One-off special for charity

The cast of Parks & Recreation are to reunite five years after the hit sitcom ended

Stars including Amy Poehler, Rashida Jones, Chris Pratt, Aziz Ansari, Nick Offerman and Rob Lowe will all reprise their roles for a charity special.

In the story, Pawnee’s dedicated civil servant, Leslie Knope (Poehler), tries to stay connected to her friends in a time of social distancing.

Executive producer Mike Schur said: ‘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!’

The new episode will be filmed inside each cast member's house and air in the US on April 30 – although there is no news yet on whether it will be available elsewhere. Sky Comedy reruns the original series in the UK.

Lisa Katz and Tracey Pakosta from broadcaster NBC said: ‘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 & Recreation for putting this wonderful special together and bringing a smile to all our faces while raising money for such a worthwhile cause.’

Parks and Rec was nominated for 14 Emmys in its six-year run, but never won one. 

Money raised from the special will go to Feeding America.

• Saturday Night Live is airing a second SNL At Home episode this weekend, following the success of a similar lockdown episode a fortnight ago.

Published: 24 Apr 2020