Posted in: NBC, Preview, TV | Tagged: adam scott, amy poehler, aubrey plaza, aziz ansari, bleeding cool, cable, chris pratt, indiana, Jim O’Heir, Leslie knope, nbc, nick offerman, parks and rec, parks and recreation, pawnee, rashida jones, Retta, rob lowe, streaming, television, tv

Parks and Recreation Cast Reunites for Original, Scripted NBC Special

What this country needs now more than ever is to have her faith in her elected officials in this time of crisis, so who better to step in to fill that leadership void than Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler). That's right, five years after the series took its final bow NBC and Universal Television are bringing back the hard-working folks of Pawnee, Indiana with A 'Parks and Recreation' Special. Set to air Thursday, April 30m, at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT, the all-new and original scripted special finds Pawnee's most dedicated civil servant looking to stay in touch with her friends in the midst of self-quarantines and social distancing.

Joining Poehler on the 30-minute special are Rashida Jones, Aziz Ansari, Nick Offerman, Aubrey Plaza, Chris Pratt, Adam Scott, Rob Lowe, Jim O'Heir, and Retta. In addition, several familiar faces from the Pawnee populace are expected to make an appearance in the special, which will be the first scripted show to air on broadcast network that addresses the current coronavirus pandemic. For executive producer Michael Schur, the time seemed right to get the band back together, especially for a worthy cause: "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!"

Aside from being a great opportunity to spend a little quality time with some old on-screen friends, the special is also being used to raise funds for Feeding America's COVID-19 Response Fund, which enables food banks to secure the resources they need to serve the most vulnerable members of our communities during these difficult times (and you can make a donation now by visiting their site here). State Farm and Subaru of America will each make matching donations of $150,000 and, combined with NBCUniversal and the writers, producers, and cast members of Parks and Recreation, a total of $500,000 in matching donations will be made through May 21.

Parks and Recreation is a production of Deedle-Dee Productions, Fremulon, 3 Arts Entertainment, and Universal Television. Schur, Greg Daniels, Howard Klein, David Miner, Morgan Sackett, and Dean Holland serve as executive producers for the series.

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