Guest Appearances On The ‘Parks And Recreation’ Quarantine Special, Ranked

The Parks And Recreation reunion special filled itself with delightful moments that added up one of the most pleasant half hours of quarantine-based programming we’ve seen since our current situation began. There were callbacks aplenty (with one curiously missing signature quote) and an emotional ending that made folks truly sentimental, five years after the beloved comedy bid farewell to primetime. If folks were worried that the political framing of the original show would ruin the reunion vibe, those fears have now evaporated. Overall, the effort was a success that will hopefully raise plenty of money for their cause, Feeding America’s COVID-19 Response Fund, for which folks can make donations right here. All contributions will be matched by the reumion’s sponsors until May 21, so folks have time to toss any feasible contributions into the pot.

The special not only contained O.G. cast members — Amy Poehler, Rashida Jones, Aziz Ansari, Nick Offerman, Aubrey Plaza, Chris Pratt, Adam Scott, Rob Lowe, Jim O’Heir, and Retta — but more than a handful of guest appearances from the Pawnee universe made entrances. Even though all of them were welcome in our living rooms, we can’t resist ranking them (and maybe bending the roles of what “guest” actually means during these unprecedented times).

8. Perd Hapley:

— The Podcasts of Brisco County…..Jr (@mountolympuspod) May 1, 2020

Someone had to come in last, no offense to Jay Jackson, who portrayed the host that’s now fronting Ya’ Heard With Perd. Through no real fault of his own (other than exuding less pizazz than his competitors), Perd mostly functioned as a framing device for several of the more entertaining guests who landed on this special.

7. Dennis Feinstein:

— Erin Qualey (@miffedcupcake) May 1, 2020

The first Pawnee-based commercial came from Dennis Feinstein, who’s now shilling a “Miracle Cure” that he’s snake-oil-salesman-ing all over the place. It’s a relevant tactic, of course, given what’s going down in White House press conferences and ultra-right-wing podcasts every day. And Jason Mantzoukas absolutely crushed the skeevy vibe while claiming that this potion-scent would kill any virus upon contact. This is actually a frightening interlude, so that takes away a few points toward the goal of becoming the “winner” within what’s otherwise a feel-good reunion.

6. Joan Callamezzo:

— Meaghan Darwish (@meag_darwish) May 1, 2020

Mo Collins’ talk show queen, now host of At Home With Joan, got in a few decent (and drunken) wisecracks about Jennifer Lopes and her own unique way of receiving an EGOT. The segment was amusing enough, although Callamezzo (also) hits a little too close to home for all of us who are scarfing wine during the new Saturday night quarantine shuffle. Dare I say that Joan probably needed to up her game with a few gimmicks That’s why she’s missing out on a higher ranking.

5. Dr. Jeremy Jamm:

— hellawashed (@hellawashed) May 1, 2020

Now, this guy’s got your gimmicks. Jon Glaser’s dentist character is perfectly willing to help out folks who are in dire need of dental care by selling them the drills to get the job done. Yikes, but this qualifies as morbidly amusing stuff, given that many of us are now wary of even getting a dental cleaning (or any other procedures that aren’t emergencies) anytime in the near future. The robe and the hair are also wildly on point here.

4. Tammy II:

— Parks and Recreation (@parksandrecnbc) May 1, 2020

Anyone who didn’t realize that Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally are married probably wondered (at least for a few moments) how these two pulled off a wonderful stunt without upsetting the social-distancing balance. And even those of us who are aware of the real-life pairing found this breakaway — with Ron Swanson revealing that Tammy II had been lurking around his cabin and needed to be restrained — to be a wickedly funny surprise. What a well-planned reveal, and kudos to the writers and the cast for pulling this one out of their hats.

3. Jean-Ralphio Saperstein: