Community: Six Seasons And A Movie or Three Seasons and a boycott

[Aemon Stark]

I think it depends on how much the show reflects the personal preferences and "vision" of the showrunner, which in the case of Community always happened to be the creator.

[Castel]

I'm pretty sure Darabont was involved up until the mid-season break. New guy took over for the second half and the entirety of the yet-to-finish third season, when the pacing and action of the story really ramped up. And then they inexplicably canned that guy.

The minds of television exec's really baffle me sometimes.

It seems to me that any improvement was based on AMC stretching out the season , having half the episodes drag and then actually doing something in the last few.It only seems better in the long run, but if you had cut out all of the stuff Darabont was complaining about you probably lost little. I don't blame Darabont for S2 any more than I blame Ron Moore for the shitty third season of Galactica.

[delete this account pls]

I'll give season 4 a chance definitely, but I don't have much doubt it will be a different show. There's probably a ton of reasons why Dan Harmon was fired, but when you get right down to it, he didn't deliver the ratings that would make the trouble he gave NBC worth their while.

If you hire someone and you think they are doing a shitty job, you dont fire them, hire someone else and then tell the new hire "Hey, just do exactly what the previous guy was doing."

Whether they kept some of the same writing staff or not is irrelevant. TV writers don't have any real power, they just do what they're told (if they want to keep their jobs)

So yeah, season 4 could still be very good, but it will be a different show. How different remains to be seen.

[Aemon Stark]

Well maybe. I wouldn't overstate the importance of a showrunner especially after three seasons with the same writing staff.

[Morpheus]

I would rather they let Community go out this season doing what it does best rather than try and adjust it to wider tastes for another couple of years. Right around the time Harmon was fired NBC layed out its plans going forward, explaining that they were going for "broader" comedy in their sitcoms. They would not be aming for more unique material like Comminuty, 30 Rock, and Parks and Rec, rather they would go the CBS route of milquetoast, safe, conventional comedy. 30 Rock was allowed to end on its terms, and Parks and Rec has surprisingly been picked up for another season, but Community is being over hauled the most with a new creative staff and i hope they don't try tweaking things to fit NBC's strategy

[All-for-Joffrey]

Right around the time Harmon was fired NBC layed out its plans going forward, explaining that they were going for "broader" comedy in their sitcoms...rather they would go the CBS route of milquetoast, safe, conventional comedy.

Do people really still watch crap like that? I thought that the generic 90s family sitcom was pretty much done away with years ago. o_0

[awesome possum]

I just think as long as the characters don't chang, the show isn't going to chang that much either. Chang.

[Reposado]

Do people really still watch crap like that? I thought that the generic 90s family sitcom was pretty much done away with years ago. o_0

If you mean heartwarming family stuff where someone learns a lesson than no not really, outside of abc family.

But broadk uninspired comedy still gets outstanding ratings. Many more people watch stuff like big bang theory than good comedy. People need that laugh still. How else can you tell what is supposed to bea joke

[danm_999]

Do people really still watch crap like that? I thought that the generic 90s family sitcom was pretty much done away with years ago. o_0

Well, they do according to Nielsen ratings, but that system is a dinosaur.

How you can think it's important to focus purely on live viewing habits in the age of DVR, DVDs, Netflix, Hulu and BitTorrent is beyond me.

[awesome possum]

But broadk uninspired comedy still gets outstanding ratings. Many more people watch stuff like big bang theory than good comedy. People need that laugh still. How else can you tell what is supposed to bea joke

See, you lose me when you say broad, uninspired comedy and then say Big Bang Theory.

I was a hater for the longest time too, without ever watching an episode. Then my wife finally talked me into it and over the course of last summer we watched the entire series. It's not nearly as bad as the haters make it out to be. It's no the best comedy on television, but it's fairly funny. And they don't use a laugh track, they actually film in front of a live audience.

[Aemon Stark]

But you must admit that for a show purportedly about "geeks" or "nerds", Big Bang is but a pretender to Community.

[awesome possum]

Well, two comedies can be similar in that way while still being completely different beasts. Community is simply amazing while BBT is merely okay. Not great, but it's not this terrible abomination either.

[Reposado]

See, you lose me when you say broad, uninspired comedy and then say Big Bang Theory.

I was a hater for the longest time too, without ever watching an episode. Then my wife finally talked me into it and over the course of last summer we watched the entire series. It's not nearly as bad as the haters make it out to be. It's no the best comedy on television, but it's fairly funny. And they don't use a laugh track, they actually film in front of a live audience.

well perhaps its not the worst, but it is currently getting the highest rankings.

its not nearly the travesty that say, two broke girls is, i'll agree there but it only really features one actor with comedic timing(parsons, obv) and goes for easy jokes. it is very broad

essentially, i didn't mean to overly denigrate bbt, but i also didn't want to do any research to see what numbers shows like 2 1/2 or two broke girls were doing these days

[drawkcabi]

Well, two comedies can be similar in that way while still being completely different beasts. Community is simply amazing while BBT is merely okay. Not great, but it's not this terrible abomination either.

Totally agree. I'd even say BBT is more towards the "good" more than merely ok, but Community is amazing and wonderful. BBT has references that only the nerds get but in plot execution it is much more traditional and designed to appeal to broad bases and demographics. Community is a concept show that's beyond the interest of average TV watchers.

I'd put my mom in the biggest demo of TV watchers these days. I try to show her how to use a Roku I hooked up to her TV and she gets simply overwhelmed by the selection and says just put TV Land back on with endless reruns of "Roseanne" even though she says she's sick of it.

Anyhow, my mom loves BBT and she hates Community, I think it may even scare her. She hates or refuses to watch The Office, 30 Rock, Go On, and Parks and Recreation too. So NBC, I hate what you're planning to do, but I see the reasoning.

She also loves 2 Broke Girls and Mike and Molly. I can't stand M&M and techincally I hate the storylines of 2BG, but I get mesmerized watching Kat Dennings.

She also loves/loved Everybody Loves Raymond, King of Queens, 2 and a half Men, The Middle, Rules of Engagement, and tolerates Modern Family and HIMYM.

Most of those shows I like I could even say I love The Middle, Modern Family, and King of Queens. I hated 2 1/2 Men since season 2 but I actually got into some of the Ashton Kutcher plots this season, like when he was pretending to be broke, but I could definitely see that show cancelled and not shed a single tear.

What I'm saying is I like the variety we had with many of the broad base comedies of CBS and much of the almost evant garde stuff NBC was doing with ABC and FOX somewhere in between. But even if NBC does try to go about the CBS route, these things always come around again. There will be more high concept shows, maybe on different networks, maybe only on streaming services like Netflix and Hulu.

It sucks that Community never really found its audience or the outdated ratings system couldn't measure its audience, but there will be more good shows out there somewhere, sometime.

And even if it's a lesser season, I'm still looking forward to season 4.

[Reposado]

Most of those shows I like I could even say I love The Middle, Modern Family, and King of Queens. I hated 2 1/2 Men since season 2 but I actually got into some of the Ashton Kutcher plots this season, like when he was pretending to be broke, but I could definitely see that show cancelled and not shed a single tear.

What I'm saying is I like the variety we had with many of the broad base comedies of CBS and much of the almost evant garde stuff NBC was doing with ABC and FOX somewhere in between. But even if NBC does try to go about the CBS route, these things always come around again. There will be more high concept shows, maybe on different networks, maybe only on streaming services like Netflix and Hulu.

i think you're right about a lot of this. modern family was certainly outstanding in season one, and it is somewhat broad, although i would say that its decline has coincided with a broadening of the humor

and its not that you can't make a good, broad comedy. your example of king of queens is perfect. you put a comedic genious like jerry still in a broad comedy and the results will probably be pretty damn good.

but let's not confuse broadness with low concept. plenty of the best, least broad shows have been extremely low concept. its always sunny and happy endings are practically zero concept and not broad in the least.

there have also been many high concept shows with very broad humor. (i dream of genie being an obvious example, 2 broke girls fits in here as well)

so your mom, and most of the country, prefers broad comedies, not low-concept comedies.

and yeah, i think there will always be space for niche comedies, increasingly, they may wind up on fx(or ffx or whatever), tbs and the like.

those networks, that don't need quite as big numbers (2mil is good enough for them) will continue to go for shows that have some sort of dedicated audience. if i'm tbs, i'm already talking to dan harmon about making a show to air next to cougartown

[drawkcabi]

Good post Reposado, completely agree.

Good writing is good writing you can find it anywhere, same with bad writing. But there are shows that appeal between a little to a lot to everyone and then there are the shows that seem to speak to only very particular people and get fervent devotion from them.

and yeah, i think there will always be space for niche comedies, increasingly, they may wind up on fx(or ffx or whatever), tbs and the like.

those networks, that don't need quite as big numbers (2mil is good enough for them) will continue to go for shows that have some sort of dedicated audience. if i'm tbs, i'm already talking to dan harmon about making a show to air next to cougartown

Community: The Post Grad Years???

I know Abed wouldn't have it any other way.

[SpareBoot]

It seems to me that any improvement was based on AMC stretching out the season , having half the episodes drag and then actually doing something in the last few.It only seems better in the long run, but if you had cut out all of the stuff Darabont was complaining about you probably lost little. I don't blame Darabont for S2 any more than I blame Ron Moore for the shitty third season of Galactica.

I'm pretty sure after season 1 he's just been credited as ep and developer, but as far as him writing/directing anything, he was out after 6 episodes.

I would rather they let Community go out this season doing what it does best rather than try and adjust it to wider tastes for another couple of years. Right around the time Harmon was fired NBC layed out its plans going forward, explaining that they were going for "broader" comedy in their sitcoms. They would not be aming for more unique material like Comminuty, 30 Rock, and Parks and Rec, rather they would go the CBS route of milquetoast, safe, conventional comedy. 30 Rock was allowed to end on its terms, and Parks and Rec has surprisingly been picked up for another season, but Community is being over hauled the most with a new creative staff and i hope they don't try tweaking things to fit NBC's strategy

I agree. NBC's strategy is the opposite of Batman. When I found out Cougar Town found new life on TBS I couldnt stop laughing at the possibilities for all sorts of meta jokes in season 5 if Community ended up on a new channel, with a cougar town lead in. (Cool. Cool cool cool)

But you must admit that for a show purportedly about "geeks" or "nerds", Big Bang is but a pretender to Community.

Without a doubt. Try watching that show without the laugh track. The jokes arent funny. If it werent for the blonde, I doubt I'd sit through 10 minutes of that crap.

I'm excited October 19th is about a week away, and I do believe Jeffs Cape speech. It can find a new home on cable.

Also, keeping with #SixSeasonsAndAMovie, how about the HBO show end with Winds of Winter, and Dream of Spring is the movie?

[awesome possum]

So the other evening our cable and internet were out after a storm and I decided to put on Community. I put the first 12 episodes of season 3 on and let them play while reading/cooking dinner/playing with the kids, etc and I have to say, I just do not see this complaint about how season 3 was not good. It was superb.

Jeff going crazy after being kicked out of biology

The UN-off

Alternate time lines

#AnniesMove and one of the funniest bits of the entire series - Jeff and the Deans' duet of Kiss from a Rose

The Greendale commercial and all the insanity within it

Troy and Abed being normal

Those are just off the top of my head. I've watched these episodes at least 3 times now and they simply never get old. It just might be that my personal love for Community is stronger than the guy who said the third season was bad, but I just don't see it. At all.

[TheEvilKing]

Jeff going crazy after being kicked out of biology

The UN-off

Alternate time lines

#AnniesMove and one of the funniest bits of the entire series - Jeff and the Deans' duet of Kiss from a Rose

The Greendale commercial and all the insanity within it

Troy and Abed being normal

Those are just off the top of my head. I've watched these episodes at least 3 times now and they simply never get old. It just might be that my personal love for Community is stronger than the guy who said the third season was bad, but I just don't see it. At all.

We'll agree to disagree then. Most of what you listed was pretty bad.

[delete this account pls]

if i'm tbs, i'm already talking to dan harmon about making a show to air next to cougartown

He's working on three new shows according to his podcast (which is great if anyone is interested, it's called Harmontown) Something for Adult Swim that is definitely going to air, and two pilots for CBS and Fox.