Parks and Recreation has always been a show about public service, and now the entire cast has decided to do a public service of its own by reuniting for a scripted charity special that will benefit Feeding America.
NBC will air the half-hour special on April 30, and the show will find Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) determined to stay connected with her friends and colleagues during a time of social distancing. Get ready to zoom, zoom, Zoom, folks!
Joining Poehler will be the core cast of Nick Offerman (Ron Swanson), Aziz Ansari (Tom Haverford), Rashida Jones (Ann Perkins), Aubrey Plaza (April Ludgate), Chris Pratt (Andy Dwyer), Adam Scott (Ben Wyatt), Rob Lowe (Chris Traeger), Jim O'Heir (Jerry Gergich) and Retta (Donna Meagle), and the network promises we'll see some other fan favorites from Pawnee.
It seems that co-creator Mike Schur and several Parks writers have been making the most of this quarantine by writing the script together from their own homes. 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 at this difficult time. NBCUniversal and the show's cast and producers have also pledged to match $500,000 in donations through May 21, while sponsors State Farm and Subaru will make donations of $150,000 each.
"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,” said Schur. “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!"
"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," NBC execs Lisa Katz and Tracey Pakosta said in a joint statement.
Parks and Recreation ran for seven seasons, culminating with a 2015 series finale that gave fans a glimpse of what happened to the characters later in life. As far as the 2020 reunion goes, all we know at this point is that O'Heir's Jerry is the mayor of Pawnee. No matter where everyone else is, I'm sure America is ready to welcome this ensemble back into their homes, at least for one night, and in the name of a good cause.
Leslie Knope herself took to social media to make the exciting announcement, so check that out below, and click here to read our take on the top 50 Parks and Recreation episodes. All I want to know is if we'll get an update on Burt Macklin, FBI agent.