There are many, many shows I’ve watched that have mocked and belittled fan culture in a way that, as a fan myself, I have found disrespectful and degrading. Parks is the exception. Parks doesn’t just thank fans for their loyalty, given its total reliance on a cult following to counter modest ratings, Parks lovingly represents the fans. Most of its characters have expressed their love for some aspect of pop culture, but none with more fervour and consistency than Ben Wyatt. He is the show’s charming nerd, from his Star Trek fan fiction writing to his admiration of Fringe’s apparently impressive lack of plot holes. While The West Wing devoted an entire storyline to mocking fan culture (‘The US Poet Laureate’, if you’re interested), Parks has spent its entire run celebrating it. You sense that all of the writers are fans; the pop culture references never stop. There’s a sense of fun as mentions of Game of Thrones, Star Wars, Batman and, my favourite, Enchanted (“I watched Enchanted three times to get all the details right and then another two times because that movie is amazing.”) come out of Ben’s cute little mouth. As Ben argues, “Nerd culture is mainstream now, so when you use the word ‘nerd’ derogatorily, that means you’re the one that’s out of the Zeitgeist.” You tell ‘em, Ben! Added to his fanboy nature, Ben is a kind, loyal soul and one of the show’s greatest comedic assets (although I couldn’t name a weak link). In the first seasons of the show, it was hard to imagine any man who could match up to Leslie, but as they began their love story, it became clear that, by some miracle, she had found that man. In Ben, Parks managed to represent nerd culture a way I’ve never seen it represented elsewhere on TV (side-eye to TBBT) and a way to overcome the mountainous obstacle of finding a deserving love interest for Leslie Knope. That’s some feat.
