Chris Traeger
Encyclopedia
Christopher "Chris" Traeger is a fictional character
played by Rob Lowe
in the American comedy television series Parks and Recreation
on NBC
. He began on the show as an Indiana
state auditor who visits the fictional city of Pawnee to help solve their crippling budget problems, and eventually becomes Pawnee's acting city manager. Chris is an extremely positive person who is constantly upbeat and energetic. Extremely health-conscious, he exercises constantly and eats only healthy foods, and hopes to be the first human being to live 150 years.
Chris first appeared on the penultimate second season
episode "The Master Plan
". Originally expected to appear in eight episodes as a guest star, Lowe eventually signed on to remain on the show as a permanent cast member. Chris was a romantic interest for Ann Perkins
(Rashida Jones
) for several episodes, but the two split up in the third season
. Chris imposes a strict policy against workplace dating at city hall, but series protagonist Leslie Knope
(Amy Poehler
) and Ben Wyatt
(Adam Scott
) begin secretly dating anyway.
The idea of Chris as a state auditor was inspired by real-life reports of government shutdowns amid the global financial crisis
. The Chris Traeger character has received generally positive reviews from critics, and has been described as "one of the great comedic creations of the past couple years" and "one of the funniest performances of [Rob Lowe's] career".
, Chris Traeger begins the show as an auditor working for the Indiana state government
in Indianapolis
, but eventually becomes the acting city manager of Pawnee, the fictional Indiana
city where Parks and Recreation
is set. He is an excessively positive and optimistic person, who is constantly upbeat and extremely energetic. As a baby, Chris was diagnosed with a rare blood disorder and was not expected to live longer than three weeks, but miraculously survived. As a result, he sees every day he is alive as a gift, which results in his intensely cheerful and enthusiastic personality. Chris is extremely health-conscious and exercises constantly; he runs 10 miles during his lunch break alone, and considers a 15 km run to be "light" exercise. He avoids eating red meat and fatty foods in favor of dishes like lean turkey burgers and vegetable loaf sweetened with fruit reduction, and takes a huge assortment of unusual vitamins. Chris always stays extremely well-hydrated, and as a result of his extreme exercise regimen has only 2.8% body fat, which makes him very susceptible to illness due to a weakened immune system. His ambition is to become the first human being to live 150 years. Chris always greets people with a firm handshake and direct eye contact, and to remember their names often points directly at people and repeats their names upon first meeting them. His constant desire to make everyone around him happy means Chris hates having to deliver bad news, a task he often assigns to his subordinates. He often declares things to be "literally" the best thing he's ever seen or done, strongly emphasizing the word and pronouncing it "LIT'rally".
episode "The Master Plan
", Chris Traeger and fellow state auditor Ben Wyatt
(Adam Scott
) are sent to Pawnee to help solve the city's crippling budget deficit. Despite the seriousness of the problems, Chris presents the situation in an extremely positive light and tries to make all the city hall employees around him happy, leaving the hard decisions and delivery of bad news up to Ben. Due to the poorly managed Pawnee government, Chris and Ben need to slash every city budget by up to 50 percent, much to the disappointment of deputy parks and recreation director Leslie Knope
(Amy Poehler
).
During an outing at a bar, Chris meets Leslie's best friend Ann Perkins
(Rashida Jones
), who is drunk and experiencing conflicting emotions following her recent breakup with Mark Brendanawicz
(Paul Schneider
). Ann makes out with Chris and, although she was too drunk to even remember the incident the next day, he develops romantic feelings for her. Ann rebuffs his requests for dates, and finds him too intense, but the ever-optimistic Chris does not become discouraged and insists he will continue courting her. Meanwhile, in "Freddy Spaghetti
", Chris and Ben reveal Pawnee's budget problems are worse than anticipated, which would require the government to be temporarily shut down, much to the horror of Leslie, but the delight of parks and recreation director Ron Swanson
(Nick Offerman
), an anti-government libertarian
. Chris and Ben even consider firing Leslie to save money, but Ron persuades them otherwise.
", after three months of closure, the Pawnee government reopens in a limited capacity, but Chris and Ben insist the parks and recreation department's budget can only sustain existing park maintenance. Leslie, however, wants to offer better programs and services for the Pawnee citizens. She asks Ann to go on a date with Chris, then try to convince him to increase the budget. Ann reluctantly agrees to the plan, but as the date progresses, she finds she actually enjoys herself and develops feelings for Chris. When Leslie accidentally gives away her secret plan, Chris is hurt and disparaged by Ann's ulterior motive. The next day, however, Ann apologizes and asks to continue dating Chris, who happily accepts.
Ann finds she likes Chris very much, but is intimidated because she cannot find a single flaw with him, which causes her to act socially awkwardly around him. However, when a flu outbreak strikes Pawnee in "Flu Season
", Chris becomes severely ill, as due to his extreme workout regimen, he has a poor immune system and low body fat. He suffers a complete physical breakdown and becomes delirious from fever, which causes Ann (who works as a local nurse and treats his illness) to feel less intimidated by him. Later, when he recovers, Chris and Ben are called back to Indianapolis for another assignment, but Chris requests an extension to stay in Pawnee, seemingly due to his feelings for Ann.
In "Ron & Tammy: Part Two
", Ann begins to question why Chris has not asked her to move with him to Indianapolis when he eventually returns there, especially after he offers for Ron's assistant April Ludgate
(Aubrey Plaza) to come there to work for him. After Ann insists they need to decide what their future holds, Chris breaks up with Ann. However, he does so in such a positive and upbeat way that she does not actually realize they have broken up. When Chris returns to Indianapolis, Ann becomes confused about why they have had such little contact and suspects he is cheating on her. In the episode "Indianapolis
", Ann confronts Chris about her suspicions, only to become humiliated to learn he had actually intended to break up with her.
In the episode "Camping
" a few months later, Chris returns to Pawnee to work as acting city manager after former manager Paul Iaresco (Phil Reeves
) suffers a major heart attack. A still devastated Ann meets with him to try and clear the air. However, Chris is once again so optimistic while discussing their break-up that she falsely believes they have gotten back together and tries to kiss him, thus embarrassing herself further. Meanwhile, Chris offers Ben a full-time job working at the Pawnee government, which Ben accepts.
Chris proves to be an energetic city manager, encouraging Leslie to pursue ambitious, grand-scale projects like the harvest festival
she organized before he returned to Pawnee. In "Soulmates
", he also attempts to combat Pawnee's notorious obesity problem by enacting a government-wide health initiative. In that same episode, when he sees Leslie kiss fellow employee Tom Haverford
(Aziz Ansari
) and falsely believes they are dating, Chris warns her he maintains a strict policy against workforce dating and insists she could be fired if she engages such a relationship. He is unaware, however, that Leslie and Ben actually have romantic feelings for each other, and eventually start dating without his knowledge.
During the season finale "Li'l Sebastian
", Chris learns he has tendinitis. Although it is not particularly serious, it terrifies the health-conscoious Chris and makes him begin to ponder his own mortality. He is eventually comforted by Ann, who now works part-time at city hall as the health department's public relations director. Chris feels better and appears to begin developing feelings again for her.
drama series Brothers & Sisters, Rob Lowe accepted the role of Chris Traeger on Parks and Recreation. He made his first appearance on the show in "The Master Plan
", the penultimate episode of the second season
. The character debuted the same episode that Adam Scott
began his role as Ben Wyatt. Originally, Chris Traeger was only meant to be a guest role, with Lowe portraying him in the final two episodes of the second season and the first six episodes of the third season
before departing the series. However, Lowe instead became a regular cast member starting with the third season, and signed a multi-year contract to remain on the show. The idea of Chris as a state auditor visiting Pawnee, and the subsequent government shutdown, was inspired by news reports at the time of a number of states that were considering a shut down of schools, parks and other services due to the global financial crisis
.
Parks and Recreation co-creator Michael Schur
said Chris' habit of pointing directly into the faces of people he meets and repeating their names was one of the first elements of his character that the writing staff conceived. Chris' desire to live 150 years was inspired by Schur's wife, J. J. Philbin
, who had read an article which stated that scientists believe the first human who will live 150 years has already been born, and felt it applied to the Chris Traeger character. Lowe's first day of filming on the series was his birthday (March 17, 2010), which was the day his kiss scene with Rashida Jones in "The Master Plan" was shot. Lowe said he loved his character's "unrelenting enthusiasm" and the fact that he is not a romantic lead, but rather a "big, fat nerd". Parks and Recreation star Amy Poehler said of Chris Traeger: "It's a really fun character to play against because what you’ll see start to happen is Chris doesn’t want to deliver any bad news, but he’s actually like the Bad News Bear." Like much of the rest of the cast, Lowe occasionally improvises
lines and actions for his character that are not included in the script. The writers hoped to use Ann Perkins' breakup with Chris, and the drastic changes in her behavior afterward, as a way of tapping into more comedic potential of her character rather than having her fill the role of straight man
as she had in the past. Schur said: "Rashida is a very intelligent and attractive woman, and it's hard to knock someone like that off balance. And the way to knock that person off balance is to get Rob Lowe in a relationship with you."
Once Lowe joined the permanent cast, Chris' role changed into more of an authority figure concerned with integrity and efficiency, although he continued to maintain his positive attitude and personality. Schur said of this second role: "He doesn’t like frayed ends or controversies – he wants the body politic to be as clean-running and organic as his own human body. Part of the design of the character was to give the other characters a true boss – an actual authority figure whose rules and regulations meant they had to toe certain lines, even while his endlessly cheery disposition made it hard to argue with him." As a result, Chris Traeger changed in minor ways once he became a regular character. In his earlier episodes, Chris avoided associating himself with anything negative and constantly made Ben report bad news to people. As city manager in later episodes as a regular, however, Chris started imposing rules or changes around the office that were not popular and seemed less resistant about enforcing them. For example, Chris began to enforce his strict no-dating policy around city hall. Additionally, in the episode "Jerry's Painting
", Chris forcefully orders Leslie to destroy a painting when it proves to be controversial, and becomes angry with her when she tries to resist those orders.
described him as "one of the great comedic creations of the past couple years", and Hitfix writer Alan Sepinwall called it "one of the funniest performances of [Rob Lowe's] career". David Hinckley of the New York Daily News said both Lowe and Adam Scott were excellent additions to the cast, and Eric Sundermann of Hollywood.com said Chris was "exactly what the show needed to push itself to another level of silliness". Some reviewers believed Chris' over-the-top personality would be funny in the short run, but that the character would not prove three-dimensional enough to have long-term sustainability. New York
magazine writer Steve Kandell initially described him as "funny, but sorta one-note", and Eric Hochberger of TV Fanatic first found Chris funny, but likewise said he was "not sure how great he'll be long term". Matt Fowler of IGN
expressed the same sentiments after earlier episodes, but by the third season said Chris proved to be a great addition to the show.
The relationship between Chris and Ann was described by Sundermann as "one of the most interesting parts of the show and the reason, specifically, is Chris". Likewise, Porter said Lowe and Rashida Jones had developed a "fantastic dynamic". Joel Keller of TV Squad said he found Chris "a little two-dimensional", and believed the relationship was poorly handled because it made Ann too passive. Lowe received particularly strong praise for his role in "Flu Season", in which Chris became extremely ill and hallucinatory when infected with the flu. Tim Goodman of The Hollywood Reporter
said Lowe's character seemed well-integrated into the cast by the episode "Flu Season", and added "If you've never believed Lowe can make you laugh out loud, pay attention to that episode." Steve Kandell said Lowe stole the show from the usual Parks powerhouses of Nick Offerman and Chris Pratt
, and called one scene, when Lowe tries to will away his flu by yelling to himself in the mirror "Stop...pooping!", the "single greatest self-effacingly comic moment of his long, handsome career".
Parks and Recreation has traditionally experienced poor Nielsen ratings
, and NBC officials hoped the addition of Lowe to the cast would help increase viewership. His premiere on the second season episode "The Master Plan" was heavily publicized in commercials with the hopes of drawing new viewers. However, ratings considered to be low after he joined the show, and his appearances only resulted in what HitFix writer Daniel Fienberg called "a statistically irrelevant bump" in the ratings.
Following actor Charlie Sheen
's departure from the CBS
comedy series Two and a Half Men
in March 2011, rumors began to circulate that Rob Lowe might leave Parks and Recreation to take Sheen's place on that show. People
magazine reported that Two and a Half Men creator Chuck Lorre
was "seriously discussing the possibility" of signing Lowe, and Sheen himself said he would be a "fabulous" successor. Those rumors proved unfounded, however, and were flatly denied by Michael Schur, who called it "complete gibberish". Although widely considered a supporting role, Lowe's performance as Chris Traeger was submitted for a 2011 Primetime Emmy Award
in the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series category. Lowe made the decision himself because two other actors from the show were already being submitted in the supporting actor category.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
played by Rob Lowe
Rob Lowe
Robert Hepler "Rob" Lowe is an American actor. Lowe came to prominence after appearing in films such as The Outsiders, Oxford Blues, About Last Night..., St. Elmo's Fire, and Wayne's World. On television, Lowe is known for his role as Sam Seaborn on The West Wing and his role as Senator Robert...
in the American comedy television series Parks and Recreation
Parks and Recreation
Parks and Recreation is an American comedy television series on NBC that focuses on Leslie Knope , a mid-level bureaucrat in the parks department of Pawnee, a fictional town in Indiana. Created by Greg Daniels and Michael Schur, the series debuted on April 9, 2009; it has run for three seasons and...
on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
. He began on the show as an Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
state auditor who visits the fictional city of Pawnee to help solve their crippling budget problems, and eventually becomes Pawnee's acting city manager. Chris is an extremely positive person who is constantly upbeat and energetic. Extremely health-conscious, he exercises constantly and eats only healthy foods, and hopes to be the first human being to live 150 years.
Chris first appeared on the penultimate second season
Parks and Recreation (season 2)
The second season of Parks and Recreation originally aired in the United States on the NBC television network starting September 17, 2009, and ended on May 20, 2010. The season was produced by Deedle-Dee Productions and Universal Media Studios, and series co-creators Greg Daniels and Michael Schur...
episode "The Master Plan
The Master Plan (Parks and Recreation)
The Master Plan is the 23rd and penultimate episode of the second season of the American comedy television series Parks and Recreation, and the 29th overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on May 13, 2010...
". Originally expected to appear in eight episodes as a guest star, Lowe eventually signed on to remain on the show as a permanent cast member. Chris was a romantic interest for Ann Perkins
Ann Perkins
Ann Meredith Perkins is a fictional character in the NBC comedy Parks and Recreation. She is a nurse and best friend of Leslie Knope. She is portrayed by Rashida Jones.-Season one:...
(Rashida Jones
Rashida Jones
Rashida Leah Jones is an American film and television actress, comic book author, screenwriter and occasional singer. She played Louisa Fenn on Boston Public and Karen Filippelli on The Office as well as roles in the films I Love You, Man and The Social Network...
) for several episodes, but the two split up in the third season
Parks and Recreation (season 3)
The third season of Parks and Recreation originally aired in the United States on the NBC television network between January 20 and May 19, 2011. Like the previous seasons, it focused on Leslie Knope and her staff at the parks and recreation department of the fictional Indiana town of Pawnee...
. Chris imposes a strict policy against workplace dating at city hall, but series protagonist Leslie Knope
Leslie Knope
Leslie Barbara Knope is a fictional character in the NBC comedy Parks and Recreation. She is portrayed by Amy Poehler. Poehler garnered two Emmy Award nominations for Best Lead Actress in Comedy Series for her role.-Background:...
(Amy Poehler
Amy Poehler
Amy Meredith Poehler is an American comedian, actress and voice actress. She was a cast member on the NBC television entertainment show Saturday Night Live from 2001 to 2008. In 2004, she starred in the film Mean Girls with Tina Fey, with whom she worked again in Baby Mama in 2008. She is...
) and Ben Wyatt
Ben Wyatt (Parks and Recreation)
Benjamin "Ben" Wyatt is a character in the TV series Parks and Recreation. The character guest starred in two episodes of season two and was upgraded to a regular in season three. Ben is a state auditor who comes into Pawnee with Chris Traeger to evaluate the town's funds at the end of the second...
(Adam Scott
Adam Scott (actor)
Adam Scott is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Henry Pollard in the Starz comedy series Party Down and as Ben Wyatt in the NBC comedy Parks and Recreation....
) begin secretly dating anyway.
The idea of Chris as a state auditor was inspired by real-life reports of government shutdowns amid the global financial crisis
Late-2000s financial crisis
The late-2000s financial crisis is considered by many economists to be the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression of the 1930s...
. The Chris Traeger character has received generally positive reviews from critics, and has been described as "one of the great comedic creations of the past couple years" and "one of the funniest performances of [Rob Lowe's] career".
Background and personality
Portrayed by Rob LoweRob Lowe
Robert Hepler "Rob" Lowe is an American actor. Lowe came to prominence after appearing in films such as The Outsiders, Oxford Blues, About Last Night..., St. Elmo's Fire, and Wayne's World. On television, Lowe is known for his role as Sam Seaborn on The West Wing and his role as Senator Robert...
, Chris Traeger begins the show as an auditor working for the Indiana state government
Government of Indiana
The government of Indiana is established and regulated by the Constitution of Indiana. The state-level government consists of three branches, the judicial branch, the legislative branch, and the executive branch. The three branches balance share power and jointly govern the state of Indiana...
in Indianapolis
Indianapolis
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
, but eventually becomes the acting city manager of Pawnee, the fictional Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
city where Parks and Recreation
Parks and Recreation
Parks and Recreation is an American comedy television series on NBC that focuses on Leslie Knope , a mid-level bureaucrat in the parks department of Pawnee, a fictional town in Indiana. Created by Greg Daniels and Michael Schur, the series debuted on April 9, 2009; it has run for three seasons and...
is set. He is an excessively positive and optimistic person, who is constantly upbeat and extremely energetic. As a baby, Chris was diagnosed with a rare blood disorder and was not expected to live longer than three weeks, but miraculously survived. As a result, he sees every day he is alive as a gift, which results in his intensely cheerful and enthusiastic personality. Chris is extremely health-conscious and exercises constantly; he runs 10 miles during his lunch break alone, and considers a 15 km run to be "light" exercise. He avoids eating red meat and fatty foods in favor of dishes like lean turkey burgers and vegetable loaf sweetened with fruit reduction, and takes a huge assortment of unusual vitamins. Chris always stays extremely well-hydrated, and as a result of his extreme exercise regimen has only 2.8% body fat, which makes him very susceptible to illness due to a weakened immune system. His ambition is to become the first human being to live 150 years. Chris always greets people with a firm handshake and direct eye contact, and to remember their names often points directly at people and repeats their names upon first meeting them. His constant desire to make everyone around him happy means Chris hates having to deliver bad news, a task he often assigns to his subordinates. He often declares things to be "literally" the best thing he's ever seen or done, strongly emphasizing the word and pronouncing it "LIT'rally".
Season two
Starting in the penultimate second seasonParks and Recreation (season 2)
The second season of Parks and Recreation originally aired in the United States on the NBC television network starting September 17, 2009, and ended on May 20, 2010. The season was produced by Deedle-Dee Productions and Universal Media Studios, and series co-creators Greg Daniels and Michael Schur...
episode "The Master Plan
The Master Plan (Parks and Recreation)
The Master Plan is the 23rd and penultimate episode of the second season of the American comedy television series Parks and Recreation, and the 29th overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on May 13, 2010...
", Chris Traeger and fellow state auditor Ben Wyatt
Ben Wyatt (Parks and Recreation)
Benjamin "Ben" Wyatt is a character in the TV series Parks and Recreation. The character guest starred in two episodes of season two and was upgraded to a regular in season three. Ben is a state auditor who comes into Pawnee with Chris Traeger to evaluate the town's funds at the end of the second...
(Adam Scott
Adam Scott (actor)
Adam Scott is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Henry Pollard in the Starz comedy series Party Down and as Ben Wyatt in the NBC comedy Parks and Recreation....
) are sent to Pawnee to help solve the city's crippling budget deficit. Despite the seriousness of the problems, Chris presents the situation in an extremely positive light and tries to make all the city hall employees around him happy, leaving the hard decisions and delivery of bad news up to Ben. Due to the poorly managed Pawnee government, Chris and Ben need to slash every city budget by up to 50 percent, much to the disappointment of deputy parks and recreation director Leslie Knope
Leslie Knope
Leslie Barbara Knope is a fictional character in the NBC comedy Parks and Recreation. She is portrayed by Amy Poehler. Poehler garnered two Emmy Award nominations for Best Lead Actress in Comedy Series for her role.-Background:...
(Amy Poehler
Amy Poehler
Amy Meredith Poehler is an American comedian, actress and voice actress. She was a cast member on the NBC television entertainment show Saturday Night Live from 2001 to 2008. In 2004, she starred in the film Mean Girls with Tina Fey, with whom she worked again in Baby Mama in 2008. She is...
).
During an outing at a bar, Chris meets Leslie's best friend Ann Perkins
Ann Perkins
Ann Meredith Perkins is a fictional character in the NBC comedy Parks and Recreation. She is a nurse and best friend of Leslie Knope. She is portrayed by Rashida Jones.-Season one:...
(Rashida Jones
Rashida Jones
Rashida Leah Jones is an American film and television actress, comic book author, screenwriter and occasional singer. She played Louisa Fenn on Boston Public and Karen Filippelli on The Office as well as roles in the films I Love You, Man and The Social Network...
), who is drunk and experiencing conflicting emotions following her recent breakup with Mark Brendanawicz
Mark Brendanawicz
Mark Brendanawicz is a fictional character in the NBC comedy Parks and Recreation. He is the city planner for Pawnee, Indiana, one of Ann Perkins's ex-boyfriends, and Leslie Knope's colleague. He is portrayed by Paul Schneider...
(Paul Schneider
Paul Schneider (actor)
Paul Andrew Schneider is an American film actor.-Early life and career:Schneider was born and raised in Asheville, North Carolina. He graduated from the North Carolina School of Arts...
). Ann makes out with Chris and, although she was too drunk to even remember the incident the next day, he develops romantic feelings for her. Ann rebuffs his requests for dates, and finds him too intense, but the ever-optimistic Chris does not become discouraged and insists he will continue courting her. Meanwhile, in "Freddy Spaghetti
Freddy Spaghetti
"Freddy Spaghetti" is the second season finale of the American comedy television series Parks and Recreation, and the 30th overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on May 20, 2010...
", Chris and Ben reveal Pawnee's budget problems are worse than anticipated, which would require the government to be temporarily shut down, much to the horror of Leslie, but the delight of parks and recreation director Ron Swanson
Ron Swanson
Ronald Ulysses "Ron" Swanson is a fictional character played by Nick Offerman in the American comedy television series Parks and Recreation on NBC. Ron is parks department director in the Indiana city of Pawnee and the immediate superior of protagonist Leslie Knope...
(Nick Offerman
Nick Offerman
Nick Offerman is an American actor best known for his role as Ron Swanson in the NBC sitcom Parks and Recreation. He is also a skilled woodworker.-Early life and career:...
), an anti-government libertarian
Libertarianism
Libertarianism, in the strictest sense, is the political philosophy that holds individual liberty as the basic moral principle of society. In the broadest sense, it is any political philosophy which approximates this view...
. Chris and Ben even consider firing Leslie to save money, but Ron persuades them otherwise.
Season three
In "Go Big or Go HomeGo Big or Go Home
"Go Big or Go Home" is the third season premiere of the American comedy television series Parks and Recreation, and the 31st overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on January 20, 2011. In the episode, Leslie gets Ann to go on a date with state auditor Chris...
", after three months of closure, the Pawnee government reopens in a limited capacity, but Chris and Ben insist the parks and recreation department's budget can only sustain existing park maintenance. Leslie, however, wants to offer better programs and services for the Pawnee citizens. She asks Ann to go on a date with Chris, then try to convince him to increase the budget. Ann reluctantly agrees to the plan, but as the date progresses, she finds she actually enjoys herself and develops feelings for Chris. When Leslie accidentally gives away her secret plan, Chris is hurt and disparaged by Ann's ulterior motive. The next day, however, Ann apologizes and asks to continue dating Chris, who happily accepts.
Flu Season (Parks and Recreation)
"Flu Season" is the second episode of the third season of the American comedy television series Parks and Recreation, and the 32nd overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on January 27, 2011...
", Chris becomes severely ill, as due to his extreme workout regimen, he has a poor immune system and low body fat. He suffers a complete physical breakdown and becomes delirious from fever, which causes Ann (who works as a local nurse and treats his illness) to feel less intimidated by him. Later, when he recovers, Chris and Ben are called back to Indianapolis for another assignment, but Chris requests an extension to stay in Pawnee, seemingly due to his feelings for Ann.
In "Ron & Tammy: Part Two
Ron & Tammy: Part Two
"Ron & Tammy: Part Two" is the fourth episode of the third season of the American comedy television series Parks and Recreation, and the 34th overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on February 10, 2011...
", Ann begins to question why Chris has not asked her to move with him to Indianapolis when he eventually returns there, especially after he offers for Ron's assistant April Ludgate
April Ludgate
April Roberta Ludgate is a fictional character in the NBC comedy Parks and Recreation. She is an apathetic college student employed by the Pawnee Department of Parks and Recreation as Ron Swanson's assistant. She is married to Andy Dwyer. She is portrayed by Aubrey Plaza...
(Aubrey Plaza) to come there to work for him. After Ann insists they need to decide what their future holds, Chris breaks up with Ann. However, he does so in such a positive and upbeat way that she does not actually realize they have broken up. When Chris returns to Indianapolis, Ann becomes confused about why they have had such little contact and suspects he is cheating on her. In the episode "Indianapolis
Indianapolis (Parks and Recreation)
"Indianapolis" is the sixth episode of the third season of the American comedy television series Parks and Recreation, and the 36th overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on February 24, 2011. In the episode, Leslie and Ron travel to Indianapolis to receive a...
", Ann confronts Chris about her suspicions, only to become humiliated to learn he had actually intended to break up with her.
In the episode "Camping
Camping (Parks and Recreation)
"Camping" is the eighth episode of the third season of the American comedy television series Parks and Recreation, and the 38th overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on March 24, 2011...
" a few months later, Chris returns to Pawnee to work as acting city manager after former manager Paul Iaresco (Phil Reeves
Phil Reeves
Phillip Reeves is an American film and television actor and screenwriter. His major roles so far is that of Charles Swedelson on the sitcom Girlfriends, as General Krieger in Commander in Chief and as the doctor in My Wife and Kids.So far he has written the script for one movie - Happy, Texas,...
) suffers a major heart attack. A still devastated Ann meets with him to try and clear the air. However, Chris is once again so optimistic while discussing their break-up that she falsely believes they have gotten back together and tries to kiss him, thus embarrassing herself further. Meanwhile, Chris offers Ben a full-time job working at the Pawnee government, which Ben accepts.
Chris proves to be an energetic city manager, encouraging Leslie to pursue ambitious, grand-scale projects like the harvest festival
Harvest Festival (Parks and Recreation)
"Harvest Festival" is the seventh episode of the third season of the American comedy television series Parks and Recreation, and the 37th overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on March 17, 2011. In the episode, Leslie and her co-workers hold Pawnee's ...
she organized before he returned to Pawnee. In "Soulmates
Soulmates (Parks and Recreation)
"Soulmates" is the tenth episode of the American comedy television series Parks and Recreations third season, and the 40th overall episode of the series. In the episode, Leslie is disappointed when Ben rejects her romantic advances, and is surprised when she is matched with Tom in an online dating...
", he also attempts to combat Pawnee's notorious obesity problem by enacting a government-wide health initiative. In that same episode, when he sees Leslie kiss fellow employee Tom Haverford
Tom Haverford
Thomas Montgomery "Tom" Haverford , born Darwish Sabir Ismael Gani, is a fictional character in the NBC comedy Parks and Recreation. He is a sarcastic, underachieving government official for the city of Pawnee who is revered for his high levels of swagger and unmatched entrepreneurial skills...
(Aziz Ansari
Aziz Ansari
Aziz Ansari is an American actor, writer, and stand-up comedian. He currently stars as Tom Haverford on the NBC show Parks and Recreation....
) and falsely believes they are dating, Chris warns her he maintains a strict policy against workforce dating and insists she could be fired if she engages such a relationship. He is unaware, however, that Leslie and Ben actually have romantic feelings for each other, and eventually start dating without his knowledge.
During the season finale "Li'l Sebastian
Li'l Sebastian
"Li'l Sebastian" is the sixteenth episode and season finale of the third season of the American comedy television series Parks and Recreation, and the 46th overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on May 19, 2011...
", Chris learns he has tendinitis. Although it is not particularly serious, it terrifies the health-conscoious Chris and makes him begin to ponder his own mortality. He is eventually comforted by Ann, who now works part-time at city hall as the health department's public relations director. Chris feels better and appears to begin developing feelings again for her.
Season Four
In "Ron and Tammys", Chris helps Ann shoot a PSA. His determination for it to be perfect, helps Ann move on. In "Pawnee Rangers" Chris meets Jerry's daughter Millicent (Sarah Wright). The two start dating and Chris makes sure that it is okay with Jerry. Jerry says that he is fine with the two of them dating, much to Chris' delight. Chris and Millicent went together to April and Andy's Halloween party. He went as Sherlock Homles, stating that he was his favorite character. After Chris starts to lose contact with Millie, he enlists Jerry, Donna, and Ann to help him, against Jerry's wishes. Ann tells him that he is too accessible and needs to back off a little bit so he can continue dating Millie.Development
Shortly following his departure from the ABCAmerican Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
drama series Brothers & Sisters, Rob Lowe accepted the role of Chris Traeger on Parks and Recreation. He made his first appearance on the show in "The Master Plan
The Master Plan (Parks and Recreation)
The Master Plan is the 23rd and penultimate episode of the second season of the American comedy television series Parks and Recreation, and the 29th overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on May 13, 2010...
", the penultimate episode of the second season
Parks and Recreation (season 2)
The second season of Parks and Recreation originally aired in the United States on the NBC television network starting September 17, 2009, and ended on May 20, 2010. The season was produced by Deedle-Dee Productions and Universal Media Studios, and series co-creators Greg Daniels and Michael Schur...
. The character debuted the same episode that Adam Scott
Adam Scott (actor)
Adam Scott is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Henry Pollard in the Starz comedy series Party Down and as Ben Wyatt in the NBC comedy Parks and Recreation....
began his role as Ben Wyatt. Originally, Chris Traeger was only meant to be a guest role, with Lowe portraying him in the final two episodes of the second season and the first six episodes of the third season
Parks and Recreation (season 3)
The third season of Parks and Recreation originally aired in the United States on the NBC television network between January 20 and May 19, 2011. Like the previous seasons, it focused on Leslie Knope and her staff at the parks and recreation department of the fictional Indiana town of Pawnee...
before departing the series. However, Lowe instead became a regular cast member starting with the third season, and signed a multi-year contract to remain on the show. The idea of Chris as a state auditor visiting Pawnee, and the subsequent government shutdown, was inspired by news reports at the time of a number of states that were considering a shut down of schools, parks and other services due to the global financial crisis
Late-2000s financial crisis
The late-2000s financial crisis is considered by many economists to be the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression of the 1930s...
.
Parks and Recreation co-creator Michael Schur
Michael Schur
Michael Herbert Schur is an American television producer and writer, best known for his work on the NBC comedy series The Office and Parks and Recreation, the latter of which he co-created along with Greg Daniels...
said Chris' habit of pointing directly into the faces of people he meets and repeating their names was one of the first elements of his character that the writing staff conceived. Chris' desire to live 150 years was inspired by Schur's wife, J. J. Philbin
J. J. Philbin
Jennifer Joy "J. J." Philbin is an American television producer and writer best known for her work on the drama series The O.C. and as the daughter of television star Regis Philbin and his wife Joy Philbin.-Career:...
, who had read an article which stated that scientists believe the first human who will live 150 years has already been born, and felt it applied to the Chris Traeger character. Lowe's first day of filming on the series was his birthday (March 17, 2010), which was the day his kiss scene with Rashida Jones in "The Master Plan" was shot. Lowe said he loved his character's "unrelenting enthusiasm" and the fact that he is not a romantic lead, but rather a "big, fat nerd". Parks and Recreation star Amy Poehler said of Chris Traeger: "It's a really fun character to play against because what you’ll see start to happen is Chris doesn’t want to deliver any bad news, but he’s actually like the Bad News Bear." Like much of the rest of the cast, Lowe occasionally improvises
Improvisation
Improvisation is the practice of acting, singing, talking and reacting, of making and creating, in the moment and in response to the stimulus of one's immediate environment and inner feelings. This can result in the invention of new thought patterns, new practices, new structures or symbols, and/or...
lines and actions for his character that are not included in the script. The writers hoped to use Ann Perkins' breakup with Chris, and the drastic changes in her behavior afterward, as a way of tapping into more comedic potential of her character rather than having her fill the role of straight man
Straight man
Straight man may refer to:* Straight Man, a novel by Richard Russo* A member of a double act who plays a stooge, feed, or comic foil in theatrical comedy...
as she had in the past. Schur said: "Rashida is a very intelligent and attractive woman, and it's hard to knock someone like that off balance. And the way to knock that person off balance is to get Rob Lowe in a relationship with you."
Once Lowe joined the permanent cast, Chris' role changed into more of an authority figure concerned with integrity and efficiency, although he continued to maintain his positive attitude and personality. Schur said of this second role: "He doesn’t like frayed ends or controversies – he wants the body politic to be as clean-running and organic as his own human body. Part of the design of the character was to give the other characters a true boss – an actual authority figure whose rules and regulations meant they had to toe certain lines, even while his endlessly cheery disposition made it hard to argue with him." As a result, Chris Traeger changed in minor ways once he became a regular character. In his earlier episodes, Chris avoided associating himself with anything negative and constantly made Ben report bad news to people. As city manager in later episodes as a regular, however, Chris started imposing rules or changes around the office that were not popular and seemed less resistant about enforcing them. For example, Chris began to enforce his strict no-dating policy around city hall. Additionally, in the episode "Jerry's Painting
Jerry's Painting
"Jerry's Painting" is the eleventh episode of the American comedy television series Parks and Recreations third season, and the 41st overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on April 28, 2011...
", Chris forcefully orders Leslie to destroy a painting when it proves to be controversial, and becomes angry with her when she tries to resist those orders.
Reception
The Chris Traeger character has received generally positive reviews from critics. Rick Porter of Zap2itZap2it
Zap2it is an American website and affiliate network that provides news, photos and video, local TV listings and movie showtimes. The site is produced by Tribune Media Services , part of the publishing division of the Chicago-based Tribune Company...
described him as "one of the great comedic creations of the past couple years", and Hitfix writer Alan Sepinwall called it "one of the funniest performances of [Rob Lowe's] career". David Hinckley of the New York Daily News said both Lowe and Adam Scott were excellent additions to the cast, and Eric Sundermann of Hollywood.com said Chris was "exactly what the show needed to push itself to another level of silliness". Some reviewers believed Chris' over-the-top personality would be funny in the short run, but that the character would not prove three-dimensional enough to have long-term sustainability. New York
New York (magazine)
New York is a weekly magazine principally concerned with the life, culture, politics, and style of New York City. Founded by Milton Glaser and Clay Felker in 1968 as a competitor to The New Yorker, it was brasher and less polite than that magazine, and established itself as a cradle of New...
magazine writer Steve Kandell initially described him as "funny, but sorta one-note", and Eric Hochberger of TV Fanatic first found Chris funny, but likewise said he was "not sure how great he'll be long term". Matt Fowler of IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
expressed the same sentiments after earlier episodes, but by the third season said Chris proved to be a great addition to the show.
The relationship between Chris and Ann was described by Sundermann as "one of the most interesting parts of the show and the reason, specifically, is Chris". Likewise, Porter said Lowe and Rashida Jones had developed a "fantastic dynamic". Joel Keller of TV Squad said he found Chris "a little two-dimensional", and believed the relationship was poorly handled because it made Ann too passive. Lowe received particularly strong praise for his role in "Flu Season", in which Chris became extremely ill and hallucinatory when infected with the flu. Tim Goodman of The Hollywood Reporter
The Hollywood Reporter
Formerly a daily trade magazine, The Hollywood Reporter re-launched in late 2010 as a unique hybrid publication serving the entertainment industry and a consumer audience...
said Lowe's character seemed well-integrated into the cast by the episode "Flu Season", and added "If you've never believed Lowe can make you laugh out loud, pay attention to that episode." Steve Kandell said Lowe stole the show from the usual Parks powerhouses of Nick Offerman and Chris Pratt
Chris Pratt
Christopher Michael "Chris" Pratt is an American actor, best known for his roles as Harold Brighton "Bright" Abbott in the television series Everwood, the recurring character Winchester "Ché" Cook in season 4 of The OC, Andy Dwyer in the television series Parks and Recreation and for portraying...
, and called one scene, when Lowe tries to will away his flu by yelling to himself in the mirror "Stop...pooping!", the "single greatest self-effacingly comic moment of his long, handsome career".
Parks and Recreation has traditionally experienced poor Nielsen ratings
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
, and NBC officials hoped the addition of Lowe to the cast would help increase viewership. His premiere on the second season episode "The Master Plan" was heavily publicized in commercials with the hopes of drawing new viewers. However, ratings considered to be low after he joined the show, and his appearances only resulted in what HitFix writer Daniel Fienberg called "a statistically irrelevant bump" in the ratings.
Following actor Charlie Sheen
Charlie Sheen
Carlos Irwin Estevez , better known by his stage name Charlie Sheen, is an American film and television actor. He is the youngest son of actor Martin Sheen....
's departure from the CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
comedy series Two and a Half Men
Two and a Half Men
Two and a Half Men is an American television sitcom that premiered on CBS on September 22, 2003. Starring Charlie Sheen, Jon Cryer, and Angus T. Jones, the show was originally about a hedonistic jingle writer, Charlie Harper; his uptight brother, Alan; and Alan's growing son, Jake...
in March 2011, rumors began to circulate that Rob Lowe might leave Parks and Recreation to take Sheen's place on that show. People
People (magazine)
In 1998, the magazine introduced a version targeted at teens called Teen People. However, on July 27, 2006, the company announced it would shut down publication of Teen People immediately. The last issue to be released was scheduled for September 2006. Subscribers to this magazine received...
magazine reported that Two and a Half Men creator Chuck Lorre
Chuck Lorre
Chuck Lorre is a writer, director, producer and composer who has created many American sitcoms, including Grace Under Fire, Cybill, Dharma & Greg, Two and a Half Men and The Big Bang Theory...
was "seriously discussing the possibility" of signing Lowe, and Sheen himself said he would be a "fabulous" successor. Those rumors proved unfounded, however, and were flatly denied by Michael Schur, who called it "complete gibberish". Although widely considered a supporting role, Lowe's performance as Chris Traeger was submitted for a 2011 Primetime Emmy Award
Primetime Emmy Award
The Primetime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American primetime television programming...
in the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series category. Lowe made the decision himself because two other actors from the show were already being submitted in the supporting actor category.
External links
- Rob Lowe biography at official Parks and Recreation site at NBC.comNBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...