There have been many arguments over the past few years about which TV series is better: “The Office” or “Parks and Recreation.” My personal opinion, “Parks and Recreation,” or “Parks and Rec” for short, is the better bet for your binge watching hours.

I am currently watching “Parks and Rec” for the ninth time and just finished “The Office” for the seventh time. There are many similarities between the series, and both have many interesting characters, each with their own special personality.

“Parks and Rec” is about the employees of the fictional town of Pawnee, Indiana, while “The Office” follows the lives of the employees in a regional branch of a midsize paper company in Scranton, Pennsylvania.

Both shows are based on the premise of filming a documentary, with cameras that follow characters around and frequent character interviews in which they “break the fourth wall” and comment on the story directly to the camera.

While “The Office” lasted two more seasons and enjoyed stronger ratings than “Parks and Rec,” I feel the latter series sustained its momentum more successfully.  There’s no question that “The Office” started out amazing, but by the end of the seventh season, the show had begun a downward spiral, although it did conclude end on a good note with the last episode titled “Finale.”

On the other hand, “Parks and Rec” started out amazing and finished strong. But I did enjoy the finale episode of “The Office” more than I did “Parks and Rec”.

In the end, “The Office” and “Parks and Recreation” are both great shows, and I recommend for people to watch both. But with all of my experience in watching the shows, “Parks and Recreation” is a better show than “The Office”.