How Megan Mullally Really Felt When She Joined Nick Offerman On Parks And Recreation
NBC's "Parks and Recreation" has been off the air for over half a decade, but it endures in public discourse nevertheless. The many misadventures of the fictional Pawnee, Indiana Parks and Recreation Department introduced viewers to countless unforgettable characters while providing stories that induced everything from laughs to tears. However, it's not too off-base to claim that Ron Swanson — the no-nonsense, rugged outdoorsman with a heart of gold — is one of the main reasons why the series has maintained its relevance for so long.
Portrayed by the often jovial and energetic Nick Offerman, the mustachioed Swanson was a key member of the "Parks and Rec" cast from the very beginning. Despite his distaste for governmental bodies, he served as the head of the Pawnee Parks and Recreation Department for some time and was often depicted as a mysterious individual. He kept most details about his personal life a total secret for various reasons, but some found their way through the cracks. Chiefly, his romantic history with two different women named Tammy sprung up now and again.
The stoic Tammy I (Patricia Clarkson) had a couple of brief appearances on the show, but Tammy II was a much more prolific and eccentric presence. Experienced actress and comedian Megan Mullally — Nick Offerman's real-life wife since 2003 — was enlisted to play the character, a move that paid off greatly. Suffice to say, Mullally walked in and out of the experience with total confidence that it would go no other way.
Megan Mullally's compatibility with Nick Offerman made her Parks and Rec introduction work
Described by Ron as being created solely "to destroy human happiness," Tammy II's obsession with her ex-husband led to numerous off-the-wall stories over the course of "Parks and Recreation." They remarried and divorced several times and went on love-blind rampages that engulfed several other lead characters, which was if nothing else, highly entertaining to watch. These episodes worked so well because Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally have acted opposite one another for years, first meeting over two decades ago while working on the play "The Berlin Circle" (via Cheat Sheet).
As one would imagine, with such a lengthy and loving history behind them, Mullally would be more than comfortable joining "Parks and Rec" with her husband. She did so first in the Season 2 episode "Ron and Tammy," and happily reprised her Tammy II role nine more times in the years to come. "There is a nice sort of security working together, but I also feel like we're more relaxed," she told People in 2014, with Offerman adding "we were treated like peers, like a team," after years of feeling like her student in the acting game.
Megan Mullally's Tammy II will go down in TV history as one of "Parks and Recreations" most iconic characters, and the fact that she got to develop the persona across from her actual husband makes it all the more special.