The 10-Year ‘Parks and Recreation’ Reunion Was a Seriously Emotional Affair
LA’s PaleyFest saw a slew of celebrity panels celebrating all kinds of TV shows, from The Walking Dead to Magnum, P.I., but none was as emotional (and memorable) as the massive 10-year reunion that brought the Parks and Recreation fam back together again.
Co-creator Mike Schur was present, as were all of his beloved actors, including Amy Poehler, Nick Offerman, Rashida Jones, Rob Lowe, Retta, Aziz Ansari, Adam Scott, Aubrey Plaza, Jim O’Heir, Chris Pratt, and Jay Jackson.
From the get-go, it was clear that the panel would be an emotional one, as Poehler choked up and told the audience, “I’m totally overwhelmed right now,” reports EW. Reminiscing about her character, Leslie Knope, she got equally mushy, saying, “Leslie was really good for my physical and mental health. It really did extend my life, I think.”
It also resulted in some very real friendships, especially with Rashida Jones. Speaking about the pair’s special bond, Schur noted that Jones’ season 6 departure was “the saddest I ever got on set.” He recalled, “It was the end of an era, and also because Rashida and Amy were very good friends in real life. If you look at the tape that was in that episode, it’s just two really good friends saying goodbye to each other. It was devastating.”
Meanwhile, Adam Scott admitted that he has basically turned into his Game of Thrones-obsessed character, Ben Wyatt. “After mentioning it a couple of times on the show, I started watching it and I could not be more into Game of Thrones,” he revealed.
What about a reunion? “I think that in the world we live in now nothing is ever gone; everything comes back and is cycled through again,” Schur told the crowd. “I would only say that I think everyone on this stage and like six other people would have to feel like there was a story that needed to be told […] I don’t feel like we left anything on the table. I feel like the show sort of made its argument.” That being said, “I would never ever say never. The chance to do it again should it arise would be incredible, but I think that we would all only do it if we felt like it was something compelling us to do it.”
(Photo via JB Lacroix/Getty Images)
