Community

[Alastor]

Just discovered this show this year and I absolutely love it. The show is based on a study group in a community collage and uses a lot of meta-humour which makes it really unique from other comedies out there. I love how the most absurd and minor thing that happens in earlier episodes can turn up to be major plot devices in later episodes. Takes a lot for the writing team to tie them up.

I find it hilarious that the most absurd portrayal of group dynamic on television is actually the most honest. I find many similarities to personalities in different cliques in life with the characters in the show.

I am currently catching up on the third season of the show. Seeing as the ratings were not stellar and actually quite bad, I hope they don't get cancelled before the writers can end it on their own terms. Anyone else a fan?

 

[George Steele's Barber]

Right now Community is signed on to do 13 more episodes. Unfortunately the shows creator and showrunner, Dan Harmon is leaving that role to do other things. This doesn't mean the show is going to suck but it's scary to think of what it will become. Also unfortunately, the show is not owned by NBC (I think it is owned by Sony) so the network is not as committed to it. On top of that NBC is moving it to Wednesday. Hopefully it won't be up against Modern Family.

I have a strong belief that once people start watching full season DVDs and syndication their audience will increase. I am not however sure if they've reached enough episodes to go to syndication. TNT or TBS would do very well with reruns of this show. I already will watch each episode twice before I delete it from my DVR.

I'm kind of a Community nutjob. It is definitely my favorite show on TV, I think it still has legs and room to do better but the future of it looks kind of bleak.

 

[INDYjon22]

Definitely one of the better shows on TV right now, but the good people at NBC just don't understand how to handle this gem. Harmon is abrasive and pushy at times but he is a comedic genius, and is possibly the heart and soul of the show. I fear that the writing may now fall flat since he is no longer heading the show. That said, 13 episodes is better then no episodes and I still hope that the viewership will increase next season thus encouraging NBC to call for more episodes and extend it more seasons. However, I don't know if the Friday time slot will help that at all since a lot of people are out on Fridays and won't tune in. I will, but once again this is a situation of NBC mismanaging its shows.

 

[Alastor]

I am really bumped about the firing of the Harmon. Just when I am getting into the show the creator gets fired. >.< To be honest, I think the show will be cancelled after the 13 episodes to make it available for syndication. I won't entirely blame NBC. I think TBBT being on the same timeslot probably make it impossible for Community to gain new viewers. NBC seem to be the network that give weird meta humour a chance compared to other networks that prefer comedies with a safer salespitch.

 

[Muffin Top Merkley]

Community is 100% my favorite show on TV right now. Certainly it's the funniest, which is why I'm surprised that it doesn't have NBC's fully support. NBC has never really marketed or advertised the show since the very beginning. Seriously, when was the last time you saw an advert for Community that didn't air just before the episode started saying it was "on next"? I surely can't think of one.

I'm also firmly in the believe that NBC wants the show to fail so they can cancel it without facing too much backlash. They won't market the show, they but it on a hiatus for months, and then barely advertised it's return, they've moved the show to Friday nights (which is a deathkill for any comedy) and now they've let Dan Harmon go. Something doesn't set right with me about it all.

Dan Harmon no longer being the show's Showrunner and Producer really worries me. Sure, he's being billed as an "Advisor" to the show, but I think a lot of Community's charm rested in his vision. I can't help but think that the show will now either play it safe and lose part of what makes it special, or it will try too hard and that it will show. I'm already preparing my speech for Community's funeral, which I assume will be after Season 4.

NBC ordering only thirteen episodes doesn't worry me as I've read they they plan on having shorter seasons for a lot of their comedies so I assume this just falls into their new plan.

 

[Alastor]

Just finished the current season, and it was a blast and I think the creators wrote a season finale that was a decent series finale by giving closure to the main characters stories. As with any show set in a school setting, what happens when the main characters have to graduate after 3 to 4 years? I was looking forward to Dan Harmon's take on that. LoL

 

[INDYjon22]

Well, the thing is it's not a typical 4 years and your done college. Community school students don't have to work under the pressures of a four year degree. They can take as long as they want to complete their work because the demands aren't as high and the school isn't expensive. My best friend has been going to a community college for close to 6 years now because he can take a few classes at a low price, as well as have a fairly free schedule to do other things. That's why this show could last for easily 7 season, though it shouldn't. As the popular saying goes, 6 seasons and a movie. That's all I want and that's what I hope we get.

 

[jmt225]

I watched season 1 throughout this week and the show is just terrific. There is not one unlikable character in the main crew, and the constant pop culture references are always brilliant.

But what really makes this show great is the heart it has. It's a very, very sweet show, and that's usually how I prefer my comedy. A show like Arrested Development never registered with me because nearly everyone in it always carried with them the illest of intentions for the other characters on the show, whereas with Community the characters strive to be good people and do good things. It's simply the type of show that makes you feel good after watching, while also providing you with non-stop laughter. A+ show in my book.

 

[Alastor]

[YOUTUBE]7LV7M_WeGX8[/YOUTUBE]

I am suffering from Community withdrawal and was glad to find this. Liked the cheapshot at animal practice at the end by the Dean. I do not understand how Whitney got called back first before community to replace that cancelled sitcom. My guess is NBC value Whitney Cummings as a writer/producer and do not want to strain relationship with her by cancelling her bland comedy.

Hopefully I can get to watch season 4 before the end of the year.

 

[Alastor]

Big major Bump for the new season finally arriving.
Camera angle and lightning were different from previous seasons.
Loved the many inside jokes and references in the season premiere. The writing still retain the witty ironic/sarcastic nature, but the pacing of the show is different making it feel less Community and more like the new showrunners' Happy Endings. Felt they tried to cramp in too many ideas into one episode, leaving them not fully explored.

The absurd stuff didn't tie in with the story/character development ala Harmon style but I'll give that a past since the new guys main objective for the premiere is to appeal to fans to trust them with the show and it worked on me.

IMO it is a good start for a post-Harmon Community in probably its last season.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

I enjoyed the season premiere. Knowing all the backstage gossip and not knowing what to expect with Harmon gone is kind of a distraction though. However the story was pretty standard Greendale insanity. Abed's imagination wasn't necessarily funny but it felt like a great parody of the crap coming from other sitcoms. The things that stood out for me:

1. Fred Willard as Abed's imaginary Pierce was great casting
2. Greendale Babies (Inception) was awesome, I'm hoping for it to become a spinoff
3. Jeff and the dean had great chemistry on the dance floor
4. I have no recollection of where Chang ended last season but it's good to see he's still in the cast
5. I think Annie's boobs got bigger

 

[Alastor]

I think the monkey is still the same size and didn't get bigger.

 

[Alastor]

Anyone here still watches this? Season 4 has been very up and down, mostly down.
Feels like a tribute season where they recycle every fan favourite ideas from the previous 3 seasons. Blatant fan-service this season but hopefully they can give the series a decent closure.

 

[JGlass]

Anyone here still watches this? Season 4 has been very up and down, mostly down.
Feels like a tribute season where they recycle every fan favourite ideas from the previous 3 seasons. Blatant fan-service this season but hopefully they can give the series a decent closure.

Right on the money with that one. Thing is, the fan service is going to waste since what the fans really want is funny content.

That said, there have been a few good episodes this season, but none as memorable as, say, the paintball episodes or chicken finger episodes.

 

[Alastor]

Right on the money with that one. Thing is, the fan service is going to waste since what the fans really want is funny content.

That said, there have been a few good episodes this season, but none as memorable as, say, the paintball episodes or chicken finger episodes.

I guess my issue with the new season is they don't know whether to create their own version of Harmon-less community by developing the characters further or attempt to recreate the old community cliches to retain old viewers. End result is a mixture of both that made the cliches out of place most of the time instead of being a funny Easter egg for long time viewers.

Though the latest few episodes have vastly improved in the balance of new storylines paired with old cliches. Blatant fan service of dark timeline notwithstanding.

 

[Pay Per Ghost]

Agree with the hit and miss season, that being said, still my favourite show on next to HIMYM and Boardwalk Empire (that needs a thread).


Didn't know Harmon left but it is, as Georgy said, a distraction. anyhoo, I expect some good laughs this season as the cast has good chemistry together.


-the 16-bit Hawthorne Empire Game episode. That was Tits!

 

[Alastor]

The body switching episode was a blast. Great mix of absurdness and heart which was lacking in earlier episodes of the season.

What drew me to this show in earlier seasons was no matter how absurd the premise seem to be, they always remain grounded in reality in some plausible ways. The Dean was a hoot especially at the end. Finally some character development for Troy and Britta. Pity Annie devolved into being a school girl with a crush again.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

I really like this week too. The most stand out performance was Dean Pelton. I kept having to have to listen closely to see if he was really doing a Jeff impression or if the were using a voice-over. Very good episode and I've been high on this season all around. Still the best sit-com on TV althought Ron Swanson makes me question that every once in a while.

 

[Alastor]

Yup the Dean was the highlight for laughs for me too. His explanation of having Jeff inside of him and the groups facial expression was a hoot.

 

[JGlass]

The body switching episode was a blast. Great mix of absurdness and heart which was lacking in earlier episodes of the season.

What drew me to this show in earlier seasons was no matter how absurd the premise seem to be, they always remain grounded in reality in some plausible ways. The Dean was a hoot especially at the end. Finally some character development for Troy and Britta. Pity Annie devolved into being a school girl with a crush again.

Every character has basically been pigeonholed this season. This is usually the type of shit you see at the beginning of a sitcom's run, but then as the characters become more fleshed out and the writers become more familiar with them the characters become more versatile. One of Community's strengths early on was that they were able to use almost all of the characters in a variety of ways about halfway through season 1.

But this season the characters have regressed. Abed is an autistic nerd. Jeff, despite starting the season by going nice, has inexplicably morphed back into an asshole and is arguably more selfish than ever. Annie has a crush on Jeff that she has gotten over in like, three different episodes over the course of Community, but somehow never shakes completely. Troy is Abed's dumb sidekick, and while his relationship with Britta was potentially interesting, nothing all that interesting ever came of it. Britta is a character that is nearly incomparable to the person she started the series as, and that really annoys me (she somehow managed to get dumber after 3 and a half years of college, what the fuck is up with that?). Worse still, Shirley barely gets any stories and is in a supporting role, and Pierce is even worse off as he's usually just used to remind us that he's old and doesn't understand what's going on.

The quality of the stories and jokes has been improving, but the warm fuzzy feeling the show gave me is gone.

I really like this week too. The most stand out performance was Dean Pelton. I kept having to have to listen closely to see if he was really doing a Jeff impression or if the were using a voice-over. Very good episode and I've been high on this season all around. Still the best sit-com on TV althought Ron Swanson makes me question that every once in a while.

I'm like, 95% positive it was his actual voice.

 

[Alastor]

Abed was always an autistic nerd. He was still basically the same in season 3. Jeff's regression could be explained by his meeting with his father. Agreed with Annie and Troy's regression. Disagree with Britta's evolution as a character as I think it is one of the best of the show. She didn't get dumber but slowly lost confidence in herself when her self-esteem has been battered by Jeff or the group over the years. It happens to people all the time. Smart people losing confidence and then underachieving or doing dumb things.

Shirley barely gets any good stories this season yet her character has added the most depth this year. She is now a business owner and is excelling in school and still has her insecurities about her family life. Pierce has always been the old man who desperately wants to fit in.

I think with the lower episodes ordered, the writers couldn't make character centric episodes to better flesh out the characters so every character is a caricature of themselves. The episodes that focused on one or two characters were always the best.

 

[Daniel]

I started watching Community on Saturday. It's now Monday and I've breezed past 16 episodes. What does this tell you? Well, that I have far too much time on my hands, for one. And that this show is groin-grabbingly good.

It's weird. I watched the first two episodes back in 2011 maybe, and I just didn't get it. Maybe my friends hyped it up too much. Maybe I wasn't paying enough attention. But I gave it another shot (mainly due to my love of Donald Glover), and I'm now completely invested in the show. It's not the funniest sitcom I've ever seen. It's not even the funniest sitcom I've seen this year ('sup, Archer). But it's so downright lovely that it doesn't need to be. I'm not constantly erupting with laughter, but I am always smiling ear-to-ear and clicking on the "next episode" button.

 

[Alastor]

And its finally over. It felt very un-community to me even though it had all the fan service yet again. The magic of community was the absurdness in earlier seasons could be resolved without the half the episode being somebody's imagination. (except the few instances in Abed's head) The zombie outbreak, the mafia movie, blanket forts, paint ball and even the ridiculous Chang storylines. I never felt shortchanged that the show would use a ready cop out that it was somebody's imagination to explain its anything goes bravado. I don't think this would have been approved in earlier seasons because I always felt the writers wanted the show to feel grounded and give plausible explanations for the hyjinks in the show.

The episode did nothing for me really. Too gimmicky without the lol moments. Maybe I'll change my mind if I can rewatch it.

 

[Pay Per Ghost]

This season has felt the most un-Community like. Can't blame it with the maker leaving and all. But this was a show that I really followed and hyped, and it just feels like it fizzled out. I am yet to watch the last episode, but if the whole season is an indication, it's just people trying.

 

[JamJam]

I liked tonight's season finale a lot. It was a good story of how the good Community 7 went against the evil Community 7. They even incorporated a little paintball in there which has become their signature. You know every time that paintball is included in a Community episode, it's gonna be good. Really hope that this is renewed because I can totally see this going another 2 seasons. Did anyone else catch the words on the board? The first words were capitalized and made a sentence and said: SIX SEASONS AND A MOVIE. Then on the top right had the episode number as well.