Following the reunion of actors and writers from CW’s Arrow, another popular series saw former cast members reunite for the cause. According to Deadline, cast and crew members of NBC’s workplace comedy Parks and Recreation joined the picket line on Friday, August 11 outside Amazon Studios in Culver City. Members of the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA, the actors union, have been on strike for better contracts since May and July, respectively.
Deadline reports picketers included Colton Dunn (The Recruit, Key & Peele), Ben Schwartz (Sonic the Hedgehog, Renfield), Nick Offerman (The Last of Us, Pam & Tommy), Retta (Good Girls, Girlsfriends’ Guide to Divorce), Jim O’Heir (My Santa, Middle Man), Alison Becker (The Wedding Pact, Class Action Park), Aubrey Plaza (Legion, The White Lotus), Kirk Fox (Jury Dury, Forgetting Sarah Marshall), Adam Scott (Severance, Party Down), Allan McLeod (Life After Beth, Horse Girl), Joe Mande (Hacks, The Interview), and Susan Yeagley (Action Point, Mascots).
The series which starred Amy Poehler (Baby Mama, Mean Girls) followed the fictitious parks and recreation department in a small Indiana town. Modeled after NBC’s successful workplace mockumentary, The Office, Parks and Rec as it is commonly called, aired from 2009 to 2015 and was created by Greg Daniels (Upload, Space Force) and Michael Schur (Brooklyn-Nine-Nine, Rutherford Falls).
In addition to the human cast members, a special animal cast member appeared on the picket line. Deadline reports Plaza brought along Lil’ Sebastian, the miniature pony who served as the fictitious city, Pawnee’s, mascot. View photos of the cast and crew’s demonstration below.
WGA Board Candidate Jonterri Gadson posted photos of her joined by Schwartz as well as actors Sam Elliott (1883, A Star is Born) and Offerman.
Gadson’s Twitter thread also showed off Lil’ Sebastian stomping the concrete with the other demonstrators.
Yeagley shared photos of the reunited cast on her Instagram page, according to Deadline. She stated, “Parks and Recreation Day on the picket lines. What a thrill to see the sweet family again. One day longer. One day stronger.”
The WGA strike recently crossed the 100-day threshold as they demand new contracts that include better compensation regarding base writer pay and residuals, benefits, and rules addressing the studios’ use of AI. It has been just over a month for members of SAG-AFTRA who in addition to standards regarding the use of AI, are seeking improved residuals from streaming and other benefits improvements. The WGA recently met with the AMPTP on Friday for pre-negotiations. The dual strikes have halted several series and delayed other productions. It also forced the Emmys to reschedule from its September date to January 2024.