Community, Dan Harmon’s cult classic sitcom about seven students who bond in a college study group, is never far from the hearts and minds of either its fans or its Creators. The tumultuous production would somehow be able to survive. Six seasons and a movie was teased as early as season 2 and became a rallying cry for the show’s devoted viewers, Harmon has creditedAfter season 3, NBC fired him. He eventually returned to the show. The show survived six seasons and, thanks to the persistence of the cast and crew, low ratings, a rotating roster of talent and threats of cancellations, it has been a success. Harmon provided a brief update on the status of the show.
“There is an outline for it,” Harmon told Newsweek. “There’s a product put together and pitched out in the world. I guess that’s how real it is.” Though he added that, given the nature of the entertainment industry and its ever-conflicting schedules, it might happen anytime between “one and eight years” from now. And while it’s a good sign that the cast has also confirmed their desire to participate (during the 2020 virtual reunion), they do remain busy with other acting gigs, especially the show’s breakouts, Donald Glover and Alison Brie.
But even if the stars align and a movie does get made — particularly if it is eight years from now — can CommunityThis is a show that aired 13 years ago, and ended seven years later.,Are you looking to feel more relevant?
The community feels like a time capsule from its past
One of the main issues is the characters’ ages. Even for a show that took place in a community college (the fictional Greendale, set in Colorado) that specialized in adult education, most of them — Jeff Winger (Joel McHale) Britta Perry (Gillian Jacobs), Shirley Bennett (Yvette Nicole Brown), and Abed Nadir (Danny Pudi) were in their thirties and beyond when the show ended, while Pierce Hawthorne (Chevy Chase) died during the show’s run. The show failed to find reasons to keep them in school even though it was running. Still, there was always some “Save Greendale” plot or another to get them back around the study room table, and I have no doubt that the writers can invent another.
Perhaps the bigger issue is that CommunityToo much of its time is a product. It cannot harmoniously or logically exist without it. Some shows last longer than others. SeinfeldAlmost immediately felt hopelessly antiquated, M*A*S*HTwo decades earlier, the classic “” seems timeless. This could be due to fewer real world touchstones. M*A*S*HIt almost feels like it is in an alternate universe. Seinfeld reeks of the fashions, trends, and sensibilities of the mid-’90s.
Similarly, Community The Obama years are a time of hope and change. It is filled with warmth and inclusiveness. It is a show that unites characters around diversity, and it is shot with a liberal penchant to self-criticism. Its run ended before the ugly divisiveness that has characterized the years since, and it’s hard to know if Community could blossom in our current (or some future) environment — or if Harmon could imbue it with the sensibilities that made it so specific, especially given the predilection towards nihilismHe demonstrates this in his current show. Rick and Morty.
Its references can be both timeless and current.
Harmon is well-known for his references. They can be classic as in season 2. Community episode, “Critical Film Studies,” that pays homage to Pulp FictionAnd My Dinner With Andre(I challenge anyone who is interested to find out) Thatspecific mashup elsewhere). His references to movies and shows often endure the test of time. This allows for references that can be found across generations. Rick and Morty, “Rick: A Mort Well Lived,” that pays homage to Die HardIronically, though, the episode’s running joke is that a 17 year-old would not have heard of it.
But while Harmon’s shows embrace the classics, the writing can also be very contemporary, as in a throwaway joke from the season 1 R & M episode, “Close Rick-counters of the Rick Kind,” when Rick makes a crack at the Mumford and Sons’ expenses. While Rick and Morty, a classic for the ages, is sure to enjoy posterity, the Mumford and Sons joke already seems passé.
CommunityThe book also contains many near-obsolete plot points and references, particularly when it comes technology. The characters are always using “cutting edge” tech for the early 2010s that already seems extinct: FacebookPre-smart mobile phones, Blackberries early apps and modes of texting. Though much of this tech has developed very recently, it has evolved so exponentially that the show’s attempts to be of its moment feel even more dated.
Fans return to their favorite characters and stories.
Why not? CommunityIt is an indelible product of its time, in some ways so outdated, so why is it so rewatchable and so easy to return to? One reason is that it has many stories. The stories are told in many different genres and styles that when watching them over a couple of weeks or months, or even bingeing them outright, they don’t feel like a parade of copies.
Some examples of the incredible stylistic diversity found in the episodes include: Goodfellas homage, “Contemporary American Poultry;” the mockumentary-style “Intermediate Documentary Filmmaking;” the bottle episode, “Cooperative Calligraphy;” the brilliant Law and Order parody, “Basic Intergluteal Numismatics,” in which Jeff and Annie Edison (Brie) try to unmask the “ass-crack bandit;” and the fake clip show, “Paradigms of Human Memory,” which I’m guessing inspired the fake R&M clip show, “Morty’s Mind Blowers.”
The variety of story genres and stories are not just gimmicks. They are always in the service of highlighting characters who are flawed, not always nice — or even good — people. It all starts with Jeff Winger, the hardened guy pretending to be a shallow nihilist who can’t hide how deeply he cares. It’s a classic character type, and I don’t think McHale, playing the straight man, has gotten enough credit over the years for grounding the show so well (it’s a hard cast to stand out in, but still). The actor, who is a lawyer and manipulator full-time, had to make many speeches. And he succeeds in every one. It’s easy to see why the other characters look to Jeff for leadership, even as he looks to them for the moral guidance he never got from his parents.
Jeff and Chase have a difficult relationship with Pierce Hawthorne. Chase plays the antagonistic tycoon. Though Pierce is not quite the show’s villain (that role is played by Ken Jeong as the deranged lunatic, Ben Chang) it seems as though the study group’s exasperation with him mirrors some of The real-life dynamicsChase and the actors behind the scenes.
Because of his reputation, I don’t doubt Chase chafed at his castmates. But he doesn’t seem to mug (more than usual) or try to take over scenes, even though he played leads for almost his entire career and was by far the most famous of the ensemble when the show started. He embraces the sitcom classic of the endearing jerk trying too hard (think John Larroquette, another NBC classic). Night Court), but who the group accepts despite his many shortcomings.
The group also takes some time to warm up to Abed Nadir (Danny Pudi), the autistic character of Palestinian/Polish descent who eventually became the show’s heart. The character — and Pudi’s pitch-perfect performance — provide a calm center around which the hijinks, shenanigans, and emotional turmoil can rage. Abed notes that he is like the Spock or Data in the group. Although he cannot read social cues, he has been learning to interact with people and how to be a good friend through careful study of human behavior. Abed often plays the role of a documentary filmmaker, watching his friends with an almost anthropological detachedness.
As with the famous characters he evokes, Abed’s moments of human connection are profoundly satisfying for viewers. It is also satisfying to see him represented, especially in his friendship with Troy Barnes (Glover). Troy begins as a normal jock in season 1. But he eventually opens up and lets his guard down to allow his inner geek to shine through. The bond between Troy and Abed grew over time to be one of the most charming and entertaining television shows. Abed also did important work challenging stereotypes about Black men and Arab men.
One of the best “found family” shows
Pierce and Abed are part of the gang. Despite their tone offensiveness, it is important to embrace them. CommunityIt is one of the most moving shows about. Find your familyThis is a tried and true method in which people from diverse backgrounds bond deeply while trying to be together. It’s a fantasy of unconditional love and acceptance that feels especially empowering because it suggests we can find our kindred spirits, rather than being stuck with people who may not appreciate our innate specialness. This is how you can find your kindred spirits. CommunityCan be extremely soothing. The show helped me through two painful breakups.
As the show goes through the typical “will they or won’t they” with different characters over the years, it also provided that staple of the sitcom: romantic wish-fulfillment. CommunityThe series never shied away sexy fantasies and often fetishized stars’ bodies. McHale with his action hero body shows the most skin in the series. He sometimes takes off his shirt, and sometimes even his pants. Troy (Dean Craig Pelton) and Troy (Jim Rash), show off their fit bodies, while Britta wears tight sweaters and Annie shows it. LotsCleavage
It’s hard to say how much of this would fly in today’s cultural environment, and despite its progressive sensibilities, the show is problematic at times. There are a lotThere are many gay jokes. They are often used to mock Pierce for being out-of-touch bigots, but they still provide easy laughs. The way the show treats queer characters might feel a little more balanced if Dean Pelton didn’t keep His sexuality under wraps (in one of the few bad episodes, “Basic Rocket Science,” he is seen as A map showing truck stops and parks bathrooms). The word “slut” is also thrown around, and Britta especially is highly sexualized while also being a bit too much of a punching bag for the other characters for her promiscuity (among other reasons).
All this said, how do you explain it? Community fulfill its self-proclaimed mandate to conclude with a movie that doesn’t feel entirely past its sell-by date? One TV comparison point could be Veronica MarsAnother fan-obsessed TV show, with a warm cast of characters and a self-contained universe. It was cancelled a few years ago. Community premiered. The 2014 film was made by a fan. Kickstarter campaign was satisfying for fans (including me), it didn’t quite capture the show’s original magic. Perhaps it is a question of whether the show’s original magic can be captured. Community movie gets made isn’t that crucial if revisiting the original can continue to yield so many returns for those who have found family within it.
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