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Can you believe it’s been five years since Parks and Recreation bid farewell to Pawnee?
Indeed, the hit NBC series created by Greg Daniels and Michael Schur aired its last episode ever on February 24, 2015, after seven seasons of heartfelt and hilarious comedy, already having turned some of its cast members into household names since the show’s debut in April of 2009.
The show went on to score dozens of award nominations, including one for Best Television Series—Musical or Comedy at the 2014 Golden Globes. And while Emmys and Golden Globes mysteriously (and unfairly) eluded the show outside of a Best Actress win at the Globes for Amy Poehler in 2013, Parks did go on to a Peabody in 2012. Not too shabby.
After 125 episodes, fans may have said goodbye to the Parks Department of Pawnee, but that doesn’t mean the show stopped living on in the hearts of fans.
In fact, the possibility of a reunion or revival continues to be whispered about, fueled by moments like the ladies of Parks celebrating Galentine’s Day earlier this month. “It felt like the most important thing I would ever do,” Schur said of the show and a possible reboot during a panel at PaleyFest last year celebrating the show’s 10th anniversary. “So I would never, ever, ever say never—the chance, should it arise, would be incredible…but as tempting as it is, I don’t want to make more episodes just to do it.”
While the ultimate fate of the series remains up in the air, we can always take a walk down memory lane and revisit our favorite stars from the show.
Drum roll please!
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Amy Poehler
The star who brought Leslie Knope to life has gone on to other film and TV roles as well as host the reality competition show, Making It, with her former co-star, Nick Offerman. She can currently be heard providing the voices for two of the lead roles on Duncanville, the new Fox animated series she co-created with former Parks writer Mike Scully and his wife Julie.
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Chris Pratt
After he was Andy Dwyer, Pratt became an action star with lead roles in the Jurassic World and Guardians of the Galaxy franchises. After splitting with wife of nearly a decade Anna Faris, Pratt began dating Katherine Schwarzenegger, whom he married in 2019. Up next, he’ll be heard voicing one of the lead roles in the Pixar animated film Onward.
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Aubrey Plaza
After April Ludgate, Plaza kept audiences laughing in films like Dirty Grandpa and Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates. On the small screen, she mesmerized viewers with her work in FX’s mind-bending series Legion, which wrapped in 2019 after three seasons.
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Nick Offerman
The man behind the iconic Ron Swanson continues to pop up on the big and small screen. Not only has he co-hosted Making It on NBC with Poehler for the past two years, but he also launched a podcast with wife Megan Mullally called In Bed with Nick & Megan. He’ll next be seen starring in the FX on Hulu series Devs.
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Adam Scott
The actor behind Ben Wyatt has since taken a dramatic turn with a role on Big Little Lies. He’ll follow that up with a lead role in the upcoming Apple TV+ workplace thriller Severance, starring opposite Patricia Arquette.
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Rashida Jones
The face of Ann Perkins went on to star in and produces her own comedy series, Angie Tribeca, which ran on TBS for four seasons. As the co-director and writer of Quincy, a documentary on her legendary father Quincy Jones, she won a Grammy for Best Music Film in 2019. She’ll next be seen in the Netflix series Black Excellence, created by Black-ish‘ Kenya Barris.
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Aziz Ansari
The comedian found further stardom as an actor and executive producer of the Netflix series, Master of None, which garnered him a Golden Globe. After a controversial #MeToo claim against him brought the series to an end after two seasons, Ansari made his return to stand-up with a special on Netflix in 2019.
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Retta
The actress behind Donna Meagle now stars on NBC’s Good Girls.
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Jim O’Heir
After saying goodbye to office punchline Jerry Gergich, O’Heir has appeared in shows as varied as The Bold and the Beautiful, The Neighborhood and Bless This Mess.
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Paul Schneider
After Mark Brendanawicz was written out of the show in season two, Schneider starred in short-lives series The Divide and Channel Zero: Candle Cove, as well as appearing in two episodes of The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story.
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Rob Lowe
After saying goodbye to Chris Traeger, Lowe went on to star in short-lived series The Grinder and Code Black. He currently leads Fox’s 9-1-1: Lone Star, the second entry in Ryan Murphy’s first responder procedural franchise.
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Billy Eichner
Since saying goodbye to Craig Middlebrooks, the comedian went on to star in his own Hulu series Difficult People, appeared in a handful of seasons of American Horror Story, and provided the voice of Timon in Disney’s photorealistic adaptation of The Lion King. Up next, he’ll tackle the role of Matt Drudge in Impeachment, Ryan Murphy‘s third installment of American Crime Story centered on Bill Clinton‘s affair with Monica Lewinsky.
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(Originally published on April 9, 2019 at 8:59 a.m. PT.)
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