‘Parks And Recreation’ Special Wasn’t In The Cards Before Coronavirus Pandemic, Co-Creator Says

“Parks and Recreation” co-creator Mike Schur had no plans for the comedy series to come back until the coronavirus pandemic happened.

The American political satire sitcom debuted on NBC in 2009 and ended six years later. It has been five years since the last episode aired and Schur admitted that he had no plans to make any revival, reboot or reunion for the show until the coronavirus pandemic shut down the world and forced the people to quarantine at home.

“I didn't think ‘Parks and Recreation’ would ever reunite; the show had a point to make and we made it and it ended and there was no compelling reason to do it — but this is as compelling a reason as there is,” Schur said in a conference call on Tuesday (April 28) with the Hollywood Reporter.

Schur came up with the idea of making a “Parks and Recreation” special after the NBC execs reached out to him and asked if he could reunite the cast for a remotely filmed table read of a previous episode. The cast were very supportive and responded in under an hour.

“If you get all 10 of these performers together, even virtually, you should do something new. We moved away from that quickly because I was terrified of seeming like we were making light of the most serious international crisis in 100 years,” Schur added.

The upcoming 30-minute special will not be about the coronavirus. It will feature Leslie (Amy Poehler) doing her best to stay connected with her friends and colleagues amid the social distancing orders. The story will showcase how the character still believes in the power of community, friendship and government, which is very timely while the people are in quarantine.

“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,” Schur explained.

The “Park and Recreation” cast members are reuniting through the special to raise money for COVID-19 relief. They also pledged to donate $500,000 through the month of May.

Jennifer Aniston and her colleagues are also doing the same with their upcoming “Friends” reunion special. The “Murder Mystery” star has joined the All In challenge and encouraged her fans to donate.

Aniston and the rest of the cast will choose one fan to join them for the filming of the special to reminisce and celebrate the hit show. The lucky fan can bring six friends to the set. They will get to enjoy a VIP experience on the Warner Bros. Studio Tour.