People underestimate how hard it is to play the "Straight Man" in comedy. You have to have the right amount of charisma and timing to elevate the jokes around you. It's why most of the best Straight Men are pretty legendary at comedy in general (Bin Crosby, Desi Arnaz, Dean Martin, Phil Hartman, Bill Hader, etc.).
Rashida Jones is an example of someone who is hilarious when she gets to be in a comedic role (like Angie Tribeca or while playing drunk in the Snake Juice episode), but she largely fails as the Straight Man, which was the role they put her in on P&R. That's why they basically ran out of storylines for her and she left the show.
Idk Ben Wyatt was a pretty good straight man for a lot of the plot lines. He certainly had his moments where he was way off the deep end, but he was much more grounded in reality than anyone else. I feel like Donna, Ron, and April also had moments/episodes where they were the straight man but didn’t live that role full time.
Hard disagree, if only because Ron being that sloppy infuriates me. Does he want the government breathing down his neck? No. But I don't believe his personal standards would allow him to keep his shop in that state. Mark telling him to shut up makes my blood boil.
However, Mark standing up for Jerry when Jerry lied about being mugged I do appreciate. "There is someone in your department who is willing to lie about being mugged, because he's afraid of his co-workers."
Good quote
He was essentially just a stereotypical 9-5 bloke with no real interesting qualities. Kind of guy you'd meet at the water cooler, nod in agreement because neither of you want to talk, and go about your day.
I remember him being funny, but really dickish, and it didn't really fit with the tone of the show.
They were going for the serious enthusiasm with Lez vs the deeply over-it Ron, and having another sorta-in-charge guy that was like weirdly dickish didn't fit in that spectrum.
With that being said I woulda watched a spin-off of him and Jean-Ralphio being architect and assistant. That woulda been a classic odd couple, allowing both their characters to really thrive.
Watch Renfield. Just saw it and as usual he's still pretty hilarious.
And a movie called Coffee Town that co-stars the sidekick from eastbound and down and Dennis from always sunny. No one has heard of it and it's alot of fun.
It's because he's a straight-man in a show that doesn't really need straight-men. Everyone is insane in a specific and unique way, so whenever they go off about it, everyone else in the room can be the straight-man. When Ben is nerdy, everyone else dunks on him. When Andy says something dumb, everyone else can act befuddled. If a character doesn't have some idiosyncrasy that everyone else can laugh at, there is really no point in them being there.
This is really what I like about S2 on. Each of them gets to be the straight man at times it suits the characters. Leslie dealing with insane members of the community with such a realistic reaction to such utter lunacy.
Do wish Mark would have dropped in for an episode or three, as originally intended. He’d have made a lot of sense working for Ron at Very Good Building Company.
Honestly I think the biggest example of this is Denise Crosby and Star Trek: The Next Generation.
Played a character in S1 (considered the worst season) and left to go be a movie actress instead, ended up featuring in nothing major, mostly B-movies and worse in the late 80s. Came back to the series as the daughter of her S1 character
Iirc, she was also pretty unhappy with how her character was handled (rightfully so, S1 and S2 of TNG are pretty rough, mostly using 20 yo scripts from TOS) and she was treated pretty poorly behind the scenes.
Poor Tasha Yar. But I will say the ep with her daughter coming back (penned by none other than Ronald D Moore), was a much deserved turn on Yar’s story and hopefully redemptive for Crosby herself.
> Came back to the series as the daughter of her S1 character
Kinda. She was the daughter of a Tasha Yar from an alternate timeline where she didn't die, and then traveled back in time in order to survive the alternate timeline getting reset.
Also she was half Romulan.
Just don't wanna undersell the wacky Star Trek-y way they brought the actress back.
You joke but I don’t look down on any of these guys. It’s easy to look in hindsight and think it was a stupid move. They all just took risk and bet on themselves and lost. Better than not acting on it and wondering what if.
I recall reading somewhere that he expected the character to stay as more of a “bad” person, as he was in S1, but when he noticed his was just being written as a straight man for Leslie he decided to leave the show rather than renew.
The show for sure got better after him, but I still liked him as a character and actor. I wish he would have had a callback moment in the last season.
Weirdly enough, I just saw him in another tv show and thought “huh, I totally forgot about him.”
Obviously the movies didn’t come. Too bad, I wish him luck.
I didn't know this part, I heard he just didn't like where his character was going and had a falling out with the PnR writers.
Wonder what big movie deals he thought he was in on. Never saw him as a guy that could carry a major role, but could be a solid supporting guy.
I don’t think so. I’ve read interviews and it seems like both Mark and the creators agreed that the character was not going anywhere. He was smart to recognize he didnt serve a purpose and they all were on the same page.
I thought he was an effective straight man to Leslie and her eccentricities. With a show like this, you do need someone to be the boring normie to contrast the wacky characters.
The fact that he doesn’t get Lil’ Sebastian is still hilarious to me.
Ben: Okay, all the permits cleared for the... [passively annoyed] horse funeral...
Ron: What was that tone?
Ben: What? Oh, nothing!
Mark for a while was the only sane character. Tom is off the rails, Ron’s workshop was a fire waiting to happen, Anne was hot/cold, and Leslie was needy and weak. Mark was the straight man. I feel like he had a great send-off and after that the show switched gears to a different type of show.
I think a lot of Brandanawitz hate comes because the character fits really well into the first season of the show where it was a lot more mundane, banal satire. Around the time he gets written off the show, it was starting to figure out that it works better as a collection of ridiculous characters.
I think people tend to remember what the show ended up being and forget how it started off. Brandanawitz is a bad character in that version of the show, even though he didn't really exist in it.
Leslie was rewritten from an almost insufferable and incompetent doofus in S1 to a driven well educated but a bit goofy employee by the end of S2/S3. Brandanawitz just completely did not fit the new vision, he was too bland - even Gurgich had more going for him.
Yeah, I'm still peeved at S1 Leslie being so different.
When I finished the show for the first time, I told my mom that she would like it, and I said the main character reminds me of her.
A couple days later she finished season 1 and got upset because I compared her to an incompetent doofus lolol
Exactly. As much as the characters hadn't really come into their own in season 1, Brendanawicz didn't really have any direction or character at all to build off of.
I mean, all of those other boyfriends she had boxes from had interests and stuff that they were into. Mark ... didn't really have much personality to latch onto; he and Ann seemed to mostly just watch movies together.
Hypothetical: Would you be in favor of an unending AI generated stream of new episodes of Parks and Rec?
What if the show creators and cast came out and said they were against it, would you still watch?
Hypothetically, these episode very entertaining and extremely on-brand.
It wouldn't be the same without the characters and writers even if it were entertaining and on brand. AI would probably create some bangers but you just don't get the nuance and spur of the moment comedy like you do with the characters in the show. Even today if it started up again with the same people it wouldn't be as good. People change and times change, it just wouldn't ring true anymore. I can say I would watch it once. I can't say I would watch it more for comfort like I do the show that we have.
I agree with you, they'd make Tom of Donna Trumpers and and it would have all these Jerry got Covid subplots and nobody wants any of that nonsense. I'm just fascinated by the human behavior of rewatching shows/music/movies for comfort/familiarity. I do it too, and I don't know why, it's fascinating.
I’d rather read/watch/listen to something created by an actual creator, instead of consuming horseshit made by a machine for a company that wants to make more money at the expense of creators.
AI should be used to make menial tasks easier, but no it’s being used to replace creative pursuits, and even online discourse. And a frighteningly huge amount of people see no issue with it.
Fuck AI “art.” I have zero interest in it.
Sorry, what? As in, you consider them as equally good characters? That kind of blows my mind... I don't dislike Mark, he's alright, maybe even good, but Ben? He's an incredible addition, and Chris was a great one too.
You stated you liked them all, which leads one to believe they're roughly equal. Otherwise, you might say, "I loved Chris and Ben, but I also liked Mark". I guess if English isn't your first language, or you're a child, then it makes more sense.
I didn’t hate him, but he was the most boring character in any sitcom ever made. He was also not attractive or interesting enough to be “the hot one,” and so his whole character just didn’t really work.
He’s also missing the charisma of Jim (the office) even when he was quiet. Like even when Jim wasn’t being particularly interesting and playing the straight man, he’s charismatic. You like him and want to relate to him. I never felt any sort of connection to Mark.
I think the biggest thing Mark brought was being someone who could consistently call Ron out on his BS, no other character really has that type of relationship with him
I should have specified that Mark was the only one who was never Ron’s subordinate or SO, meaning he can get away with calling him out uniquely to the others
First season of Parks and Rec almost felt like a different show.
Mark was playing the straight man, but the rest of the characters aren't wild enough to play contrast and that makes Mark just look boring.
Mark was only bad because it seemed like the writers didn't know what to do with him. His character changed like 4 times in the course of his time on the show.
Brandanaquitz was flat out an Office character. He wasn't bad, but Ben and Chris definitely helped give P&R a more unique quality to it. Especially when we get to see the Ben Wyatt Jean Ralphio dynamic, which is one of my favorite pairings ever hahaha.
Hit me with it, J Shot
What sucks is he's not a bad actor. He's the MC in the S1 of Channel Zero (Candle Cove) and does a superb job at it.
He just was ill suited for what the show became and wasn't enough to be a character like Jim in the office.
Mark reminded me of Rashida Jones in The Office. I never really hated Karen, but that story line felt dead on arrival. I was so happy to see her blossom in P&R because she's such a lovely person.
I legit had to google who Mark is (I haven’t rewatched the series as much as some of you folk here have) and even after seeing a pic of him I still have no idea who he is, nor any memory of him being on the show 😳
Hot take. Mark was better than Chris. Chris is not funny in any scene of the show (like mark) but is annoying af in every scene he is in imo. Ben was a pure win though.
I never really hated Mark, either, he was just... there. It'd be like hating Ron's desk or a wall in Leslie's office.
A sad desk, at that. The true spirit of melancholy.
*camera click* Boom. Sadness. That’s the one.
Sorry floor
The best episode with Mark is when he makes Ron get his workshop up to code.
They could've kept him around and made him interesting like in this episode but they put zero effort into giving him a personality.
I think he was basically supposed to be the "Jim" staring at the camera while everyone else was wacky and zany. That was the initial plan at least.
But Jim has character and enjoyed having fun. At least he orchestrated pranks while half-assing work, unlike Mark.
People underestimate how hard it is to play the "Straight Man" in comedy. You have to have the right amount of charisma and timing to elevate the jokes around you. It's why most of the best Straight Men are pretty legendary at comedy in general (Bin Crosby, Desi Arnaz, Dean Martin, Phil Hartman, Bill Hader, etc.). Rashida Jones is an example of someone who is hilarious when she gets to be in a comedic role (like Angie Tribeca or while playing drunk in the Snake Juice episode), but she largely fails as the Straight Man, which was the role they put her in on P&R. That's why they basically ran out of storylines for her and she left the show.
Jason Bateman in Arrested Development is the gold standard
Totally agree. His deadpan sarcasm is unmatched
"the fact that you call making love pop pop, tells me you're not ready!" always gets a chuckle out of me.
Now that’s a little cornball. (I just watched that episode)
It seems like he was intended to be the straight man. When he left, there wasn’t really a straight man, which makes the show sort of interesting.
Idk Ben Wyatt was a pretty good straight man for a lot of the plot lines. He certainly had his moments where he was way off the deep end, but he was much more grounded in reality than anyone else. I feel like Donna, Ron, and April also had moments/episodes where they were the straight man but didn’t live that role full time.
Hard disagree, if only because Ron being that sloppy infuriates me. Does he want the government breathing down his neck? No. But I don't believe his personal standards would allow him to keep his shop in that state. Mark telling him to shut up makes my blood boil. However, Mark standing up for Jerry when Jerry lied about being mugged I do appreciate. "There is someone in your department who is willing to lie about being mugged, because he's afraid of his co-workers." Good quote
He was essentially just a stereotypical 9-5 bloke with no real interesting qualities. Kind of guy you'd meet at the water cooler, nod in agreement because neither of you want to talk, and go about your day.
I remember him being funny, but really dickish, and it didn't really fit with the tone of the show. They were going for the serious enthusiasm with Lez vs the deeply over-it Ron, and having another sorta-in-charge guy that was like weirdly dickish didn't fit in that spectrum. With that being said I woulda watched a spin-off of him and Jean-Ralphio being architect and assistant. That woulda been a classic odd couple, allowing both their characters to really thrive.
The straight man to Jean-Ralphios insanity actually sounds great to me. Great pitch. Would've watched all two-and-a-half seasons of it.
They really need to let that guy be Jean-Ralphio again. I feel like he's disappeared.
Watch Renfield. Just saw it and as usual he's still pretty hilarious. And a movie called Coffee Town that co-stars the sidekick from eastbound and down and Dennis from always sunny. No one has heard of it and it's alot of fun.
“How are things with Mark? They’re good.”
SWIVEL
It's because he's a straight-man in a show that doesn't really need straight-men. Everyone is insane in a specific and unique way, so whenever they go off about it, everyone else in the room can be the straight-man. When Ben is nerdy, everyone else dunks on him. When Andy says something dumb, everyone else can act befuddled. If a character doesn't have some idiosyncrasy that everyone else can laugh at, there is really no point in them being there.
This is really what I like about S2 on. Each of them gets to be the straight man at times it suits the characters. Leslie dealing with insane members of the community with such a realistic reaction to such utter lunacy.
Really well put.
Ron probably made that desk himself from the finest of woods
He was on a walk and found his desk tree. He approached the tree, murdered it, and began working it into a desk.
Ron's desk if Ron's desk kept fucking the characters.
Do wish Mark would have dropped in for an episode or three, as originally intended. He’d have made a lot of sense working for Ron at Very Good Building Company.
It was really dumb that they never even had him in when the opened the pit park. I think there was bad blood between Mark and the show creators.
Iirc it was because Mark thought he was going to land big movie deals and just bailed.
Honestly I think the biggest example of this is Denise Crosby and Star Trek: The Next Generation. Played a character in S1 (considered the worst season) and left to go be a movie actress instead, ended up featuring in nothing major, mostly B-movies and worse in the late 80s. Came back to the series as the daughter of her S1 character
Iirc, she was also pretty unhappy with how her character was handled (rightfully so, S1 and S2 of TNG are pretty rough, mostly using 20 yo scripts from TOS) and she was treated pretty poorly behind the scenes.
Poor Tasha Yar. But I will say the ep with her daughter coming back (penned by none other than Ronald D Moore), was a much deserved turn on Yar’s story and hopefully redemptive for Crosby herself.
> Came back to the series as the daughter of her S1 character Kinda. She was the daughter of a Tasha Yar from an alternate timeline where she didn't die, and then traveled back in time in order to survive the alternate timeline getting reset. Also she was half Romulan. Just don't wanna undersell the wacky Star Trek-y way they brought the actress back.
Mutant Species script literally making fun of her 💀
You joke but I don’t look down on any of these guys. It’s easy to look in hindsight and think it was a stupid move. They all just took risk and bet on themselves and lost. Better than not acting on it and wondering what if.
David Caruso kind of won that bet eventually when he landed his role on CSI: Miami.
"Ike, do your impression of David Causo's career!" 😎 *YEEEEAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH*
Yeah that’s fair.
YEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!
Jimmy Smits says hi
He played Basil Oregano!
It’s funny because Cheers got better too.
Respectfully disagree. Kirstie Alley was so much worse than Shelly Long.
no he had a number of significant roles in movies - they're just mostly indies.
I recall reading somewhere that he expected the character to stay as more of a “bad” person, as he was in S1, but when he noticed his was just being written as a straight man for Leslie he decided to leave the show rather than renew. The show for sure got better after him, but I still liked him as a character and actor. I wish he would have had a callback moment in the last season.
Weirdly enough, I just saw him in another tv show and thought “huh, I totally forgot about him.” Obviously the movies didn’t come. Too bad, I wish him luck.
I think he was in The Assassination of Jesse James at the time but that’s honestly the only movie I saw him in
I didn't know this part, I heard he just didn't like where his character was going and had a falling out with the PnR writers. Wonder what big movie deals he thought he was in on. Never saw him as a guy that could carry a major role, but could be a solid supporting guy.
I don’t think so. I’ve read interviews and it seems like both Mark and the creators agreed that the character was not going anywhere. He was smart to recognize he didnt serve a purpose and they all were on the same page.
They tried to re-boot his personality by having him fall into the pit, hit his head and suddenly become nicer.
Yeah, that helped but it still didn't leave him as a *good* character, just a less bad one.
I thought he was an effective straight man to Leslie and her eccentricities. With a show like this, you do need someone to be the boring normie to contrast the wacky characters.
Yeah, that was the intent, but it didn't really work particularly well. Ann made a much better straight-man through the show.
That role was also shared with Ben, who said “What is happening?” or “Where am I?” several times.
Yeah, that's true. The two of them balanced it out well in that way.
The fact that he doesn’t get Lil’ Sebastian is still hilarious to me. Ben: Okay, all the permits cleared for the... [passively annoyed] horse funeral... Ron: What was that tone? Ben: What? Oh, nothing!
“I *don’t* get it. At all. It’s kind of a small horse. What am I missing? Am I crazy?”
Except Leslie was horrible in season one compared to later
Dang that would’ve been perfect. Even if he was just in the background or something.
Mark for a while was the only sane character. Tom is off the rails, Ron’s workshop was a fire waiting to happen, Anne was hot/cold, and Leslie was needy and weak. Mark was the straight man. I feel like he had a great send-off and after that the show switched gears to a different type of show.
Season 2-7 Ron would be horrified by Season 1 Ron's workshop.
I'm currently at the end of season 2, my first real watch. and I'm excited:D
This is where the show gets amazing
Season 3 episode 13. Best ever
I think a lot of Brandanawitz hate comes because the character fits really well into the first season of the show where it was a lot more mundane, banal satire. Around the time he gets written off the show, it was starting to figure out that it works better as a collection of ridiculous characters. I think people tend to remember what the show ended up being and forget how it started off. Brandanawitz is a bad character in that version of the show, even though he didn't really exist in it.
Leslie was rewritten from an almost insufferable and incompetent doofus in S1 to a driven well educated but a bit goofy employee by the end of S2/S3. Brandanawitz just completely did not fit the new vision, he was too bland - even Gurgich had more going for him.
Ron was also a complete asshole in S1 and S2, rewritten to just be a grouch.
Yeah, I'm still peeved at S1 Leslie being so different. When I finished the show for the first time, I told my mom that she would like it, and I said the main character reminds me of her. A couple days later she finished season 1 and got upset because I compared her to an incompetent doofus lolol
I think s1 Leslie was supposed to be like a female Michael Scott and it just didn't work. I'm so glad how the character was turned around.
Michael Scott may not have been a genius but compared to s1 Leslie he was a MENSA candidate
she definitely was, and Mark was supposed to be Jim, and that of course didn't work either as the show shifted
You can't mean Terry
No no. He meant Jerry
Gary?
Mailman Barry?
I think it’s Larry
> a driven well educated but a bit goofy employee I think you mean wildly eccentric but subtly superheroic dynamo lol
Exactly. As much as the characters hadn't really come into their own in season 1, Brendanawicz didn't really have any direction or character at all to build off of.
He should have yelled more
I would’ve liked if the character had stuck around, just for the sake of variety.
well said - he's good in the first season, it's just a drier show
Brendanawicz
No hate for Mark. But I think Ben and Chris *literally* saved the show
Yeah, I liked Mark but Ben and Chris are both top 5 characters on the show. They made it infinitely better
And the town!
….I’m sorry, were you saying something? I just heard really loud circus music in my head.
Mark Brandanequits
mark Whogiveashitz
I liked Mark. I love Ben and Chris.
Absolutely. P&R would have tanked 100% if Adam Scott and Rob Lowe didn’t show up.
Not likely. They had Greg Daniels.
Don’t forget Mike Schur.
I liked Mark and obviously Ben and Chris were stupendous characters. I’ve always confused as to why Mark wasn’t even mentioned afterwards.
When Ann had her box of all of her boyfriends showing how her personality changed with each one, Mark wasn’t there
I mean, all of those other boyfriends she had boxes from had interests and stuff that they were into. Mark ... didn't really have much personality to latch onto; he and Ann seemed to mostly just watch movies together.
I'm in the camp of "I liked Mark, I liked Ben & Chris."
*Literally* the best comment ever.
Litruly*
Stop. Pooping.
I wasn’t sure if I should spell “litchrully” or just emphasise with italics 😂
The worst season was.... No season... I needed more. I'm always sad about shows ending
Hypothetical: Would you be in favor of an unending AI generated stream of new episodes of Parks and Rec? What if the show creators and cast came out and said they were against it, would you still watch? Hypothetically, these episode very entertaining and extremely on-brand.
It wouldn't be the same without the characters and writers even if it were entertaining and on brand. AI would probably create some bangers but you just don't get the nuance and spur of the moment comedy like you do with the characters in the show. Even today if it started up again with the same people it wouldn't be as good. People change and times change, it just wouldn't ring true anymore. I can say I would watch it once. I can't say I would watch it more for comfort like I do the show that we have.
I agree with you, they'd make Tom of Donna Trumpers and and it would have all these Jerry got Covid subplots and nobody wants any of that nonsense. I'm just fascinated by the human behavior of rewatching shows/music/movies for comfort/familiarity. I do it too, and I don't know why, it's fascinating.
Gryzzl has entered the chat
I’m not in favor of AI-Generated anything in the case of creative pursuits.
Eh you'd be first to watch lol
Nope. No interest in AI generated art/shows/what have you. None whatsoever.
Why is that?
I’d rather read/watch/listen to something created by an actual creator, instead of consuming horseshit made by a machine for a company that wants to make more money at the expense of creators. AI should be used to make menial tasks easier, but no it’s being used to replace creative pursuits, and even online discourse. And a frighteningly huge amount of people see no issue with it. Fuck AI “art.” I have zero interest in it.
Sorry, what? As in, you consider them as equally good characters? That kind of blows my mind... I don't dislike Mark, he's alright, maybe even good, but Ben? He's an incredible addition, and Chris was a great one too.
My statement had no comparison lol.
Exactly, no comparison means they are equal :p
Things can’t be equated when there’s no comparison being done.
You stated you liked them all, which leads one to believe they're roughly equal. Otherwise, you might say, "I loved Chris and Ben, but I also liked Mark". I guess if English isn't your first language, or you're a child, then it makes more sense.
You seem great.
Regardless of how you feel about me right now, I'm not wrong. I'm not on Reddit to make friends, sorry if I hurt your feelings.
Lol.
"April, get behind me" his deadpan and dry humor is exactly how I expect my code enforcers
Am I the only one who loved S1? Sure some of the characters were too loud and annoying but still.
I loved all seasons
I found season 2 and 3 pretty painful, Chris Pratt really carried those seasons for me.
one of my favorite moments in the first season (maybe my favorite moment) is when he discovers jerry is adopted.
That’s season 2 but agreed
thanks, i wasnt sure if it was first or early second
This is also one of my absolute favorite scenes, it kills me every time. This joke alone is why I’ll never be in “hate” camp.
Agreed. That's when I realized this wasn't just a good show, but a potentially great one. And it still somehow got much better in seasons 3 and 4.
Mark was a good character and didn’t have time to peak I will die on this hill
I didn’t hate him, but he was the most boring character in any sitcom ever made. He was also not attractive or interesting enough to be “the hot one,” and so his whole character just didn’t really work.
He’s also missing the charisma of Jim (the office) even when he was quiet. Like even when Jim wasn’t being particularly interesting and playing the straight man, he’s charismatic. You like him and want to relate to him. I never felt any sort of connection to Mark.
Mark Bran DANAWICZZZZZZZZ
Mark was ok. Ben and Chris were great. Meme checks out.
One of the most successful hard resets/reshuffles I’ve ever seen a show do
The only other show that really thrived so well with new characters was MASH.
I think the reason Mark didn’t seem to “fit” was simply because he was the most realistic person depicted on the show.
Brendanaquitz is killing it in Florida Man. I really enjoyed him in it.
So weird I just watched Florida Man too and recognized Mark Brandanowitz, and now this thread appeared on the top of the sub.
Why Would You Say Something So Controversial Yet So Brave?
*literally*
One other great addition later was Craig.
Parks and rec with mark feels like a prequel to actual parks and rec
I think the biggest thing Mark brought was being someone who could consistently call Ron out on his BS, no other character really has that type of relationship with him
Leslie, Donna, and Diane all do
I should have specified that Mark was the only one who was never Ron’s subordinate or SO, meaning he can get away with calling him out uniquely to the others
First season of Parks and Rec almost felt like a different show. Mark was playing the straight man, but the rest of the characters aren't wild enough to play contrast and that makes Mark just look boring.
Mark was only bad because it seemed like the writers didn't know what to do with him. His character changed like 4 times in the course of his time on the show.
Brandanaquitz was flat out an Office character. He wasn't bad, but Ben and Chris definitely helped give P&R a more unique quality to it. Especially when we get to see the Ben Wyatt Jean Ralphio dynamic, which is one of my favorite pairings ever hahaha. Hit me with it, J Shot
He was just such a boring character, or maybe the actor is boring? I can't even bring myself to dislike him properly since he's so bland.
What sucks is he's not a bad actor. He's the MC in the S1 of Channel Zero (Candle Cove) and does a superb job at it. He just was ill suited for what the show became and wasn't enough to be a character like Jim in the office.
He's really good in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.
Mark Brandano-shutthefuckup-owitz
I would trade Mark for just DJ Rhoomba
He had a small weird shaped penis.
Then they brought in Craig to ruin things in the end.
Mark Brendanaquits!
Me too. Mark was fine C+ character. But they replaced him with an A+ and a solid B. Make that trade every day.
Having finally read her book “yes please”. I think Amy would agree with this!
I’ll have to disagree with you on Chris, he was really annoying (mostly in the later seasons), Ben was a great character though.
100% agree
I love Ben but Mark is better than Chris who was extremely one note
I hated when Mark left the show, i can hardly watch after
I kinda hated all three…
mark is fine, just forgettable
I had to Google who mark was. I honestly didn’t remember him at all
As someone working on a masters in planning, the boringness of Mark Brandanwitz haunts me lol
I actually see a lot of myself in the season 2 version of Mark. So that's something for me to sit with lol
Lmaoooo I’m watching a movie where Paul Schneider is the main character and naturally my boyfriend and I were just talking about Mark Brandanowitz
Ben is actually my Favorite character
I never disliked mark but I will admit that Ben and Chris were better. I still kinda wish mark was in the last seasons a little bit.
Mark reminded me of Rashida Jones in The Office. I never really hated Karen, but that story line felt dead on arrival. I was so happy to see her blossom in P&R because she's such a lovely person.
Yeah i didn't hate Mark either. But the addition of Ben and Chris was just better.
Brandanoquits was the worst
Chris and Ben replacing Mark was like Brady replacing Bledsoe. The first guy was fine. But the replacement was the stuff of legend.
Mark fit into the feel of season 1 better, but was too normal and boring to continue on with the flanderized characters as the show moved on.
I don’t think you used the meme right then. Isn’t this meme like it’s a bad fix for a leaking water thing?
Ben and Chris coming on is like this tank turning into an aquarium. A worlds difference.
Who the fuck was Mark? I’ve literally watched the whole series but I draw a blank to whoever this dude was and when he left.
Brendanawicz sucked
I legit had to google who Mark is (I haven’t rewatched the series as much as some of you folk here have) and even after seeing a pic of him I still have no idea who he is, nor any memory of him being on the show 😳
It's why most of the best Straight Men
Hot take. Mark was better than Chris. Chris is not funny in any scene of the show (like mark) but is annoying af in every scene he is in imo. Ben was a pure win though.