'Parks and Rec' Nearly Lost Its Best Character 17 Years Ago Because the Actor Was Too "Weird" and "Intense"

When Parks and Recreation came out in 2009, it stumbled. The Greg Daniels and Michael Schur created series, with its mockumentary format, felt like a lesser version of The Office. It thankfully survived and became one of the best sitcoms of the 21st century, in part because of how lovable its lead character, Leslie Knope, was. A lot of people already knew Amy Poehler from Saturday Night Live, which helped, but the breakout star was an unusual character played by a relatively unknown actor. Nick Offerman's Ron Swanson gets the best lines over seven seasons of Parks and Recreation, and but he almost didn't play the character. What made Offerman so perfect for the part is the same reason why NBC was concerned he was the wrong choice.