Andy Dwyer

A dim-witted and guileless real idiot, but lovable.

Andy Dwyer is a fictional character in the NBC comedy Parks and Recreation portrayed by Chris Pratt. Originally meant to be a temporary character, Andy was so likable that producers asked Pratt back as a series regular. He appears in the first season as Ann Perkins' unemployed, slacker boyfriend, then takes a job as a shoe-shiner at Pawnee City Hall in the second season. Andy eventually marries April Ludgate and later becomes Ben Wyatt's assistant. Pratt was credited as a guest star for the first season, despite appearing in every episode; he is part of the main cast for every season after season one. Andy is one of the few starring characters not to appear in every episode, as he was absent for a multi-episode arc in season six while Pratt was filming Guardians of the Galaxy. He also did not appear in the season 2 episode "Practice Date."

Quick Facts

Series: Parks and Recreation
First: "Pilot" (2009)
Last: "A Parks and Recreation Special" (2020)
Gender: Male
Spouse: April Ludgate-Dwyer (m. 2011)
Children: Burt Snakehole Ludgate Karate Dracula Macklin Demon Jack-o-Lantern "Jack" Dwyer (b. 2023); Unnamed Child (b. 2025)
Partner: Ann Perkins (ex-girlfriend)
Portrayed by: Chris Pratt

Lore & Background

Pratt summarized Andy Dwyer as "dim-witted and guileless and a real idiot, but lovable." At the start of the series, Andy Dwyer is dating Ann Perkins. Ann matured faster than Andy did; while Ann entered into a career in nursing, Andy was lazy and unmotivated. After being dumped by Ann, Andy fell into the pit adjacent to Ann's house and broke his legs, then lived in Ann's house while recovering. Andy remained unemployed after school but was the lead singer and guitarist for his rock band, which underwent numerous name changes. Andy later gets work shining shoes at city hall, where he becomes friends with April Ludgate, whom he later marries after several months of dating (the wedding takes place in the season 3 finale). Though absentminded and possessing an extremely short attention span, Andy is shown to have a savant-like memory. For instance, he received the highest grade the police academy had ever seen on the written entrance test, has an uncanny ability to remember movies word for word, and is able to memorize a long list of facts for his feminist college class in the episode "Smallest Park." Andy also had perfect SAT scores, but mentioned it was probably due to broken Scantron machines. Andy's father is deceased, as mentioned in the episode "The Treaty" (season 2, episode 8) upon being asked a hypothetical question about potentially encountering his father. Andy responds, "First, I would be like, ‘Dad, you’re alive? What the hell?'" Andy also possesses a wild imagination, which helps him become a children's performer named Johnny Karate and then get his own children's television show. Occasionally, Andy goes into character as his alter ego, covert FBI agent Burt Macklin, whenever he and April role play or to solve local mysteries. Andy is a huge fan of the Indianapolis Colts and was married wearing a John Elway jersey.

Reader's Guide

Chris Pratt was credited as a guest star throughout the entire first season, but was promoted to the main cast in the second season. The Andy character was originally supposed to appear only in the first season, but the producers liked Pratt so much that almost immediately after casting him, they decided to make Andy a regular character. As the focus of the series was supposed to be on local city government, the writers came up with ideas to keep Andy's character in the show after his breakup with Ann. He eventually gets a job at City Hall, first as a shoeshiner and then as Leslie Knope's assistant during her campaign, and later Ben Wyatt's assistant at the Newport Foundation. Showrunner Michael Schur said that during the second season, the writers had an idea that "if we stayed with him for a long time he was going to be this real Horatio Alger kind of guy - a guy pulling himself up, like a Charles Dickens character or something."

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Andy Dwyer?

Andy Dwyer is the lovable, dim-witted slacker portrayed by Chris Pratt who starts as Ann Perkins' boyfriend before becoming a core member of the Parks Department. He was initially intended to be a one-off character but became so popular that he joined the main cast for the remainder of the series.

What is Andy's job at City Hall?

After quitting his band and moving in with Ann, Andy works as a shoe shiner before being promoted to Leslie Knope's personal assistant. He later serves as Ben Wyatt's assistant while continuing to support the department's various projects and campaigns.

Who does Andy Dwyer marry?

After a complicated on-and-off relationship, Andy eventually marries April Ludgate in the season four finale. They remain happily married throughout the rest of the show and are shown to be raising children together by the series epilogue.