In a move very much against the status quo for the sitcom, Community is planning a couple of unique episode.

First, viewers can look forward to a half hour that is based around the role-playing game in which every geek in high school took part, Dungeons & Dragons. The installment won't be too crazy, however.

“They’re just sitting at a table playing,” creator Dan Harmon told critics at TCA press tour. “But it’s stylized to make it interesting and people are going to like it a lot.”

Elsewhere, Harmon teased another upcoming installment, one centered around Pierce.

“Pierce is in the hospital the entire episode, it’s shot in a completely different way and is a completely different experience from the normal show.”

Community returns on January 20 with its first episode of 2011. On it, we'll get our first look at Malcolm-Jamal Warner as Shirley's ex.

Matt Richenthal is the Editor in Chief of TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter and on Google+.