Three years after the series finale of Parks and Recreation, the minds behind the beloved NBC are bringing the series back for a quarantined-themed special. With Pawnee, IN's hardworking Parks department returning to our screens, fans are wondering if whether a continuation of the satirical sitcom could be in the cards. After all, 2020 is the year of the reboot.
According to Deadline, Parks and Rec is all set to return to NBC, reuniting the colorful cast of the political comedy for a half-hour scripted special that benefits Feeding America’s COVID-19 Response Fund. All of the show's familiar faces will star in the episode, the characters gathering virtually from the safety of their homes to share how their lives have been affected by the current coronavirus pandemic. Of course, Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) will be leading the Zoom call from the comfort of her shared home with Ben Wyatt (Adam Scott).
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Executive producer Michael Schur originally wanted to get the cast back together for a virtual table read of an old pandemic-themed episode, but he decided against it in favor of producing a brand new episode for loyal fans still missing the series after all this time.
“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,” Schur told Deadline. “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.
Unfortunately, the special is just that — a special, not a promise that the series will be returning to air. But the door to Pawnee isn't all the way closed; Schur is keeping an open mind about the possibility of revisiting its story in the future.
"There was nothing I loved more than working on this show,” Schur explained at last year's PaleyFest Parks and Rec 10-year anniversary panel. “I would never ever, ever say never. I mean, the chance to do it again, should it arise, would be incredible, but I think we’d only do it if we all felt like there was some compelling reason to do it.”
Even if a reboot isn't happening, fans can still geek out over their favorite characters by tuning in to the Parks and Rec special tonight on NBC.