First Look: Leslie Knope and Ron Swanson return to ‘Parks and Recreation’

NBC has dropped the first clip from the Paley Center Salutes Parks and Recreation special. The special will air Thursday, April 30 on NBC and then be available to stream the following day.

In the clip, Leslie (Amy Poehler), Pawnee’s most dedicated civil servant, is determined to stay connected to her friends in a time of social distancing. In her conversation with Ron (Nick Offerman) over their computers, the classic curmudgeon comes back with the perfect response to Leslie.

Most of the cast will return for the special including Chris Pratt, Aziz Ansari, Rashida Jones, Rob Lowe, Aubrey Plaza, Retta and Jim O’Heir. The series ran for seven seasons on NBC from 2009-2015.

“For seven seasons, television viewers could not get enough of Leslie Knope, Ron Swanson and the rest of the team from the Pawnee, Ind., Parks and Recreation department,” said Maureen J. Reidy, the Paley Center’s president & CEO. “We’re thrilled to partner with NBC to present this behind-the-scenes look at the revered series.”

“There has been an incredible response since we announced the all-new A Parks and Recreation Special and that’s truly a tribute to what this show means to people,” said Doug Vaughan, executive VP, special programs, NBC Entertainment. “It’s a testament to the cast and producers that ‘Parks’ remains such a touchstone and beloved comedy for its millions of fans around the world.”

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

The Paley Center Salutes Parks and Recreation will be produced by The Paley Center for Media in association with Brad Lachman Productions. Reidy, Diane Lewis and Brad Lachman will executive produce. Bill Bracken will co-executive produce.

Check out the first clip below.

• Author
• Recent Posts

Erik Anderson

Erik Anderson is the founder/owner and Editor-in-Chief of AwardsWatch and has always loved all things Oscar, having watched the Academy Awards since he was in single digits; making lists, rankings and predictions throughout the show. This led him down the path to obsessing about awards. Much later, he found himself in film school and the film forums of GoldDerby, and then migrated over to the former Oscarwatch (now AwardsDaily), before breaking off to create AwardsWatch in 2013.

He is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, accredited by the Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and more, is a member of the International Cinephile Society (ICS), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), Hollywood Critics Association (HCA) and the International Press Academy. Among his many achieved goals with AwardsWatch, he has given a platform to underrepresented writers and critics and supplied them with access to film festivals and the industry and calls the Bay Area his home where he lives with his husband and son.

Latest posts by Erik Anderson (see all)

• 2024 North Carolina Film Critics Association (NCFCA) Nominations - December 21, 2024
• 2024 Philadelphia Film Critics Circle (PFCC) Winners: ‘Anora’ Named Best Film Among its Six Awards - December 21, 2024
• 2024 Utah Film Critics Association (UFCA) Nominations - December 21, 2024