RV: I can always tell if I’m going to like a person that I meet simply by knowing if they watched Community. It’s a show that was ahead of its time. Seriously, if it would have been released on Netflix, it would have dominated. It was just never broad enough for a major network, yet it survived season after season with terrible ratings and ridiculous off-stage drama to deliver one of the most honest sitcoms to ever grace the small screen. It was a sitcom about sitcoms. Self-referential from beginning to end. This was a show that was for television lovers not viewers. Community always knew what it was even though the Nelson ratings and network officials really didn’t. It was a love song to all things TV, and never missed a moment pointing out the audience just how ridiculous and at the same time terrific television truly is.

Community was at its best when it was weird, and when it was weird, it was usually playing out an elaborate homage to some classic film or television trope. This by far was the ballsiest show to ever be on a network. No, it wasn’t pushing the censors. Instead it was dedicating an entire episode to the film My Dinner with Andre even though 95% of America could miss the elaborate yet incredible payoff. Yes, there were episodes that revolved around epic paintball battles, but there was also episodes where they never left the study room. Community wasn’t about just doing what works with the viewership; it was about seeing how far a creative mind can be pushed when asked to do something completely original week after week. Were there flops? Of course. They even acknowledge the accordion like success and failure that exists throughout each season. When something falls flat, you better believe Abed will tell the audience about it five episodes later. However, when Community gets it right, you know you are watching a truly magnificent show.

This isn’t a broad comedy. This is art. So if you like laugh tracks and simplicity, stay the hell away from this show. You don’t deserve it. This is for us that brave new shows year after year, hoping to see something different, something unique.

 

T: RV likes to pretend that he introduced me to this show, but that isn’t necessarily true. Remember when NBC ruled Thursday nights? Parks and Rec, The Office, 30 Rock, Community…man, sitcoms back then were so good: sarcastic, witty, intelligent, wise.

But sadly, I did grow out the of the habit of regular viewership and for that, I feel somewhat responsible for the eventual fate of Community. I was lucky enough – through Hulu – to finally finish this stellar series. And I am so glad that I did.

Community is so freaking hilarious. Like RV alluded to above, I can absolutely be best friends with you if you like this show. The reason that this is so is that this show is made for cinephiles. Those that obsess over series. Those that cry over killed characters and cancelled contracts. Those that live their lives like a movie and frame each moment to fit within a montage never made. Basically, me.

But even still, this show is for everyone who likes all things meta, innovative, or quirky. Or those who love awesome guest stars or musical parodies or self-referential stereotypes or puppeteers…well, you get the picture. You gotta be kind of weird and awesome (weirdly awesome?) to appreciate the wonder that is this show.

5 Red Vines: #sixseasonsandamovie

5 Twizzlers: If all community colleges were like this, I’d never work again