The cast of NBC’s beloved workplace comedy Parks and Recreation are reuniting for a special one-off episode that will help raise money for COVID-19 relief. Series co-creator Mike Schur has now shared some more details about the show, including information about the plot and how it was filmed.
During a conference call attended by The Hollywood Reporter, Schur said the story will involve Amy Poehler’s Leslie Knope trying to maintain a sense of normalcy and connectedness during the COVID-19 crisis where people are physically separated.
“The whole special is not about the disease,” Schur said. “It’s about people coping with it and navigating their daily lives. The most important theme of the show is: Leslie Knope believes in friendship. She was loyal and friendly and put all her eggs in the power of friendship. It’s about her connecting with people and holding that group of characters together at a time when they’re unable to leave their homes. That’s the running theme.”
The episode is canon, but fans hoping for it to reveal details about what happens next to Leslie Knope in her political career won’t get any answers. “We made a bunch of references in the finale to potential things that might happen to various people and we left all that out,” Schur said. “We wanted this to be about what was happening in their life at this moment. There are no future Easter eggs–at least none that are intentional, anyway.”
Schur also confirmed that the special will give a story explanation for why the Parks and Rec couples, including Leslie and Ben, Ann and Chris, and April and Andy, are separated during the lockdowns.
The cast filmed themselves using iPhones, while Scur and other producers watched the shoots on Zoom to provide direction. It was a “slow and laborious” production, Schur noted, adding that this is not a sustainable way for making episodes of television.
The Parks and Rec special airs this Thursday, April 30, on NBC. All 10 members of the main cast are set to appear, including Poehler, Rashida Jones, Aziz Ansari, Aubrey Plaza, Nick Offerman, Chris Pratt, Rob Lowe, Adam Scott, Jim O’Heir, and Retta
