I love Community - let's talk about it

[JamesTC]

Just finished re-watching the first five season and then watching the final season for the first time.

The first two seasons are great. The third suffers from some Flanderisation but that is always to be expected as a show goes on. The fourth is the show on autopilot. The fifth feels overwhelmed by quirky gimmicks as if they tried to cram the normal amount of gimmick episode from a full season into a 13 episode season. The sixth isn't much better but the finale absolutely knocks it out the park.

The dynamic of the show was really screwed after Season 4. I feel like they could get away with more with each character, particularly Jeff, when they had Pierce around. The characters all mellowed from Season 5 onwards and it all felt a little off. Chang was a completely different character in Season 6.

The joke about Season 4 being the gas leak year was funny the first time as a bit of lampshading. Then the second time it wasn't funny. Then the next ten times it is just Dan Harmon being a bitter prick who can't let anything go.

Hints that a movie will happen now that it is doing well on Netflix. It will be a big meta-commentary on reunion stories and film adaptations. If they can get Donald Glover, Chevy Chase and John Oliver all on board then I'll get excited.

[JamesTC]

I've just read Donald Glover's Wikipedia page:

Glover and his partner, Michelle White, have a son named Legend born in early 2016. In January 2018, the couple had their second son.

THE SECOND SON HAS NO NAME FOR HE IS NOT LEGEND

[BritishHobo]

I've cried twice today at season five. First at the unexpected kindness of the last round of questions in Pierce's polygraph test, and then at Abed's goodbye to Troy an episode later. The little pause when he says he used some homing pigeon SNA when (play)cloning Troy: "You may notice side effects. Like the compulsion to come back." Fuck but Danny Pudi is good.

Jonathan Banks and John Oliver are really good value as ever, but they really underuse poor Yvette Nicole Brown. There's even a line in one episode lampshading it.

I definitely see what you mean with the gimmicks. The ass-crack detective thing, the floor as lava and the MeowMeowBeanz thing all feel a bit like variations on stuff they'd already done, although each of them are good fun. It all feels a bit muddled as you can see an attempt to wrestle it back to a more grounded place with some quieter, more everyday character-based stuff (Abed and Hickey arguing about punishment and Hickey's art, Duncan trying to sleep with Britta on an evening out), which really comes through in season six which I remember as being a lot more calm and sedate.

[Deyv]

In the last one with Troy, Abed says something like, "I don't want to be crazy but I am" and it really upset me. I thought season 6 was the worst out of all of them, to be honest, although the last episode I like the second half of a lot because it really upset me. Yvette Nicole Brown had that episode in season 5 where the students are given star ratings and Shirley becomes the most popular person in the school, so at least there's that. Can see why she left though.

[Clownbaby]

I loved seasons 1 to 3 and thought season 4 was actually more watchable than everyone else seemed to. I was so relieved when Dan Harmon was back in control of the show but I picked up a grating smugness in the writing after that. I do not like Dan Harmon. He puts a lot of heart and empathy in his characters but he's a bit of a shambling, sneery shit himself. Season 5 was mostly fine but season 6 left me a bit cold mostly. Generally though it's a big one, a big show, one of those shows you've got to have seen. Not perfect at all in the long run but a classic. I think The Dean is just precious. Many of my favourite moments involve him. The Payday rap where he gets too carried away rapping and terrifies himself is amazing, It's been a while since I've watched Community but for some reason out of all the moments this one keeps popping into my head

The casting was fab, everyone had  the right odd energy. It's a shame Chevy Chase didn't care for the humour, because he was so odd and dark. I think he wouldn't have been so entertainingly nasty if he'd liked being on the show though. It's one of those situations.

[Dusty Substance]

Seriously, I mentioned them further up the thread, the two part paintball episode in season 2 is a thing of beauty.

I watched part one of the paintball episode with a completely open mind, really wanting to like it, but it simply didn't do it for me. Two laughs in 20 minutes, both right at the end courtesy of Josh Holloway.

[mjwilson]

Hints that a movie will happen now that it is doing well on Netflix. It will be a big meta-commentary on reunion stories and film adaptations. If they can get Donald Glover, Chevy Chase and John Oliver all on board then I'll get excited.

Bit of a thin cast there, I would have thought.

[kidsick5000]

Season 6 is difficult, especially with the encroaching acceptance that they are in a series.
The final paintball episode is quite astounding though. Some movie worthy action scenes.

[JamesTC]

Bit of a thin cast there, I would have thought.

Great spin-off though.

[phes]

I did a rewatch of this a year ago. It was a firm favourite back when it was aired so I was gutted to find that nowadays I felt the rot set in right after season one. Every season that followed was plagued by shite, but with many notable exceptional episodes. That first season is magnificent though. Good memories

[BritishHobo]

I'm done! There's very much a sense throughout five and six of a kinda sad directionlessness, especially with Jeff. The odd acknowledgment that he fears being left behind at Greendale doesn't do quite enough to make up for that actually being a reasonable fear. There's a nice moment in season five where he begins to enjoy teaching law, but that falls by the wayside in season six and he's back to showing Planet Earth because he doesn't care. Nonetheless season six is lovely, a really effective change of pace where Harmon seems to find some confidence in letting the show breathe at a more sedate pace. And the finale is pretty much perfect. As much as I may have wanted it to evolve at the time, Community was unavoidably a TV show about TV shows, and there's no more fitting a finale than the one it gets in season six.

[cliggg]

Six seasons and a Zoom table read. All the main cast of Community, with the exception of Chevy Chase will be doing a live table read of Season five episode Cooperative Polygraphy followed by an Q&A to benefit Covid 19 relief efforts, it will be screened live on the Community YouTube channel On Monday May 18th. The episode is the one set right after Pierce's funeral which is presumably why it was chosen as any from season 1-3 will have him in it and Harmon obviously hates season 4.

https://www.nme.com/news/tv/community-cast-reuniting-for-virtual-table-read-to-benefit-coronavirus-relief-2662165

[surreal]

I've been watching it again for the umpteenth time, this time with the commentary tracks on the DVD, this is a bit of a mixed bag depending who is featured.  There's a funny running gag about Yvette being constantly drunk on set (she's tee-total), and you can really tell when Chevy is starting to get pissed off with the whole thing.

I do tend to watch things I love over and over, and Community does reward this as despite the changes across the years there are a lot of callbacks and delayed payoffs. Couple of favourites are at the end of the first season episode where the teenagers are taunting Jeff and Britta, in the freeze frames it says something like "Britta Perry, proud owner ipod nano 2014".  This is the gift she is left by Pierce when he dies in 2014.  Also the 3 season long Beetlejuice gag:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19FMU3M7Jtk

I also love the final episode - that voiceover on the end of the board game advert gets me every time.

[Bobloblawslawbomb]

Six seasons and a Zoom table read. All the main cast of Community, with the exception of Chevy Chase will be doing a live table read of Season five episode Cooperative Polygraphy followed by an Q&A to benefit Covid 19 relief efforts, it will be screened live on the Community YouTube channel On Monday May 18th. The episode is the one set right after Pierce's funeral which is presumably why it was chosen as any from season 1-3 will have him in it and Harmon obviously hates season 4.

https://www.nme.com/news/tv/community-cast-reuniting-for-virtual-table-read-to-benefit-coronavirus-relief-2662165

Looking forward to this, rewatched the ep last night. I hope Walton Goggins is involved.

[Twit 2]

Started watching this, starting from the beginning, watched 10 eps or so. Very thin on laughs for most of that, but when it's funny it's really funny. No way I would have stuck with it if hadn't been for its reputation and being assured it gets better. But it suddenly seemed to pick up around 8-10 episodes in. Chevy Chase is hilarious. Overall, though, I'm quite ambivalent about the smug, sassy tone it's written in. I like the absurdity and flights of fancy but the way Jeff cunts on is quite tedious. There is something quite sociopathic and "off" about Harmon's writing that grates with me. Will stick with it, though.

[surreal]

Looking forward to this, rewatched the ep last night. I hope Walton Goggins is involved.

He's not available unfortunately, I think Harmon might be reading his part.  I think it will be 10pm UK time, definitely want to check it out.

Also not sure if anyone has mentioned the Darkest Timeline video podcast McHale and Jeong have been doing with different guests from the show:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsk8pgXcNoGEp7PZryS_3IQ

[rue the polywhirl]

One of the things that I learned during these times of covid is the importance of Community, and how we need to group together to instigate long-lasting, consequential change and stand up for the things that matter... which is why I signed this motion in support of this Community Lego set and I implore you to do the same.




https://ideas.lego.com/projects/1e2c362e-43ab-4f8c-8340-6b7b13cd14de

https://www.youtube.com/embed/7cpw_ZT162o

[Sin Agog]

Am about at the end of S2 in my rewatch.  I must remember not to fuck up whole seasons by zoning out on the foreground in an attempt to see if Abed got up to any more blurry background hijinx (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrVcTXXGLho).  Genuinely buggered up some great episodes doing that last time.

[up_the_hampipe]

There was a podcast with the whole cast (bar Chevy obv) on Saturday, here it is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1WsyFFajz0

So great to see Donald reminiscing with the rest of the cast. You don't get to see him being goofy much these days.

[phantom_power]

He's not available unfortunately,

What the fuck else is he doing?

[kidsick5000]

Looking forward to this, rewatched the ep last night. I hope Walton Goggins is involved.

Pablo Pascal is reading his part

[surreal]

I enjoyed the table read - anyone else watch?  I thought they might at least have had Pablo read the script first so he could be prepared for what was coming.  Couple of differences from the actual episode in there also as far as I can tell, but mostly the same script. 

[Cardenio I]

Watched it and really enjoyed it. Pascal coming in cold, doing a good job and then cracking up at every cylinder of sperm was quite joyful I thought.

[up_the_hampipe]

Glover just slipped right back into Troy like nothing, always loved him on the verge of tears over something silly.

McHale and Jeong discussed getting Chevy on their podcast at some point. Would love to hear that, it'd be a delightful mess. Chevy has been posting a lot of stuff about Community on his Instagram since it came to Netflix, perhaps he's finally coming around.

[Sin Agog]

Watched it and really enjoyed it. Pascal coming in cold, doing a good job and then cracking up at every cylinder of sperm was quite joyful I thought.

His reading of the Abed Sperm line is 100% definitely the most I've laughed at anything since the world got its corona on.

[BritishHobo]

It was really nice seeing how much they all loved that sperm bit - Glover especially - and how much they were enjoying Harmon's little gags about making the show. And to have that affection for an episode five seasons in, made after all the strife the show went through.

[phantom_power]

It is pretty clear they all still like each other and find each other funny, and the different ways the sperm flasks are dealt out is great, and the Abed one is the best. It was great seeing Pascal cracking up, genuinely as well rather than that actor laughing you often get in table reads

[JesuitWrangler]

Just a few comments on here, I used to love Community back in the day.

1. NBC wanting Chevy in the show for star power is pretty funny because I really doubt Chevy would be the sort of name that would attract anyone to watch this show. I'm not saying he wasn't good but it's not like it was the 80's anymore.

2. Why did they even write in Shirley? She is such a non-character. There are a few suggestions that they were going to do something with her character with her hard drinking past and her husband's infidelity but they just seemed to be surface-level rather than anything.

3. Harmon is an incredible writer but his shows disappear up their own holes too often. Rick and Morty has done the same.

4. Community is really funny and the writing is great but it's just a bit too cheesy for me now. Maybe I'm just more cynical.

[Birdie]

There was a podcast with the whole cast (bar Chevy obv) on Saturday, here it is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1WsyFFajz0

So great to see Donald reminiscing with the rest of the cast. You don't get to see him being goofy much these days.

Thanks for sharing that- I'll watch it tomorrow.

I've been rewatching Community as well- I'm into season three. I've been skipping episodes though - like the claymation and Wild West episodes. They just don't sit well with me.