Community - TV Fanatic

Who Will Die on Community?

matt@tvfanatic.com (TV Fanatic Staff) — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 14:43:33 EST

There's one mystery surrounding Community right now: When the heck will it return?!?

But star Joel McHale has gone ahead and given fans of the NBC sitcom something else to ponder during its painful, indefinite hiatus.

"A character from the show will die," the actor tells TV Guide Magazine, adding that it's NOT a main cast member, but is "someone you've seen a lot. And he dies in the mid-afternoon."

We're going with Leonard, but we also fear for Star Burns. Go ahead and take your best guess, Community fans!

NBC President on Community: Not Cancelled!

matt@mediavine.com (Matt Richenthal) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 13:53:08 EST

Back off the ledge, Community fans. NBC President Robert Greenblatt made it very clear today: the show has not been cancelled.

"It will definitely be back this spring," Greenblatt told reporters at the Television Critics Association winter press tour, adding regrets that he wasn't clear about this when it first vanished from the schedule. "I want to dispel any notion that it's just quietly disappearing... I know there are many fans of the show in this room and I want you to keep writing about it."

Where might the show end up? Greenblatt expressed hesitation about "[starting] off a night" of programming with it, so we may see it pushed back later on Wednesday or Thursday nights."

The real question, though, centers around a fourth season. The executive acknowledged Community's strong, "loyal" core audience but was also frank about how little that group has grown over the years.

"Those are really hard questions to answer at this point," he said about season four. “We’re just going to look at the success of what pilots yield, what the scheduling needs are and make that decision closer to the upfront [later this spring].”

Video: Community Flash Mob Occupies NBC

matt@mediavine.com (Matt Richenthal) — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 17:14:18 EST

Fans of what many consider to the funniest show of 2011 gathered in New York City today with one message for NBC: save Community!

Huddled together outside of Rockefeller Center, the fake-bearded protestors were led by activist Catherine Boyd, who told TV Guide of the effort, inspired by NBC's decision to bump Joel McHale and company off its early 2012 schedule:

"This is not a complaint. This is just like, let's bring all of our energy and all of our love [together]. I'm not a comedic actor. I'm not a trained person of any kind, so I tried to come up with something with zero rehearsal and zero skill set."

Watch the awesome, quasi flash mob now:

Community Flash Mob

Community Review: Britta-ing the Glee Club

leigh.raines@gmail.com (Leigh Raines) — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 20:30:00 EST

As we all sadly know, "Regional Holiday Music" marked the last episode of Community before it goes on an indefinite hiatus. Do you feel the wrath yet, NBC? While the show definitely went out with a bang, it didn't totally blow my socks off.

I think Community is at its absolute best when it's not trying too hard, and I felt that this is where things took a wrong turn tonight. I get wanting to make your potential final episode a show stopper, but I think combined with a Christmas episode, they just went a little too far. But fear not, there was definitely a lot that I liked.

So let's break it down into the moments that were Gleeful and those I felt were almost as off-key as Britta's voice.

Gleeful:

Obviously Troy and Abed have great rhyming skills. Spanish rap anyone? When they busted into their little fort, rap-video style, just like Annie, I wanted to join them. They had video hos, Troy's T-Pain sounding voice and Abed even brought a little Slim Shady to the scene. Perfection.

Once Abed got Troy on board, they set out to get the other members by pandering to their specific weaknesses. Of course Pierce would fall for a trip down memory lane and the good ol' days. Shirley obviously fell prey to the choir children singing about the lost meaning of Christmas. And Jeff... well, Jeff fell for Annie's boobs. Which is sort of what brings me to my Cons section...

Off Key

Probably the biggest reason we never saw Jeff and Annie's relationship fully come to fruition is the fact that it's a little creepy and he acts like her dad sometimes. Yes, the Santa baby song is one of the sexier Christmas songs around, but Annie played off of it with way too much "baby" in the scenario. At first, I thought haha they're going to have Annie seduce Jeff with the sexy Mrs. Claus costume, but then things just got... creepy.

Britta's conversion to the dark side wasn't shown, but one minute she was the voice of reason and the next she was doing that stupid "me so hungy" dance on stage like a complete caricature. Pick a side, writers! Is our Britta smart? Or a mockery of herself?

And hello, right after that hilarious conversation with between her and Shirley? Shirley: My problem with the Glee club is that their conveniently secular music neglects the reason for the season, JC. Britta: Penneys? Shirley: Jesus Britta. Britta: Sorry! Jon Cryer? For more gems like this, hit the quotes section.

At the end of the day, the group brilliantly used Britta to Britta the Christmas Pageant and also catch a criminal. Mr. Rad was responsible for the bus accident? Oh boy! Good thing he was only the captain of your magic carpet in your dream, Dean Pelton.

While there were a few moments that upped the ick factor, overall this episode fell on the positive side. And how could it not? Any episode with more than one Troy/Abed singing number is a slam dunk in my book. Besides, that ending scene of the whole gang surprising Abed just warmed my little Grinch heart right up.

Maybe the episode grew on me, or maybe I'm just really upset that the show is going on hiatus. After all Cougar Town has put Abed through, who else can understand like he can? I will miss you all, my little Human Beings. NBC you're getting a lump of coal in your stocking this year! Save Greendale!

The Most Dynamic Duo on TV Is...

matt@mediavine.com (Matt Richenthal) — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 12:28:39 EST

Over 55,000 readers chimed in over the last two weeks, and they made the voices well known:

Troy and Abed from Community comprise the Most Dynamic Duo on television!

Troy and Abed in the Morning

The hosts of their own fictional talk show garnered 26% of the vote, easily beating out Brennan and Booth (18%), Castle and Beckett (14%) and Sam and Dean (14%). No other duo reached double figures.

Thank you to all who voted. The TV Fanatic staff agrees: you made the right choice. Now, let's go all tell that to NBC, shall we?

Community Review: Big Cheddar vs. Tinkletown

leigh.raines@gmail.com (Leigh Raines) — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 02:09:07 EST

The thing about a brilliant comedy like Community is that sometimes it gives you what you didn't even know you needed. In "Foosball and Nocturnal Vigilantism," it provided us some insight into Shirley's past.

Shirley has always been the sweet, conservative mother who strayed far from the evil ways and blunders of the rest of the study group. This week, however, we found out that her past affected Jeff Winger in a way we never could have guessed. Yes, young Shirley made young Jeff pee himself.

That picture you're looking at is of young Shirley - aka "Big Cheddar" - whooping Jeff "Tinkletown" at foosball. I just need to mention Jeff's rat-tail hairdo for a minute because there were multiple kids in my elementary school who rocked that trend. This whole scenario is so 90s and I love it.

Little did we know that Shirley was such a badass kid and her taunting ways helped shape the pretend-secure, overcompensating sarcastic Jeff Winger that we know and love today. I once read that creator Dan Harmon said the hardest character to write for is Shirley. Still, he rose to the challenge and created a storyline that really made us see this woman in a new light.

Her badass childhood only made me understand and love her more. It also presented an opportunity for her to bond with Jeff, something we hadn't seen much of before. The B story touched, meanwhile, on the roommate dynamic of Troy, Abed, and Annie.

Annie's OCD tendencies led her to accidentally break Abed's special edition of The Dark Knight. When she and Troy panicked about how to handle it, Troy brought up one of the most universal truths in the world of Community: Abed knows everything.

Abed does know everything, including how to do a perfect imitation of Christian Bale's throaty Batman voice. Annie could have used a lesson or two, but let's give the girl a break: she was crying while giving it a shot. However, if Abed is so wise, how did he not see that Annie was lying? Maybe he didn't want to see it. It could be as simple as Troy, Abed and Annie's bond overriding the anger Abed had about the DVD.

This episode was full of love and awesome quotes. Heck, even Britta loved her cat enough to get it Lasik. As usual, hit the comments and lament how there's only one episode of Community remaining until... who the heck even knows when.

TV Fanatic Staff Selection, Take 4: Troy and Abed for Most Dynamic Duo!

d4cella@gmail.com (Dan Forcella) — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 08:57:17 EST

Who is television's Most Dynamic Duo? That's what we're asking readers to decide, and that's also the case taken up by various members of the TV Fanatic staff. So far, articles have been written that made the argument for...

Mike and Harvey on Suits.
Emily and Nolan on Revenge.
Kensi and Deeks on NCIS: Los Angeles.

Now, Dan Forcella is here to defend what has to be considered the funniest pair on television at least: Troy and Abed on Community. Take it away, Dan...

Troy and Abed in the Morning

Troy and Abed are the most dynamic duo on television, but I'm definitely not shocked that they're currently behind in the poll. Only three million people are watching the show each Thursday, and NBC recently Britta'd its midseason schedule by somehow NOT including this sitcom on it.

Because there are still a number of you out there who haven't witnessed the genius of Community, and specifically this fine pair, I'm here to help.

When the series first started, Danny Pudi's Abed was a bit of a budding star, while Donald Glover's Troy lurked in the background waiting for his time to shine. As the second season came into development, the two characters began to hang out more, became fast friends and the rest is hilarious history.

Troy Barnes has become one of the funniest characters on television, and while Abed has dipped a bit since his novelty factor wore out, he still has his moments... most of which come when these two are together.

Whether it be their patented bro handshake, their numerous varieties of the fake Troy and Abed in the Morning talk show (above), or Troy's unbridled joy to be friends with his socially awkward pal, these two have given us some of the most laughs on TV over the past two years/

In "A Fist Full of Paintballs," when Troy jumps out of a trash can and sees that Abed is alive and well, his goofy grin of a reaction is priceless. It was easily one of the best comedic moments in television last season.

Oh yeah! And they recently gave us the amazingly joyful "Evil Troy and Evil Aaaaaaabed," and "Troy and Abed sewn togeeeeeeeether."

These two together are without a doubt the funniest and easiest to love duo on television. Whether or not that qualifies them as dynamic is up to you the voter. All I know is that among the following group, they have my vote! Do they have yours?!?

POLL: Who is TV's Most Dynamic Duo?

jeffrey@tvfanatic.com (Jeffrey Kirkpatrick) — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 11:53:26 EST

As Rob Base once reminded us: "It takes two to make a thing go right." In the world of television, oh how that rings true.

From Cagney and Lacey to Will and Grace; Batman and Robin to Beavis and Butthead; some of the most memorable shows in history have been built around powerful pairs who weren't necessarily romantically connected, but whose adventures still kept us coming back week after week.

Based on nominations submitted by readers, we're now excited to determine who comprises TV's Most Dynamic Duo, be it two cupcake-making broke gals; a couple of study partners; or an internet billionaire and a young beauty bent on revenge.

Ready to vote? Do so below and then share this poll (which closes at noon EST on Friday, December 2) on Twitter, Google+ and Facebook to spread the word and grow support for your Dynamic Duo. Good luck to all!

Community Review: Prisoners of Dean-sanity

leigh.raines@gmail.com (Leigh Raines) — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 23:04:46 EST

Simply put, I thought that Greendale commercial from the 1990s was ah-mazing, but I guess the administration disagreed. One thing we can all agree on is that "Documentary Filmmaking" showed us a side of Dean Pelton that we haven't yet experienced on Community.

The Dean is normally hilarious, but he veered into crazy Chang territory this week. Too much Pelton and not enough group! None of that really mattered, though, because I have two words for you and, no, they're not bald cap. Luis. Guzman.

Guzman was the best use of a guest star I've seen in forever. He adds a touch of hilarity to everything he works on, even back in the days of Boogie Nights. Hey, he didn't even need the porno story flick to get laid because he had Greendale! If only everyone appreciated the Human Beings the way he did.

When Jeff first mentioned that he put in a call to Guzman's lawyer, I never thought we'd actually get an appearance. I thought Jeff was just being Jeff, but it turns out he set the best plot point into motion. I have a hard time believing someone as smart as Annie can't use IMDB, however.

I will say that Annie looked very sexy secretary in her script supervisor ensemble. Not as sexy as Jeff in his bald cap, of course. Or Chang in his Jeff wig, underneath the bald cap. Does anyone do a better impression of Pelton than Winger? I think not.

I wish I had more to say about the study group but this episode really was ruled by Pelton. His breakdown was funny before it became too whacky. I think the turning point was the tinted aviator glasses with the zip up hoodie and exposed nipple. What would one call this costume of the Dean's? Old school Marky Mark or perhaps really bald Slim Shady?

The show is running out of things to do with Pierce. His tantrum about getting his own trailer was take it over leave it. They really didn't need that end bit with Jeff Garland. One guest star was enough. Now that NBC benched Community midseason, there's only so much "Troy and Abed in the morninggggg" I have left to look forward to!

Leave it to Abed to save the day with his genius documentary filmmaking. They should've hired him for the commercial to begin with.

What about all of you? Did this episode underwhelm or did Guzman save the day? Check out our favorite quotes section and hit the comments. Last but certainly not least don't forget to watch Community live every Thursday, trend it on Twitter, check in to GetGlue and do whatever you can to save Greendale from a sad fate at NBC!

Seriously, NBC?!?

matt@mediavine.com (Matt Richenthal) — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 19:21:26 EST

NBC is the lowest rated network on television by a wide margin, and this is its solution: bench Community. Keep Whitney on the air.

In a move that executives swear does not mean the funniest show on television has been canceled, Community will take a seat on January 12 in favor of the returning 30 Rock. Meanwhile, Whitney will switch places with Up All Night.

Elsewhere, Prime Suspect fans should start saying goodbye now. The show is nowhere to be found on the following 2012 schedule...

MONDAY
8 p.m. The Voice
10 pm Smash (New show, premiere February 6)

TUESDAY
8 p.m. The Biggest Loser
10 p.m. Parenthood (until February 28)
10 p.m. Fashion Star (New show)

WEDNESDAY
8 p.m. Whitney (New time slot beginning January 11)
8:30 p.m. Are You There, Chelsea?
9 p.m. Rock Center with Brian Williams(New time slot)

THURSDAY
8 p.m. 30 Rock
8:30 p.m. Parks and Recreation
9 p.m. The Office
9:30 p.m. Up All Night
10 p.m. The Firm (New show, two-hour premiere Sunday January 8; Thursday time period premiere January 12)

FRIDAY
8 p.m. Who Do You Think You Are?
9 pm.. Grimm
10 p.m. Dateline

SUNDAY
8 p.m. Harry’s Law (New time slot beginning March 4)
9 p.m. The Celebrity Apprentice