Since June, many notable union actors have joined the Writers Guild of America (WGA ) fighting against major Hollywood studio execs for rights protection and secure futures amidst the fast-evolving backdrop of the entertainment industry.
Among the members of the Screen Actors Guild and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG/AFTRA) picketing for better contracts outside Amazon Studios in Culver City was some of the cast from the beloved mockumentary TV series, Parks and Recreation.
The cast members who participated included Aubrey Plaza, Adam Scott, Nick Offerman, Retta, Jim O’Heir, Ben Schwartz, Alison Becker, Kirk Fox, Joe Mande, Susan Yeagley, Allan McLeod, and Colton Dunn.
The Parks & Rec reunion was one of several others to have come out of the strike–including partial casts from TV shows like Shameless, Veep, and Scrubs–and it was reflective of some of the positive aspects seen on the picket line.
But there was one surprise guest related to Parks & Rec that melted people's hearts, and that guest was none other than Li’l Sebastian–Pawnee’s famous miniature horse.
Plaza's clever sign didn't go unnoticed.
Plaza played April Ludgate, whose workplace rival was Rashida Jones' Ann Perkins.
The reference to their feud was depicted in Plaza's picket sign, which read:
“Ann Perkins works for the AMPTP.”
The AMPTP, or Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, represents major studios and streamers like Amazon, Apple, Disney, NBCUniversal, Netflix, Paramount, Sony, and Warner Bros. Discovery, that SAG/AFTRA and WGA members are striking against.
Li'l Sebastian was seen on the show's third season at the annual Harvest Festival.
The miniature horse passed away later in the season but was resurrected as a hologram for season 6.
Fans of the show were delighted at seeing Li'il Sebastian brought back to life in solidarity with the ensemble cast members.
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Parks and Recreation was a political satire TV series that ran for seven seasons on NBC from 2009 through 2015.
The multi-Emmy nominated series was created by Greg Daniels and Michael Schur. It starred Amy Poehler as Leslie Knope, a deputy director of the Parks and Recreation Department in the fictional town of Pawnee, Indiana.