Parks and Recreation returning for a charity special

By
Camille Rae Lim
on April 24, 2020Posted in: News, Television

Parks and Recreation specialRejoice, Pawnee fans! Parks and Recreation will be returning to NBC next week for a half-hour charity special.

In the true spirit of public service, the team behind Parks and Recreation will be reuniting for a special episode on April 30. The episode will see Leslie Knope trying to stay in touch with all her friends and family while quarantined at home. There will be lots of Zoom.

According to a report by Collider, the special aims “to 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.”

Parks and Recreation co-creator Mike Schur has been working on the script with other writers while quarantined at home. Schur shared this message:

“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…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!”

Parks and Rec - cast shot

Ron F*cking Swanson and those other people he works with.

NBC execs Lisa Katz and Tracey Pakosta also gave a statement about the special:

“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.”

All the main cast members will be returning for the special: Amy Poehler (Leslie Knope,) 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 some other guest stars may appear as well.

Parks and Recreation ran for seven seasons on NBC, culminating in a wonderful 2015 finale that showed where all the characters ended up after all their journeys. The show has been missed and a visit to Pawnee will be a balm in these dark times.

Don’t miss the Parks and Recreation charity special on April 30 on NBC.

Leslie Knope herself announced the special on Twitter:

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