There is no denying that Rashida Jones is a comedic genius. The actress made us laugh on two popular series: The Office and Parks and Recreation. Jones played Karen Filippelli on the 3rd season of The Office and for six seasons portrayed Ann Perkins on Parks and Recreation. We decided to put the two characters to the test and see who comes out on top.
Humor
Jim Halpert was known for his pranks on The Office. It was nice to see him have another partner in crime with Karen when he relocated to the Stamford branch. Their favorite target was Andy. Ann was more of the straight man in the funny world of Pawnee, Indiana leaving the humor to Andy, April etc.
Winner: Karen
Longevity
Karen was a much needed addition to the cast of The Office in the third season. However, if the relationship with Jim and Pam was going to flourish she would need to move on from Scranton. Though, Ann Perkins moved to Michigan in season 6 of Parks and Recreation, she tends to be more memorable to fans of both series.
Winner: Ann
Work Ethic
Ann Perkins was a very successful nurse on Parks and Recreation. So successful that she eventually took on the role of Public Relations Director in the Health Department. Though Karen appeared to be a good enough worker, her career most likely didn't flourish as much as Ann's, especially after the collapse of Dunder Mifflin.
Winner: Ann
Love Life
Things may not have worked out with Jim, but it didn't take long for Karen to find her true love. When Pam and Michael visit her branch, she is married and has a kid on the way. Ann was never really lucky in love. She had to date almost every male main character (and a few supporting ones) before rekindling her relationship with Chris and starting a family.
Winner: Karen
Friendship
According to Leslie Knope, Ann Perkins is the best friend that anyone could ever have in their lifetime. Even when she moved to Michigan, Leslie still sang her praises. Additionally, Karen never really made any true friends during her short stint on The Office (unless you consider Pam to be her friend). Looks like we have our winner!
Overall Winner: Karen
Who do you like better Ann or Karen? Let us know in the comments section below.
Photo by NBC
How does Karen WIN friendship when it's clearing stated Ann was the "best friend" one could have in their lifetime v Karen having no friends at all. And you state there's a clear winner and award it to Karen? Lame!
Woah Woah Woah. Let's just stop right here.
To call Rashida Jones a "comedian" is a flat out misuse of the word. To call her a "comedic genius" is a first degree hyperbolic felony. To be generous, Jones is a mediocre actress that was suspiciously fortunate enough to be cast in not one, but two, major comedic sitcoms...
Her one dimensional portrayal of both Ann and Karen left a lot to be desired.
One would think that her time on the office, working along side a FULL cast of actual comedic geniuses and brilliant writers, would have improved her acting. Instead, she merely sustained her gift of flatly reciting lines.
To be fair, I've not seen every episode of P&R.…