'Parks and Recreation' Revival Coming Next Week
by EG
It took a global pandemic to make it happen, but Parks and Recreation is coming back. The series' entire cast will reunite (sort of) for a one-time special next week on NBC. The special will raise money for a charity focused on providing food for pandemic-stricken communities. Read on for details.
This is lit'rally amazing news.
The cast of Parks and Recreation will reunite for a half-hour NBC special on April 30 to benefit Feeding America. The show will find Pawnee, Indiana's most dedicated public servant, Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler), determined to stay connected with her friends and colleagues during a time of social distancing.
All of the show's core cast — Poehler, Rashida Jones, Aziz Ansari, Nick Offerman, Aubrey Plaza, Chris Pratt, Adam Scott, Rob Lowe, Jim O’Heir and Retta — will return for the special. NBC says some other familiar faces from Pawnee may return as well. Co-creator Mike Schur and several Parks writers collaborated on the show. (Watch Poehler announce the special in the video, below.)
Leslie Knope wants to let you in on a secret... On April 30, #ParksAndRec is returning to NBC for “A Parks and Recreation Special”. Our workplace proximity associates, along with our neighbors at @StateFarm, are raising money for @FeedingAmerica. Join us! https://t.co/YuyWBTYmrH pic.twitter.com/ZId6Lq3rkJ
— Parks and Recreation (@parksandrecnbc) April 23, 2020
The special will raise money for Feeding America's COVID-19 Response Fund, which helps food banks secure the resources they need to serve the most vulnerable members of their communities. Sponsors State Farm and Subaru will each make matching donations of $150,000, and combined with NBCUniversal and the cast and producers of Parks and Recreation, a total of $500,000 in matching donations will be made through May 21.
"Like a lot of other people, we were looking for ways to help and felt that bringing these characters back for a night could raise some money,” Schur said Thursday in a statement. “I sent a hopeful email to the cast and they all got back to me within 45 minutes. Our old Parks and Rec team has put together one more 30-minute slice of (quarantined) Pawnee life and we hope everyone enjoys it. And donates!"
Added Lisa Katz and Tracey Pakosta, co-presidents scripted programming at NBC: "In such uncertain times, we can’t think of anyone better than Leslie Knope to unite our country with her unbridled enthusiasm and compassion. A huge thank you to Mike Schur and the cast of Parks and Recreation for putting this wonderful special together and bringing a smile to all our faces while raising money for such a worthwhile cause."
Parks and Recreation ran for seven seasons from 2009-15. The series finale flashed forward to look into the lives of all the major characters, though none of them was set in 2020 (though O'Heir's Jerry/Garry Gergich is a few years into his long tenure as Pawnee's mayor).
At a 2019 PaleyFest reunion for the show, Schur said a revival of the series was unlikely — unless there was a really good idea behind it. "Everyone on this stage — and like six other people — would have to feel like there was a story that needed to be told," he said.
Get the rest of the story at The Hollywood Reporter.
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