 Offerman 's portrayal of Ron Swanson has received critical acclaim . The character developed a cult following and is widely considered the breakout character of the series . Schur called Ron " our cast MVP . " He was described by some critics as one of the best characters in a situation comedy in decades , and has been called the best comedic character on television since Cosmo Kramer of Seinfeld . Ron 's platonic relationship with Leslie has been compared to that of Mary Richards and Lou Grant in The Mary Tyler Moore Show . Offerman received several award nominations for the role , and won the TCA Award for Individual Achievement in Comedy , tying with Ty Burrell of Modern Family . 
