Just say Knope! The cast of “Parks and Recreation” (8:30 p.m., NBC, TV-PG) return for a one-time charity special to raise funds for Feeding America’s COVID-19 Response Fund.
Set in the present day during our current pandemic, Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) tries to rally her colleagues (Nick Offerman, Aubrey Plaza, Rashida Jones, Adam Scott, Retta, Rob Lowe, Chris Pratt, Aziz Ansari, and Jim O’Heir) to see what they can do for the citizens of Pawnee. This Zoom-centric theme allows the cast to work from home while still appearing “together.”
The cast of “Parks” has certainly been busy. Poehler and Offerman appear together on NBC’s craft-related series “Making it.”
Offerman also stars in “Devs,” a remarkable series about quantum computing and the nature of reality, streaming on Hulu.
Poehler has served as a producer and director on the Netflix series “Russian Dolls,” she has provided two voices for the animated Fox series “Duncanville” and produced the deranged Adult Swim series “Three Busy Debras.”
Rob Lowe does double duty for Fox, hosting “Mental Samurai” (9 p.m., r, Fox, TV-PG) and starring in their police procedural “9-1-1: Lone Star.”
Rashida Jones co-stars in the Kenya Barris comedy “#blackAF,” now streaming on Netflix. Jones co-wrote a 2016 episode, “Nosedive,” for “Black Mirror,” about a future world dominated by a social media ratings app that creates a virtual caste system. It seems more prescient every day.
Greg Daniels, a writer/creator for “Parks and Recreation” has a new series, “The Upload,” debuting tomorrow on Amazon Prime.
A “Parks and Recreation” clip show (8 p.m.) will precede the special.
— Tonight marks the season finale for Fox’s “Last Man Standing” (8 p.m., Fox, TV-PG). At their best, three-camera sitcoms can work like brilliant little plays, a wonderful place to explore character and dialogue. “Frasier” remains the best example of a sitcom that wears its theatricality on its sleeve.
At their worst, such sitcoms can seem stagy and the dialogue forced. It’s amazing that such old pros like Tim Allen and Nancy Travis can sound so stilted. But in “Last Man” they seem like two amnesiacs encountering each other, as if for the first time.
The gales of canned laughter don’t help. Neither does the set design. Mike (Allen) seems to work in a mall and return to a home with all of the personal touches of Hyatt.
Mike seems most comfortable at the end of the show, when he gets to “explain” things with his little Vlog. “Last Man” wears its ideology on its sleeve. And such sermons lend themselves better to monologues. Perhaps that’s why so many of the conversations on “Last” seem strained and unnatural. Everybody’s talking past each other.
A repeat “Last Man” (8:30 p.m.) follows the finale.
TONIGHT’S OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
— NBC’s Hallmark-like weepy “Council of “Dads” (9 p.m., r and 10 p.m., NBC, TV-14) begins its regular run.
— An FBI agent (Keanu Reeves) infiltrates a gang of bank-robbing surfers in the 1991 thriller Point Break (8 p.m., Freeform, TV-14).
— Tragedy strikes at a bowling alley disaster on “Station 19” (9 p.m., ABC, TV-14).
— Fighting City Hall on “Tommy” (10 p.m., CBS, TV-PG).
— Annalise suspects everybody on “How to Get Away with Murder” (10 p.m., ABC, TV-PG).
— Ryn discovers a haven for wounded mermaids on “Siren” (10 p.m., Freeform, TV-14).
— “Better Things” (10 p.m., FX, TV-MA) wraps up its fourth season.
CULT CHOICE
— Al Pacino and John Cazale star as hapless bank robbers in the 1975 thriller “Dog Day Afternoon” (10:15 p.m., TCM), directed by Sidney Lumet.
SERIES NOTES
Secrets and lies on “Young Sheldon” (8 p.m., CBS, TV-PG) … Jimmy Kimmel hosts “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” (8 p.m., ABC, TV-PG) … The Gala becomes a battleground on “Katy Keene” (8 p.m., CW, TV-14) … On two helpings of “Man With a Plan” (CBS, TV-PG), unmoored (8 p.m.), Adam harbors suspicions (9 p.m.).
Tax problems on “In the Dark” (9 p.m., CW, TV-14) … Blind dates on “Broke” (9:30 p.m., CBS, TV-PG).
LATE NIGHT
“The Daily Show with Trevor Noah” (11 p.m., Comedy Central) practices social distancing … Chris O’Dowd appears on “Conan” (11 p.m., TBS, TV-14) … Paul Giamatti is booked on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” (11:35 p.m., CBS) … Jimmy Fallon welcomes Seth MacFarlane, Gigi Hadid and Thom Yorke on “The Tonight Show” (11:35 p.m., NBC) … Mandy Moore appears on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (11:35 p.m., ABC) … Machine Gun Kelly and Travis Barker appear on “The Late Late Show with James Corden” (12:37 a.m., CBS).
