Ann Meredith Perkins, RN, portrayed by Rashida Jones, is a fictional character in the NBC comedy Parks and Recreation.

Before meeting and befriending Leslie, Ann had never participated in local government, but was motivated to see the pit beautification project be completed.

[3] After Andy, Pawnee city planner Mark Brendanawicz (Paul Schneider) fell into the construction pit (at the end of season one) and is nursed by Ann during his time at the hospital.

The two develop a romantic interest in each other and start dating only after Leslie, who previously harbored feelings for Mark, assures Ann she is fine with the pairing.

Furthermore, she shows a hint of jealousy toward Andy's budding relationship with Parks Department intern April Ludgate (Aubrey Plaza).

On another night, she gets drunk and kisses state auditor Chris Traeger (Rob Lowe), which prompts him to continually ask her out on a date, which she declines because she is put off by his relentless positivity.

While out, Ann learns of the reason for Chris' positivity: he was born with a rare blood disorder and was expected to die as a baby, and so he is happy to still be alive many years later; as a result, she takes a genuine liking to him.

Ann is emotionally affected by the break up, and she begins engaging in impulsive behaviors, such as dyeing part of her hair red and making out with a patient during the Harvest Festival.

In the episode "New Beginnings", Chris and Ann briefly get engaged but decide that they don't need to be married since they're both happy with their relationship.

Ann and Chris, now married, return for a guest appearance in the series finale in order to advise Leslie in 2025.

While in early stages of developing Parks and Recreation, Greg Daniels and Michael Schur had been considering ideas for a possible show involving Rashida Jones before the concept of the series was even established.

It was only after Amy Poehler was cast as protagonist Leslie Knope that the concept of the show and Ann's character were fully developed.

Ann often serves as a straight man to the other characters, particularly Leslie Knope,[11][12][13] and some reviewers have said Rashida Jones' talent has been under-utilized in the role.

"[16] Entertainment Weekly writer Hillary Busis said, "Even Parks and Rec lovers often agree that Rashida Jones’s character can seem, well, kind of boring.

[13] Television columnist Alan Sepinwall said Jones not only plays a good straight man, but particularly excels in bringing the best comedic potential out of her fellow cast members.

[22] Many reviewers were critical of the pairing of Mark and Ann, feeling the couple lacked chemistry and were often the least funny parts of the individual episodes.

"[27] Alan Sepinwall said the relationship was ineffective because both Mark and Ann are "straight man" characters, and he called the pairing one of the few mistakes of the second season.

Club wrote of the couple, "their scenes just seemed to lay there and die: action was set up but never resolved, and the deferral contained no laughs to compensate for the dramatic fizzle".

[13][17] Several commentators felt Ann's character in general saw major improvements during the third season, such as in subplots where she started acting eccentrically after her break-up with Chris, or her phase of dating several random men.

[31] Eric Sundermann of Hollywood.com wrote: "Rashida Jones hasn't been given too much opportunity to shine within the ensemble, so pushing her off the deep-end seems to be a good decision.

"[33] Several reviews also praised the pairing of Ann and Donna Meagle, who gives her dating advice in the episode "Harvest Festival" and "April and Andy's Fancy Party".