'Parks And Rec' Releases Teaser For Tonight's COVID-Themed Episode

The one-off coronavirus-themed episode of Parks and Rec airs tonight

We are less than 12 hours away from the thing we’ve been looking forward to now for an entire week: The cast of Parks and Rec is reuniting (virtually, of course) to put on a special one-off episode all about how Pawnee, Indiana’s government would have handled the coronavirus pandemic. In the week since the episode was announced, we’ve learned a little more about what to expect. And today, to hype us up even more before the episode airs, NBC released a teaser clip that shows how Ron Swanson is handling social distancing.

While we kind of expected uber-libertarian Ron would struggle with the government telling him what to do, it turns out that under social distancing rules, where he’s forced to isolate himself away from all other humans, he’s thriving. We should have known.

The Parks and Rec teaser reveals that Ron is social distancing in his remote cabin, where he hunts his own meat so he can avoid going out even to the grocery store.

“I’ve built up about a 12-year supply of venison jerky. I can ship you some. You’d probably have to get your incisors sharpened,” he tells Leslie, who replies, “Ew. No.” He also proudly tells her that he’s been practicing social distancing “since I was four years old.” That’s the Ron we know and love, all right.

The teaser confirms what we already suspected about the episode: That it will feature Leslie, ever the caring boss, checking in on all the employees from her Parks and Rec department via video calls. We can’t wait to see how others are doing during the pandemic. We imagine Tom is going a little stir-crazy. April and Andy are surely getting up to some boredom-busting hijinks at home. Anne is likely hard at work at the hospital, and we hope thanking her is a tribute to IRL healthcare workers who are risking their lives every day to protect us from the pandemic. Oh, and we’re sure Jerry is perfectly fine at home with his beautiful family.

The new Parks and Rec episode is also a fundraiser for Feeding America’s COVID-19 Response Fund, which is helping food banks stay stocked and operating during the current crisis. The cast, crew, and execs behind the show have pledged $500,000 in matching funds for viewers’ donations.

You can tune in to see the special episode of Parks and Rec tonight on NBC at 8:30 p.m. Eastern.