The show’s been finished for five years now, but Parks and Recreation is returning for one night only next week, and it’s for a very good cause. NBC has announced that a brand new episode of the hit comedy series, which originally ran from 2009-2015, featuring all of your favorite cast members will air next Thursday. The full half-hour episode has been created remotely with the cast and crew working on it from their own homes during quarantine.
With a script penned by showrunner Mike Schur and his team of writers, the special episode will see all 10 stars from the series’ glory days reprising their roles. So, that’s Amy Poehler (Leslie Knope), Rashida Jones (Ann Perkins), Aziz Ansari (Tom Haverford), Nick Offerman (Ron Swanson), 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). We’ve been promised that other familiar Pawnee residents will pop up as well.
A brief synopsis has been released for the episode, too, which is officially titled “A Parks and Recreation Special,” and it teases Leslie virtually connecting with her Parks Department pals:
“Pawnee’s most dedicated civil servant, Leslie Knope [Poehler], is determined to stay connected to her friends in a time of social distancing.”
Hey, Pawnee! Free up your schedules on April 30, because #ParksAndRec is returning to NBC for “A Parks and Recreation Special”! Together with our neighbors at @StateFarm, we're helping raise money for @FeedingAmerica. 🌳❤️ We hope to see you there! https://t.co/CYgzmwp3PO pic.twitter.com/NQoXpbmn7R
— NBC Entertainment (@nbc) April 23, 2020
The special is being produced to raise money for Feeding America’s COVID-19 Response Fund, which aids food banks across the nation and helps vulnerable members of the community. State Farm, Subaru of America, NBCUniversal and the entire cast and crew involved will be contributing $500,000 in matching donations.
Schur recalled how keen everyone was to get involved, both to bring some joy in these troubled times and to raise some money for a worthy cause, saying the following in a statement:
“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!”
A Parks and Recreation Special airs Thursday, April 30th at 8:30 PM on NBC.
