"Parks and Rec" Stars Reunite in a Brand New Episode for Charity
And the whole thing was shot from their homes.
It's hard to believe it's been over five years since the final episode of Parks and Recreation aired.
For a start, 2017 has come and gone, and in a world without Gryzzl we continue to be deprived of transparent, holograph-projecting phones and tablets—though folding phones are kind of a thing finally. But now, the old crew is getting back together for a one-episode charity event to benefit Feeding America.
The half-hour reunion episode is set to air on NBC on Thursday, April 30th at 8:30 EST. Along with the entire main cast—Amy Poehler, Adam Scott, Rashida Jones, Rob Lowe, Aubrey Plaza, Chris Pratt, Nick Offerman, Aziz Ansari, Jim O'Heir, and Retta are all confirmed—NBC is promising surprise appearances by "several guest stars from the Pawnee universe."
It's a bit strange for a show that spent its entire last season predicting the future to be returning in an era that looks notably different from its predictions—for instance, Verizon, Exxon, and Chipotle remain separate companies—but that's hardly the biggest hurdle that the cast will have to overcome. How do you even have a "reunion" episode when none of the cast can be in the same room together?
The answer is that the new story, which was shot entirely in the actors' homes, will most likely take place during the ongoing crisis, and reveal how the former members of Pawnee's Parks and Recreation department are handling the COVID-19 quarantine. Will everyone be on one big Zoom call together, or will we just follow Leslie getting in touch with all her old friends one by one? And how will the show explain the fact that none of the show's major couples—Ben and Leslie, Chris and Ann, Andy and April—are quarantining together? We'll have to tune in to find out.
It will also be interesting to see how a show that dealt so heavily with politics will handle the Trump era. Will such a warm, fun universe even acknowledge that we have a hateful conman in the White House? Did Mayor Jerry/Larry/Garry accidentally vote for him? Will Congressman Ben Wyatt be pushing progressive policies that can help the American people in this time of tremendous need? And how will Leslie Knope be handling the closure of so many national parks in her role in the leadership of the Department of the Interior? More importantly, how will she manage her bizarre attraction to Joe Biden now that he's the presumptive Democratic nominee for president?
Whatever else the show covers, and whatever cameos they surprise us with, the most important thing about the reunion episode is that it will all be in support of Feeding America's COVID-19 response, and the crucial work of food banks nationwide.