restroom Task Force, the Committee for Repainting Handicapped Parking Spaces Task Force, the Parks Committee of Pawnee, Leslie's Sorry Division, and the Task Force to Reduce the Number of Public Restrooms.
DescriptionInitially, Leslie is shown to carry romantic feelings for her co-worker Mark due to her romantic altercation with him several years before. She is also desperate to impress her mother Marlene, who is a well-known politician in the Pawnee government. At a public forum, she meets Ann Perkins, who informs her about a pit near her house that her boyfriend, Andy Dwyer, fell into.
Leslie takes on the project, hoping to build a park there, and quickly becomes friends with Ann. However, she learns that overcoming the red tape of government and budget deficits is difficult. Although finding it tough at first, Leslie finally lets Ann date Mark after he asked her out and after she dumped her boyfriend, Andy Dwyer, when finding out he could have gotten his cast off two weeks early, but decided not to.
Leslie seems to move on from her romantic interest in Mark and begins dating police officer Dave Sanderson. She also begins taking charge and gains a lot of confidence. Also, more of her relationships with her co-workers is shown. Towards the end of the season, Dave, who was enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserve, was called into active duty in San Diego, where he will be doing custodial work. Dave asks Leslie to move with him to San Diego, and although she considered it, she ultimately declined and they parted ways amicably.
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After Ann sets her up with Justin in "The Set Up," Ron later shows Leslie that he is just selfish and they break up in "Galentine's Day". In "The Master Plan," Leslie meets Ben Wyatt and Chris Traeger, who are state auditors who have come to Pawnee because the city is broke. At first, Leslie doesn't get along with Ben, saying later she thought he was a "fascist hard ass". When he asks her out to have a beer, they begin to respect each other more.
Ben reveals that the town has virtually no funds left and the government will be shut down (which includes the parks of Pawnee) until further notice. He and Chris set up a budget task force with several employees of Pawnee's government, including Ron Swanson. Ron accidentally reveals that Leslie is secretly planning to put the canceled children's concert on an unused lot behind Ann Perkins' house; Ben tries to stop her. When Ben sees how much effort she put into it, he lets her have the concert and even pays Freddy Spaghetti to come back after he agreed to perform at a library in Eagleton, which gets him back on Leslie's good side.
Leslie decides to bring back the defunct Pawnee Harvest Festival, the success or failure of which will determine the financial future of the Parks Department. After weeks of planning, the Harvest Festival is a success. After the success of the Festival, however, she feels stressed to come up with another great idea for the Parks Department. Ron forces her to get a good night's sleep, and she shows up at the office the next morning, brimming with new ideas.
Leslie is shown to have feelings for Ben Wyatt in this season. She wants to take another step in their relationship but isn't allowed to because of Chris Traeger's inter-office dating rules. Ben struggles with choosing between a job offer in Indianapolis and one in Pawnee. Not wanting to show that she likes him, Leslie tells him it's a "tough call" and tells him to make a pros and cons list. He ultimately decides he likes Pawnee and wants to stay there because he's moved around so much.
In "Soulmates," Leslie is upset because Ben rejects her when she asks him out. Ann convinces her to sign up for an online dating service, but the service matches her with Tom. Determined to find out why they're a match, Leslie takes him out to lunch, which proves to be disastrous. Tom teases Leslie and reveals he has multiple accounts at the site with the hopes of attracting all types of women. Leslie is later relieved to learn Ben only turned her down because Chris has a strict policy against office relationships. Feeling frustrated and powerless because of her situation with Ben, Leslie finds strength in a painting Jerry Gergich contributes to a community art show, which depicts her as a powerful and bare-chested Greek goddess.
In "The Fight," Leslie tells Ann about a job opening as the Public Relations Director of the Health Department. She's excited about the possibility of them working in the same building but is disappointed when Ann doesn't seem as excited as she expected. That night, at The Snakehole Lounge, Leslie is surprised and annoyed to find Ann partying on the dance floor instead of preparing for the job interview the next day. She insults Ann's dating lifestyle, which has been shown to include numerous one-night stands. This prompts Ann to insult Leslie for moving too slow with Ben, whom Leslie is attracted to.