Worried you missed the special Parks and Rec reunion episode? Fear not, as the hit comedy's surprise comeback is easy to stream online whenever you want - and wherever you are. Read on and follow our guide as we explain how to watch the Parks and Rec special for free no matter where you are in the world.
The Parks and Recreation charity special aired Thursday, April 29 at 8.30pm ET/PT on NBC. Anyone without a traditional TV set-up or cable package had the option to stream NBC as part of the Hulu + Live TV package, which offers a FREE 1-week trial (opens in new tab).
The work of sit-com master Michael Schur (see also: Brooklyn Nine-Nine (opens in new tab)), Parks and Recreation can be broadly described as a political satire. It concluded its seven season run in 2015, but all of Pawnee's finest came back for the special Parks and Rec charity reunion.
Shot entirely remotely, the new Parks and Rec episode saw mid-level bureaucrat Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) checking in with her friends and colleagues during the Covid-19 pandemic. The special touched on a number of related topics including coronavirus restrictions like self-isolation and social distancing - but the real purpose of the reunion was to raise money for Feeding America's Covid-19 Response Fund.
You can still donate now here (opens in new tab), with NBCUniversal, State Farm and Subaru of America teaming up to offer a total of $500,000 in matching donations. So every time your face meets your palm watching the Parks and Rec special, remember you can also guide your hand toward your purse or wallet.
As well as Poehler's return as the ambitious Deputy Director of Parks and Recreation in fictional Pawnee, Indiana, the special brought back a full house of regular cast members, including Aziz Ansari, Nick Offerman, Chris Pratt, Rashida Jones, Adam Scott and Rob Lowe.
So without further ado, here's how to watch the Parks and Rec special online and stream the reunion episode from anywhere right now.
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How to watch the Parks and Rec reunion special online for FREE in the US
How to watch the Parks and Rec special from abroad
As we've just explained, anyone in the US will likely have found it easy to watch the Parks and Rec reunion special - but anywhere else, it wasn't quite so simple. As the charity event was an NBC exclusive, anyone from America abroad won't have found it being aired simultaneously in places like the UK, Canada or Australia. Equally, trying to tune into NBC from like you would from home was likely impossible because of geo-blocking restrictions.
We know that this might not be a likely scenario for many, due to coronavirus travel restrictions, but the fact is people are still being required to travel - and some are even regrettably stuck abroad during this difficult time.
Fortunately, there is a solution in the form of a VPN. This nifty bit of software changes your IP address so that you can access all the content you normally would at home, from anywhere in the world.
However, note that some services require you to verify local credit card or cable subscription details before gaining access, so it's always best to read the fine print first.
How to watch Parks and Rec online: stream every season
If the charity special has reminded you what a great show Parks and Recreation was - or piqued your interest in it for the first time - here are the best ways to watch Parks and Rec in a number of its biggest markets.
Our recommendations are based on services that offer all seven seasons of Parks and Rec for online streaming.
- Watch Parks and Rec in the US: Hulu (FREE trial) (opens in new tab) | Amazon Prime Video (opens in new tab)
- Watch Parks and Rec in the UK: Now TV Entertainment Pass (FREE trial) (opens in new tab) | Amazon Prime Video (opens in new tab)
- Watch Parks and Rec in Canada: Prime Video Store (FREE trial) (opens in new tab)
- Watch Parks and Rec in Australia: Prime Video Store (FREE trial) (opens in new tab) | Stan (opens in new tab) | Foxtel Now (opens in new tab)