Community: A Hidden Gem from a Decade of Iconic Sitcoms
Community was one of those shows that I knew I had to watch but never had the time to. While quarantine wasn’t good for much, It did give me the chance to finally watch the 2011 sitcom I had heard so much about. While the show may not have the sizable fandom of other sitcoms from the same era such as The Office and Parks and Rec, it does have a very passionate fanbase and is considered to be extremely underrated by fans and critics alike. After finishing all six seasons, it definitely stands out from any other sitcom I have ever watched, but in a good way. It is not stereotypical by any means; its structure, production, format, and development all break from the conventions associated with most sitcoms. With one of the main writers of the show being Don Harmon (who is responsible for shows like Rick and Morty), it’s no surprise that it pushes boundaries and offers offbeat and satirical humor. However, just because it is atypical does not make it any less of a sitcom. It is still incredibly funny and character-based, and its uniqueness is actually what makes it one of my favorite sitcoms ever.
The premise of Community is simple on the surface, revolving around a hotshot attorney named Jeff Winger (Joel McHale) who has been disbarred for faking his undergraduate degree. He then enrolls at Greendale Community College to get one. There, he meets a diverse group of students, including aging millionaire Pierce Hawthorn (Chevy Chase), ex-drug addict and valedictorian Annie Edison (Alison Brie), beloved ex-high school quarterback Troy Barnes (Donald Glover), religious single mother Sherly Bennet (Yvette Nicole Brown), “woke” activist and buzzkill Britta Perry (Gillian Jacobs), and quirky film student Abed Nadir (Danny Pudi). The crew forms an unlikely study group and an even unlikelier family as they learn more about each other and grow closer on countless comical adventures and endeavors. The relationships that form in the group and the way they develop are some of the things I enjoyed most about the show. These relationships are wholesome and fundamental to the show’s appeal, such as the bromance between Troy and Abed, and the romantic tension between Jeff and Annie. We see characters argue, fight, make-up, and date, but in the end, they always support each other and grow together despite their stark differences.
One of the things that really makes Community stand out is its structure and the way it plays with the genre conventions of a sitcom. It takes the standard tropes of sitcoms and flips them on their head, almost becoming a parody of itself. This is largely done through the character Abed, an undiagnosable and socially inept student who is obsessed with film and television. At nearly every turn, Abed likens the situations that the characters are in to being on a TV show (which they actually are in). Abed fails to understand real life, so he tries to see it in a way that makes sense to him, which is films and television. As a result, the show is extremely meta and self-aware, with members of the study group often hinting at the fact that they are in a television show or “breaking the 4th wall” and referencing the audience. Community is able to get away with this while still maintaining the authenticity of the plot and setting by labeling this self-awareness as Abed’s projection of TV into real-life, as opposed to the characters actually being aware they are in a sitcom. This is extremely rare in sitcoms, as most characters in mainstream sitcoms are never even remotely aware that they are being watched or that they are in a fictional setting. The fact that Harmon was able to pull this off without drawing away from the sitcom itself is really unique and refreshing.
Another unique aspect of Community that I enjoyed was the way it continually references pop culture and pays tribute to different film styles and tropes. Some of the series’s best episodes are ones that directly parody either specific films or even entire genres. The most iconic references include homages to movies and shows like Star Wars, Law and Order, The Godfather, The Office, Pulp Fiction, The Shining, and numerous others. What makes these homages so great is that they are not just casually thrown in. Harmon always finds clever ways of properly incorporating them into the show’s plot while properly paying tribute to whatever the episode is referencing. One of my personal favorites is the Star Wars-influenced episode 23 in season two, “a Few Paintballs More (2),” which involves the entire school participating in a paintball fight and Abed assuming a “Han Solo” role. The episode even starts with the iconic text floating in space intro from the films.
Still, even with many episodes that parody existing media, Community is very much its own show, which never loses sight of its characters and story. These episodes aren’t just parodies, they are fun and inventive ways of further developing the characters and opening up new plotlines. Harmon and the other writers make sure that these episodes do not disrupt the show’s overall cohesiveness. While I may not have understood every single reference or homage the show made, I understood more than enough to appreciate and enjoy the effort being made in the tributes. The willingness to take risks and break away from the conventional is not only admirable but the main reason that I enjoyed Community so much. For anyone looking for a laugh and enjoys offbeat/inventive sitcoms, or pop culture in general, Community is definitely worth your time.
Written by: Bryan Herrera | Instagram
Art by: Mikael Byrd | Instagram
