00x00 - The Paley Center Salutes Parks and Recreation

[bunniefuu]

- Go...
- Go, team!

Just over five years ago, we all said goodbye to NBC's iconic hit series "Parks and Recreation".

That is a series wrap.

And tonight, the entire cast is getting back together for a one-night-only reunion special.

- We're back.
- What?!

But first, join us as we look back at many of your favorite moments...

- Uh-oh!
- [ALL SHOUTING]

... and hear from the stars who made us laugh for seven incredible seasons.

I think it's the best cast in television.

Being on this show has been the time of my life.

Welcome to "The Paley Center Salutes 'Parks and Recreation'."

- ♪♪

Tell us a little bit about this show.
What is it about?

Well, the show takes place in the Parks and Recreation Department, of which I am the deputy director.

Leslie Knope is very, very serious about her job.

She's a complete optimist.

I'm barely , and I've already landed a Parks Department exploratory subcommittee.

[SCOFFS] I'm a rocket ship!

We kind of follow her journey of realizing how good intentions are often not enough.

- That was really good.
- [LAUGHS]

I'll tell you if I did a good dry run.

That was really good. You guys are gonna use that.

We thought of the show as the comedy version of "The West Wing", where "The West Wing" was, like, about the big, gigantic international crises.

And we thought that the comedy version of that would be on a very small, local level in a small town in a small department in that town.

Ladies and gentlemen, the world-famous Li'l Sebastian.

- What?!
- Yes!

No way!

Li'l Sebastian!

- Oh, my God!
- [LAUGHING]

I never thought I'd get to meet him.

It's really him!

Well done, Leslie. Well done!

♪♪

They've done an incredible job of casting.

Everybody's hilarious and brings their own unique flavor to the show.

When the economy turns around,

I'm gonna have a ton of developers who would love to exploit that property.

But the president wants public works now.

The president?
What, of the United States?

Yes!

Could never have imagined that I would land a role that was so funny and so winning.

Behold!

The Swanson Pyramid of Greatness.

Categories include...

Capitalism, God's way of determining who is smart and who is poor.

, Act , take .

And we're set.

- Andy!
- [LAUGHING]

I just feel lame.

It's like my girlfriend is fighting my battles for me.

Well, I'm just gonna talk to these government guys and tell them they have to fill in this stupid pit.

Do you not want me to go?

No. Go.

[LAUGHTER]

The character of Andy is a clown that I have been working on my whole life.

He's got this golden retriever-like quality.

He's earnest and sweet and dumb but confident.

It's a funny combination to get to play.

Uh-oh! Nailed it.

I didn't think I'd ever be on this show to begin with.

I've never been on a TV show before, and I don't even know how I got onto this one.

Is there any job you've seen around here

that you think you might want to try to do someday?

Um, I haven't really thought about it.

You know, you remind me of me when I was your age.

[QUIETLY] How is that possible?

[LAUGHTER]

April, you're like an angel with no wings.

So like a person.

And action!

- So, I mean...
- No, not necessarily.

I just feel like there's definitely...

I play a nurse who comes in at first as kind of just somebody who wants to see something change, and then we all start to work together.

It's not my full-time job, but it's my cause.

I am gonna make a vow now that I will do whatever it takes to get this pit filled in.

Even if it takes two months.

Whoo!

Guys, settle, please. Very quiet.

How many times have I told you not to walk in my eye line?

All I can think about is Captain Mustache plowing my ex-wife.

Tom's basically like the guy in your office when you look over and he's just, like, IM'ing all day or looking at celebrity websites.

Sometimes you got to work a little so you can ball a lot.

He thinks he's kind of like the Kanye West of local government.

Once a year, Donna and I spend a day treating ourselves.

What do we treat ourselves to?

- Clothes.
- Treat yo' self.

- Fragrances.
- Treat yo' self.

- Massages.
- Treat yo' self.

- Mimosas.
- Treat yo' self.

- Fine leather goods.
- Treat yo' self.

It's the best day of the year.

♪ The best day of the year ♪

I think Tom and Donna are better outside of business.

They're better when they're just chilling and pampering themselves.

Relaxation lesson number one...

Acupuncture is great for your back and your rear.

Needles in your face, pleasure in your base.

♪♪

Let's reset.

Feel like you're really close to me. Sorry.

If you hit your mark, I wouldn't be.

[BOTH LAUGH]

Jerry, ultimately, has a smile on his face.

He can be cut at the knees, and he might initially react to that, but just give him a few minutes, and it's gonna all be okay.

We're completely swamped.
All hands on deck.

Ron, do you need help with anything?

No, we're good. Thanks.

In fact, you can head home early.

When the opportunity came up to work on the show, it was a no-brainer.

It was an immediate, "Yeah, and when do I show up, and can I do it for free?" sort of thing.

I'm not doing it for free.

I really like your shirt.

So, I'd like to talk about where you think there's waste within your department.

[BOTH SCOFF]

- There is none.
- Where do I start?

What I love about Chris Traeger is his unrelenting enthusiasm.

He is the most positive person in the world.

Scientists believe that the first human being who will live years has already been born.

I believe I am that human being.

♪♪

Action!

♪♪

The success of the show is dependent on the writing.

Our scripts are always so well-written and tight and funny and layered.

And everybody can relate to working with people that you have nothing in common with.

We need to remember what's important in life... friends, waffles, and work.

Or waffles, friends, work.

Doesn't matter. But work is third.

There was a desire to do an "Office" spin-off, but then we came up with this idea, and Amy became available.

I met Amy Poehler in
in New York City, and I couldn't believe how funny she was.

Getting to develop a show for her and to work with her every day, it's just a writer's dream.

She was, like, my hero when I was in high school, so I feel pretty lucky to perform with her.

I thought she was pretty cool.

I wouldn't say she was my hero, but, yeah, she was cool.

She was my only hero. Only. And still.

And my hero was probably, you know, Michael Jordan.

And I'd love to act with him sometime, as well.

A very special "Parks and Recreation" cast reunion is just moments away.

- We're back.
- But first...

Working with a cast that's this deep and has this many funny people on it, you spend most of your time in the scene just trying not to laugh.

- No, it wa...
- [LAUGHTER]

When "The Paley Center Salutes 'Parks and Recreation'" continues.

The most fun times for me are always when all of us are in a big group scene.

There's just something that's really fun when we all get to play off each other.

Moving on to recycling.

Ugh!

- You okay, Ron?
- Just a little tooth pain.

I'm fine. Continue.

Okay. Each department will be getting blue bins...

Ughhh!

Do you need to go to the dentist, Ron?

I don't like dentists.

Just a second.

- Hey!
- No, no, no.

- Oh, no, no, no, no, no!
- No, no, no, no, no, no, no!

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!

[ALL SHOUTING]

What the [BLEEP]

- Oh, my God!
- I'm sorry, everybody.

What were we talking about? Recycling?

I love every single scene when I'm in the conference room because that meant that between takes,

we were just laughing and having a ball with each other.

And those were always my favorite.

You will not be hiring anyone because my department is just finishing up a major project.

[INDISTINCT SHOUTING]

Excuse me.

Everything I'm wearing is suede!

Everything I'm wearing is suede!

- Everything I'm wearing is suede!
- Excuse me, everybody.

- Attention!
- [SHOUTING STOPS]

I think you'll agree that this department could use a little leadership.

Kamikaze!

♪♪

It's a true delight to be able to work with this cast.

I think it's the best cast in television.

Ladies and gentlemen, the next mayor of the great city of Pawnee, Indiana... Garry Gergich.

Everyone cheers as the balloon takes off.

Mayor Garry Gergich sails away.

[LAUGHTER]

Working with a cast that's this deep and has this many funny people on it, you spend most of your time in the scene just trying not to laugh.

Every hero struggles with failure, faces something they cannot do.

Andy had one of those moments where he faced something just like that a few years ago.

Athlete's foot of the butt.

No. It wa...

[LAUGHTER]

Everyone is funny and weird and supportive, and it's really, really fun.

- Oh!
- What are you doing?

[ALL SHOUTING]

Aah!

Aah! Aah!

Greg and Mike are really awesome about letting us improvise, and obviously, you know, to improvise with people like Amy is just a dream.

Do you like this new button-down?

Purple.

Sweater-vest combo.

Saw it at Brooks Brothers, bought it off the doll.

[LAUGHTER]

I love a moment early on when Leslie was sick and I was taking her out of her office,

and Chris Pratt, in one of the best improvised lines on the show, he said...

Leslie, I typed your symptoms into the thing up here, and it says you could have "network connectivity problems".

It's great to have that on a network television show, just sort of, "Hey, let's try this", and just throw it against a wall.

There is quite literally nothing in the world that I would rather do than take a tour of the Parks and Rec Department.

[LAUGHS]

Aah!

It's really fun when we take our small, little group of Indiana weirdos and we transplant them somewhere else.

Can't believe we're at Hogwarts!

No, that's Buckingham Palace.

Hogwarts is fictional. Do you know that?

It's important to me that you know that.

We're in downtown Boston.

Boston, Massachu... What?

No? Oh, Chicago?

Alright, sorry. I guess we're in Chicago.

The trips to Washington, D.C., were great.

It was amazing being able to work with the vice president and with Madeleine Albright.

Can we go on a road trip?

I'm up for that. Can I drive?

Yes. I'm a really good driver.

- I bet.
- Okay.

Of course you are.

[BOTH LAUGH]

Honestly, I think it's just as funny, if not funnier, when the cameras are off.
We get along so well, and we're all just kind of playing all the time.

We actually love Jim, and everyone thinks that we don't, and for some reason, they might...

Probably because we are so mean to Jerry, but I'll tell you what, nobody better than him.

Nothing but love on set, right?

Okay.

That's the best part, really, is the people that we get to work with.

Or I get to work with.

I say "we" because I refer to myself as two people.

Myself as producer and myself as actor, you know.

Yeah, yeah.

And I have a dark side and a light side, so I like to... so all those things.

But what were you saying?

Coming up...

It's nice to kind of have female friendship on TV.

Hos before bros.

- Uteruses before duderuses.
- Got it.

... when "The Paley Center Salutes

'Parks and Recreation'" returns.

Early on, when we were trying to figure out the tone of the show, Amy and I had a lot of, like, scenes where we'd have, like, girl time.

They'd let us go for like minutes with a spy camera out here, just us just breaking it down about guys and life and work and love in there.

I think those are probably my most cherished memories.

- You are awesome.
- Yeah!

And you are, too.

- Thank you.
- You are, too.

- Thank you.
- You are, too, Ann!

- Okay! You're awesome.
- You're awesome.

It's nice to kind of have female friendship on TV, which you kind of don't see as much.

You know my code... hos before bros.

- Uteruses before duderuses.
- Got it.

Ovaries before brovaries.

Ann has a soft spot for Leslie.

She just really likes her, and she knows her intentions are really good and she's got a really good heart.

And so she forgives her some of her wild, fantastical, unrealistic notions.

Would you be cool doing things that a prost*tute does?

Uh...

Minus the money?

- Definitely yes, then.
- Thanks, Ann.

Leslie starts a tradition called Galentine's Day where she gets all of her gal friends together and they celebrate their strong, individual, independent selves.

Galentine's Day made me feel better.

So thanks.

Oh, Ann, you beautiful spinster.

I will find you love.

What? Did you say something?

Love you!

Leslie has kind of female role models, and she is living in a time when politics isn't such a boys' club anymore and includes herself in this long list of women making a lot of progress.

And, of course, she might be overreaching.

The whole city is watching.

If I can't move that fridge onto that truck, then feminism is over in this town.

[GRUNTING]

I don't know why I thought sneaking up on it would work.

I'd like it to be remembered as a feminist show.

It's very, very lady-supportive.

You know what? I'm gonna get that commission going, because this inequality has gone on long enough.

You know what? I think men are better than women.

- She's kidding.
- No, I'm not.

They provide for us, and we must obey them because they are our masters.

April, stop it.

Leslie, you'll never land a beau with that domineering tone.

We must always walk behind the men.

♪♪

When I think about Amy and I think about Mike Schur and I think about Greg Daniels, the common thread there is that they're not interested in comedy that doesn't come out of heart.

Leslie Knope, will you...

Yes!

- Marry me?
- Oh, yeah.

- Okay, great.
- [BOTH LAUGH]

I think we were all relieved...

I certainly was... that they finally got together.

It was a long time coming.

You just wanted them to be happy.

Leslie, you deserve the best, and you found it.

Ben, don't you dare hurt her.

- [LAUGHS]
- I won't.

Don't laugh. She means it.

Yeah, I-I won't.

Seriously, son. Don't hurt her.

Okay, I'm not planning on hurting her.

- You better not be.
- I'm not.

Hey, Ben, you best watch yourself.

Why would any of you think I would hurt Leslie?

- You're all my friends, too.
- Meh.

There's such great comedy, but it's rooted in real human relationships.

Andy and April, they're such fun characters.

Like, every scene they're in, it's fun to watch them because they're so different, but they complement each other in such a weird, crazy way.

So much more beautiful than I could've ever even imagined.

Yeah.

I'm trying to find a way to be annoyed by it, but I'm coming up empty.

Where's all the faces?

Like, the presidents.

We're just moments away from the long-awaited

"Parks and Recreation" reunion.

- We back?
- We're back.

But first...

If you're lucky, you love what you do and the people you work with become your friends and family.

Alright. Where to first?

Your mother's butt.

... when "The Paley Center Salutes

'Parks and Recreation'" returns.

You know what they say.

Don't be a stranger.

After a day and a half of sh**ting on the finale, we're three weeks behind schedule.

♪♪

It's starting to get real, but it's very good.

It's sentimental stuff.

And it's one of the few times remaining that all of us will be standing in the same room together filming the show.

Welcome to my last day on "Parks and Recreation".

I am literally right now walking down that hallway to do my last scene as Chris Traeger.

So I'm very sad.

Bye.

If you work hard, you spend a lot of time away from your friends and your family.

And if you're lucky, you love what you do and the people you work with become your friends and family.

And that is certainly the case here.

I think I'll just miss the people.

That is a series wrap on Retta.

[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]

I guess I'd like it to be remembered as a group of friends who really cared about each other, who were very quirky and odd, but it was okay.

And that is also a series wrap on Aubrey Plaza.

[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]

It's given me a family.

Everyone that works on this show, we all really love each other.

And I don't have any family in Los Angeles, so when it's over, I don't know what I'm gonna do.

Cast and crew of "Parks and Recreation", that is a series wrap on Jim O'Heir.

[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]

We've never been a fluff show.
We've never been just a show.

I think we've been special, and I want to be remembered as being special.

That is also a series wrap on Chris Pratt.

[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]

This has been the time of my life.

Being on this show has been the time of my life.

That is a series wrap on Nick Offerman.

[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]

It changed my life in a massive way.

Never dreamed I'd get to work so closely with people like Amy.

Alright, everyone. Your attention, please.

That is a series wrap on Amy Poehler.

[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]

I'd like the show to be remembered as a classic character-driven comedy that, week to week, made you laugh,

made you feel something, everything felt very earned, and you cared about the people, you cared about the characters that you saw, and every season surprised you.

That is a series wrap on "Parks and Recreation".

[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]

♪♪

♪♪

Is this everybody?

Ann took a cab. Tom's in the trunk.

Jerry's on the roof.

Alright. Where to first?

Your mother's butt.

[LAUGHTER]

I'm so alone.

If even one of you thinks about dry-heaving in my car, you're all walking home.