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“Pawnee is a union town.”
Actors and creatives from the classic NBC sitcom “Parks and Recreation” reunited on Friday to protest outside the Amazon Studios building in Culver City.
Social media posts shared by the cast and crew of the beloved comedy series showed them gathering to protest as part of the ongoing strikes involving the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Screen Actors Guild–American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA).
Carrying signs and sporting nametags and Pawnee-inspired gear, the team behind “Parks and Rec” took to the picket line on the same week that the WGA strike eclipsed 100 days and the SAG-AFTRA strike approached three weeks.
Among those in attendance were show co-creator Mike Schur, and main cast members Aubrey Plaza, Nick Offerman, Adam Scott, Retta and Jim O’Heir.
But it wasn’t just those with top billing to show up for the reunion — plenty of Pawnee’s most well-known and divisive citizens also gathered as if it were one of the show’s bustling public forums.
Among them, Jean-Ralphio Saperstein (Ben Schwartz), Jessica Wicks (Susan Yeagley), Morris Lerpiss (Joe Mande), “Sewage” Joe Fantringham (Kirk Fox), Brett Hull (Colton Dunn), Trodd Frankensteip (Allan McLeod) and Shauna Malwae-Tweep (Alison Becker).
Legendary actor Sam Elliott, who portrayed Ron Dunn, counterpart and foil to Offerman’s Ron Swanson, was also on-hand.
But the star of the show was inarguably world-renowned miniature pony Li’l Sebastian — or possibly a lookalike. It’s unclear if the horse is represented by either union.
Both WGA and SAG-AFTRA are protesting the major production studios that are represented by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.
Among the changes the two unions are demanding include better and more transparent pay that more accurately reflects the streaming world of the current entertainment landscape, as well as firm guidelines regarding the use of artificial intelligence in production.
The WGA was set to resume labor talks with the AMPTP on Friday.
Noticeably absent from the crowd was series star Amy Poehler, who portrayed Leslie Knope, as well as Leslie’s best friend Ann Perkins — portrayed by Rashida Jones.
Both Poehler and Jones had their own mini-reunion earlier this week after the former shared a TikTok video of the two gallivanting in New York City together.
Plaza, whose character April Ludgate had a deep-seated and oft-voiced hatred for Ann Perkins, carried a sign with the in-character message: “Ann Perkins works for the AMPTP.”
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