There Can Only Be One Way For A 'Parks And Recreation' Revival To Happen, According To Mike Schur

There Can Only Be One Way For A ‘Parks And Recreation’ Revival To Happen, According To Mike Schur

Parks and Recreationhad seven perfect seasons on NBC, and for many of its fans, that was enough. But we are in the era of revivals and reboots, so at the show’s PaleyFest reunion, the cast and creatorsMike SchurandGreg Danielswere inevitably posed the question: Could we expect aParks and Recreationrevival? Only under one very specific condition, answered Schur.

To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the debut ofParks and Recreation, creators Mike Schur and Greg Daniels as well as the entire cast — including Amy Poehler, Nick Offerman, Adam Scott, Rashida Jones, Aziz Ansari, Aubrey Plaza, Chris Pratt, Jim O’Heir and Rob Lowe — reunited at Paleyfest to talk about the beloved show and its enduring impact. The reunion reminded fans of the gaping hole thatParks and Recreationleft in our hearts, which lead to that dreaded question: When is a revival happening?

Schur seemed resistant to the idea, according toThe Hollywood Reporter, and said that aParks and Recreationrevival would only take place if an extremely specific set of conditions were met. “Everyone on this stage — and like six other people — would have to feel like there was a story that needed to be told,” Schur said. But, Schur added, “The show had an argument to make” and he felt that it succeeded in making that argument. He elaborated:

“The argument was about teamwork and friendship and positivity, being optimistic and not getting cynical and believing that people can do good and believing in the power of public service and believing that if you work hard and you put your head down and believe in the people around you who are part of your team, that good things are possible. That you’ll achieve the things you want to achieve, and I don’t feel like we left anything on the table. I feel like the show sort of made its argument. And we also — maybe this was like a preventative measure or something — we did jump ahead to the year, like, 2074.”

The beauty ofParks and Recreation, which ran from 2009 to 2015, is that its aspirational tone and optimistic characters are universal — making it a show that wouldn’t be out of place if rebooted today, unlike sayArrested Development, whose comedy style feels very much of the time it first premiered. But Schur has continued to build that aspirational quality in other shows likeBrooklyn Nine-NineandThe Good Place, so there really is no need for aParks and Recreationrevival. Schur is right thatParks and Recreationhas made its argument and done its part — let perfect shows be.

But it seems theParks and Recreationcast would be on board if Schur were to change his mind and give the green light. Poehler told THR she would be 100% on board if Schur was in, saying, “I am so not cool, so from minute one I’ve been like I’m down. Tell me where to go, I’ll clear my schedule.”

Offerman and Plaza were also in the same boat, though Plaza had previously told THRit felt “too soon” for a reboot. ““It’s hard to recreate magic, [so] not yet. But I want to be around [the cast] all the time. They’re the best.”

" I’ll do anythingParks and Recas long as the brass is behind it,” Offerman added. “I mean, the gifts that that show is brought to me I’m still collecting every day, and I don’t imagine I’ll ever feel that I’ve fully repaid them.”