Troy and Abed are in mourning...
May 9, 2014 12:24 PM Subscribe
#5seasonsandnomovie
posted by 2bucksplus at 12:28 PM on May 9, 2014 [10 favorites]
posted by 2bucksplus at 12:28 PM on May 9, 2014 [10 favorites]
Nooooooooooooooooooooooooo!
posted by Lemurrhea at 12:30 PM on May 9, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by Lemurrhea at 12:30 PM on May 9, 2014 [2 favorites]
There is a divide in our household over Community. I love it, my wife doesn't have the patience and gets frustrated with it. Having said that, I really need to be in the mood to watch an episode these days. The G.I. Joe one was especially taxing - despite the boost of nostalgia, I only made it halfway through that one. It's more like a postmodern art piece than a primetime TV show at times. Love it, but also feel that it doesn't really fit that formula and can understand this direction.
posted by jimmythefish at 12:31 PM on May 9, 2014 [3 favorites]
posted by jimmythefish at 12:31 PM on May 9, 2014 [3 favorites]
Crap. I had only been watching this season sporadically.
It's all my fault.
posted by SPUTNIK at 12:31 PM on May 9, 2014 [4 favorites]
It's all my fault.
posted by SPUTNIK at 12:31 PM on May 9, 2014 [4 favorites]
I was late to this game, so I binge watched Seasons 1 through 3, eager for Season 4, but it really didn't measure up. I didn't even TRY to watch Season 5, and I doubt anyone could really talk me into it.
posted by John Kennedy Toole Box at 12:32 PM on May 9, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by John Kennedy Toole Box at 12:32 PM on May 9, 2014 [2 favorites]
Meanwhile, The Big Bang Theory has been renewed for three more seasons.
Fuck this land.
posted by FAMOUS MONSTER at 12:32 PM on May 9, 2014 [75 favorites]
Fuck this land.
posted by FAMOUS MONSTER at 12:32 PM on May 9, 2014 [75 favorites]
The G.I. Joe one was especially taxing
I found that episode genuinely bad. There were a couple decent jokes about specific G.I. Joe characters, but most of the jokes didn't work for me. That also felt less like an abberation and more like where the show was going. I liked it, but I think that it's time had come.
posted by Bulgaroktonos at 12:34 PM on May 9, 2014 [2 favorites]
I found that episode genuinely bad. There were a couple decent jokes about specific G.I. Joe characters, but most of the jokes didn't work for me. That also felt less like an abberation and more like where the show was going. I liked it, but I think that it's time had come.
posted by Bulgaroktonos at 12:34 PM on May 9, 2014 [2 favorites]
Hayguys, I live a couple towns over from Greendale. I just saw a giant fucking flash of light in the sky followed by a frightningly massive explosion. Has anyone heard anything about this? Hope everyones okay..
posted by mediocre at 12:34 PM on May 9, 2014 [15 favorites]
posted by mediocre at 12:34 PM on May 9, 2014 [15 favorites]
I was late to this game, so I binge watched Seasons 1 through 3, eager for Season 4, but it really didn't measure up. I didn't even TRY to watch Season 5, and I doubt anyone could really talk me into it.
Season four was so bad because they fired the show's creator. Inexplicably, he was brought back to do S5 and while uneven, S5 was pretty good. Much better than the season before it, though it never quite hit the highs the show could in 2 or 3. S5 is worth giving a shot.
posted by sparkletone at 12:34 PM on May 9, 2014 [4 favorites]
Season four was so bad because they fired the show's creator. Inexplicably, he was brought back to do S5 and while uneven, S5 was pretty good. Much better than the season before it, though it never quite hit the highs the show could in 2 or 3. S5 is worth giving a shot.
posted by sparkletone at 12:34 PM on May 9, 2014 [4 favorites]
And, cue the internet starting on fire in 5….4…..3…2…1…….
(I don't have a dog in this fight either way, but between Dan Harmon, the network, Chevy Chase, and fandom, I'm pretty sure right after Netflix, this was the next biggest demand on internet bandwidth in the last few years
posted by C.A.S. at 12:34 PM on May 9, 2014 [1 favorite]
(I don't have a dog in this fight either way, but between Dan Harmon, the network, Chevy Chase, and fandom, I'm pretty sure right after Netflix, this was the next biggest demand on internet bandwidth in the last few years
posted by C.A.S. at 12:34 PM on May 9, 2014 [1 favorite]
Dear Hulu CEO,
This is your big chance. Don't screw it up. Six seasons and a movie.
posted by jbickers at 12:35 PM on May 9, 2014 [27 favorites]
This is your big chance. Don't screw it up. Six seasons and a movie.
posted by jbickers at 12:35 PM on May 9, 2014 [27 favorites]
TIME Magazine, March 28, 2014 - "Community Has Outgrown “Six Seasons and a Movie”" -- I don't know if that article was based on any reality beyond personal feelings about the show, but it's interesting to see recent commentary, before this announcement.
posted by filthy light thief at 12:36 PM on May 9, 2014
posted by filthy light thief at 12:36 PM on May 9, 2014
Well, NBC sure knows how to deanstroy a good TV show!
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 12:36 PM on May 9, 2014 [56 favorites]
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 12:36 PM on May 9, 2014 [56 favorites]
"Remedial Chaos Theory" was the tightest 22 minutes of comedy that ever aired on television. Flawless.
For those who haven't seen the link, read the text conversation between Dan Harmon and Megan Ganz where the idea for the episode was born.
.
posted by dry white toast at 12:38 PM on May 9, 2014 [13 favorites]
For those who haven't seen the link, read the text conversation between Dan Harmon and Megan Ganz where the idea for the episode was born.
.
posted by dry white toast at 12:38 PM on May 9, 2014 [13 favorites]
Feeling this tweet from Scott Tobias of The Dissolve:
"Remember: Community once did an episode-length homage to MY DINNER WITH ANDRE. And that was only medium-weird. Five seasons was a miracle."
posted by naju at 12:38 PM on May 9, 2014 [18 favorites]
"Remember: Community once did an episode-length homage to MY DINNER WITH ANDRE. And that was only medium-weird. Five seasons was a miracle."
posted by naju at 12:38 PM on May 9, 2014 [18 favorites]
Note that Community's deal with Hulu for digital syndication probably dampens the possibility that Netflix or Amazon could take the show and make more of it.
posted by sparkletone at 12:38 PM on May 9, 2014
posted by sparkletone at 12:38 PM on May 9, 2014
5 years should be about the max a tv show should run anyways, unless you pull a Dr Who and build in an accepted mechanism for completely changing the show chemistry... which in hindsight is prob why I'm getting tired of modern Who. The chars are a bit different, but share a lot of similarities and the overall feel remains the same (for me)
posted by edgeways at 12:38 PM on May 9, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by edgeways at 12:38 PM on May 9, 2014 [1 favorite]
sparkletone: I was late to this game, so I binge watched Seasons 1 through 3, eager for Season 4, but it really didn't measure up. I didn't even TRY to watch Season 5, and I doubt anyone could really talk me into it.
For what it's worth, in Season 5, they referred to Season 4 as "the gas-leak year."
posted by filthy light thief at 12:38 PM on May 9, 2014 [15 favorites]
For what it's worth, in Season 5, they referred to Season 4 as "the gas-leak year."
posted by filthy light thief at 12:38 PM on May 9, 2014 [15 favorites]
Nil desperandum! Sony is still looking for another home for it!
Five Seasons and a Hulu Original Programming Deal!
posted by Doktor Zed at 12:39 PM on May 9, 2014 [4 favorites]
Five Seasons and a Hulu Original Programming Deal!
posted by Doktor Zed at 12:39 PM on May 9, 2014 [4 favorites]
Since you mention "Remedial Chaos Theory," here's the fantastic flowchart from the writer's room.
posted by jbickers at 12:39 PM on May 9, 2014 [5 favorites]
posted by jbickers at 12:39 PM on May 9, 2014 [5 favorites]
Meanwhile, The Big Bang Theory has been renewed for three more seasons.
And they're going to milk the engagement story for that long.
posted by Melismata at 12:40 PM on May 9, 2014 [1 favorite]
And they're going to milk the engagement story for that long.
posted by Melismata at 12:40 PM on May 9, 2014 [1 favorite]
Season four was so bad because they fired the show's creator. Inexplicably, he was brought back to do S5 and while uneven, S5 was pretty good. Much better than the season before it, though it never quite hit the highs the show could in 2 or 3. S5 is worth giving a shot.
I really wish I could make people watch Community without knowing that fact, because I saw very little of the change people claim to have seen, and I suspect it to be largely an artifact of knowing that the Dan Harmon was fired.
Also, if I had one complaint about Season Five it was that it felt like there was entirely too much Harmon; at least a few of the episodes felt like he wrote them instead of discussing the issue with his therapist.
posted by Bulgaroktonos at 12:41 PM on May 9, 2014 [11 favorites]
I really wish I could make people watch Community without knowing that fact, because I saw very little of the change people claim to have seen, and I suspect it to be largely an artifact of knowing that the Dan Harmon was fired.
Also, if I had one complaint about Season Five it was that it felt like there was entirely too much Harmon; at least a few of the episodes felt like he wrote them instead of discussing the issue with his therapist.
posted by Bulgaroktonos at 12:41 PM on May 9, 2014 [11 favorites]
"Remember: Community once did an episode-length homage to MY DINNER WITH ANDRE. And that was only medium-weird. Five seasons was a miracle."
Honestly, how goddamn weird is it that Six Seasons And A Movie was actually plausible for a while there and still isn't completely out of the question?
posted by Copronymus at 12:41 PM on May 9, 2014 [1 favorite]
Honestly, how goddamn weird is it that Six Seasons And A Movie was actually plausible for a while there and still isn't completely out of the question?
posted by Copronymus at 12:41 PM on May 9, 2014 [1 favorite]
Note that Community's deal with Hulu for digital syndication probably dampens the possibility that Netflix or Amazon could take the show and make more of it.
Hulu has been producing original shows too.
I feel bad because I loved the show but I didn't even finish season 3. Not sure why. It's probably all my fault.
(On the other hand... Hannibal got renewed!!!!!)
posted by kmz at 12:41 PM on May 9, 2014
Hulu has been producing original shows too.
I feel bad because I loved the show but I didn't even finish season 3. Not sure why. It's probably all my fault.
(On the other hand... Hannibal got renewed!!!!!)
posted by kmz at 12:41 PM on May 9, 2014
Community once did an episode-length homage to MY DINNER WITH ANDRE
The best part about that episode was that the network had been pushing it as a Community-style concept episode homage to Pulp Fiction.
posted by mediocre at 12:41 PM on May 9, 2014 [4 favorites]
The best part about that episode was that the network had been pushing it as a Community-style concept episode homage to Pulp Fiction.
posted by mediocre at 12:41 PM on May 9, 2014 [4 favorites]
In retrospect, watching "Remedial Chaos Theory" with my mom and brother was enlightening. My brother and I loved the hell out of it, my mom thought it was pretentious and confusing, and actually was getting a little upset. (She finds Big Bang Theory hilarious.) So yeah. That might be a micro version of how America felt about the show.
posted by naju at 12:42 PM on May 9, 2014 [5 favorites]
posted by naju at 12:42 PM on May 9, 2014 [5 favorites]
Man I loved the GI Joe episode! But I think about Micronauts, Inhumanoids, and Rough Riders 4x4s every night before bed so I might be an easy mark.
posted by SharkParty at 12:44 PM on May 9, 2014 [10 favorites]
posted by SharkParty at 12:44 PM on May 9, 2014 [10 favorites]
because I saw very little of the change people claim to have seen
No, there was some weird stuff going on there. I had hoped that Harmon's return would tighten it back up again, but there were too many external factors. The Chevy Chase debacle and Troy's leaving just left it incomplete. I don't think Harmon could have saved it.
posted by jimmythefish at 12:45 PM on May 9, 2014 [5 favorites]
No, there was some weird stuff going on there. I had hoped that Harmon's return would tighten it back up again, but there were too many external factors. The Chevy Chase debacle and Troy's leaving just left it incomplete. I don't think Harmon could have saved it.
posted by jimmythefish at 12:45 PM on May 9, 2014 [5 favorites]
Well, NBC sure knows how to deanstroy a good TV show!
We'll have to switch to another changnell.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 12:45 PM on May 9, 2014 [12 favorites]
We'll have to switch to another changnell.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 12:45 PM on May 9, 2014 [12 favorites]
I liked this show, and binged on it HARD on Netflix. That said, I don't think there was much left for the show to do and maybe it was time. I mean, even I finished college in under 5 years.
posted by Hoopo at 12:46 PM on May 9, 2014 [3 favorites]
posted by Hoopo at 12:46 PM on May 9, 2014 [3 favorites]
But I think about Micronauts, Inhumanoids, and Rough Riders 4x4s every night before bed so I might be an easy mark.
"Micronauts, Inhumanoids, Rough Riders 4x4s, King Joffrey, The Hound..."
posted by FAMOUS MONSTER at 12:46 PM on May 9, 2014 [40 favorites]
"Micronauts, Inhumanoids, Rough Riders 4x4s, King Joffrey, The Hound..."
posted by FAMOUS MONSTER at 12:46 PM on May 9, 2014 [40 favorites]
We'll have to switch to another changnell.
I like to think the show had one writer devoted entirely to figuring out puns for the words "Chang" and "Dean".
posted by dry white toast at 12:47 PM on May 9, 2014 [1 favorite]
I like to think the show had one writer devoted entirely to figuring out puns for the words "Chang" and "Dean".
posted by dry white toast at 12:47 PM on May 9, 2014 [1 favorite]
Community was the first TV show I really cared about since Home Movies. Bless you, Human Beings, and god speed.
posted by jeffkramer at 12:47 PM on May 9, 2014 [4 favorites]
posted by jeffkramer at 12:47 PM on May 9, 2014 [4 favorites]
I know there's a Community thread that's only three days old, but figure this development merited a stand-alone thread.
posted by dry white toast
Very much so.
They had some good runs though. Hopefully the cast and crew get to move onto bigger and better things.
.
posted by ZeusHumms at 12:49 PM on May 9, 2014
posted by dry white toast
Very much so.
They had some good runs though. Hopefully the cast and crew get to move onto bigger and better things.
.
posted by ZeusHumms at 12:49 PM on May 9, 2014
I still can't believe how divisive the GI Joe episode is. The first time I watched it I went back and forth from laughing until I couldn't breathe to just having this weird huge child-like grin through the whole thing. The sheer chutzpah of it, combined with the childhood nostalgia, and the appreciation for how much work was involved in a) making an animated episode of a non-animated show, b) getting the rights to all this stuff, c)putting it together into some semblance of a plot that related to the rest of the series and d) filling it to the brim with so many injokes and references it seemed like not one frame was wasted. It was the best non-Rick and Morty thing Harmon has ever done. I was convinced this was the ep that would "Save Greendale," as it were.
And then I broke my spoiler embargo, hopped online to find a sea of "mehs" and "hated its" that just made me want to not live on this planet anymore.
But fine, NBC, whatever. You want to call the crew and cancel the show? Here, use my phone. It won't make you deaf because I'M NOT A HACK.
posted by Freon at 12:50 PM on May 9, 2014 [13 favorites]
And then I broke my spoiler embargo, hopped online to find a sea of "mehs" and "hated its" that just made me want to not live on this planet anymore.
But fine, NBC, whatever. You want to call the crew and cancel the show? Here, use my phone. It won't make you deaf because I'M NOT A HACK.
posted by Freon at 12:50 PM on May 9, 2014 [13 favorites]
From the preceding thread:
I live a couple towns over from Greendale. I just saw a giant fucking flash of light in the sky followed by a frightningly massive explosion. Has anyone heard anything about this? Hope everyones okay..
posted by mediocre at 14:14 on May 9 [1 favorite −] Favorite added! [!]
posted by ZeusHumms at 12:50 PM on May 9, 2014
I live a couple towns over from Greendale. I just saw a giant fucking flash of light in the sky followed by a frightningly massive explosion. Has anyone heard anything about this? Hope everyones okay..
posted by mediocre at 14:14 on May 9 [1 favorite −] Favorite added! [!]
posted by ZeusHumms at 12:50 PM on May 9, 2014
Meanwhile, The Big Bang Theory has been renewed for three more seasons.
Fuck this land.
From the short article on the Vulture:
posted by filthy light thief at 12:52 PM on May 9, 2014 [2 favorites]
Fuck this land.
From the short article on the Vulture:
NBC has also canceled Revolution, that show where the power went out. Technically, more people watched Revolution than Community, but emotionally that feels impossible and wrong. In any case, the cancel finger writes, and, having writ, moves on.Comfortable TV versus weird, esoteric and layered TV.
posted by filthy light thief at 12:52 PM on May 9, 2014 [2 favorites]
I have to say that my stomach hurt the next morning after the GI Joe one from all of the laughing. Granted, I think it was the first 5 minutes that had most of the humor, and Ms. nobeagle looked questioningly at me sometimes due to my level of laughter not matching hers. Sacred cows apparently make tasty burgers, and watching the death of Destro...
All that, and I don't think I watched more than 12 episodes of GI Joe as a kid.
At least It's Always Sunny has three(!) more seasons even if the next one is 6+ months away.
posted by nobeagle at 12:53 PM on May 9, 2014 [3 favorites]
All that, and I don't think I watched more than 12 episodes of GI Joe as a kid.
At least It's Always Sunny has three(!) more seasons even if the next one is 6+ months away.
posted by nobeagle at 12:53 PM on May 9, 2014 [3 favorites]
Hopefully the cast and crew get to move onto bigger and better things.
I very much hope Dany Pudi, Yvette Nicole Brown, and Gillian Jacobs get other gigs fast. They were each unknown or virtually unknown when the show started, and they all did amazing comedic work.
posted by dry white toast at 12:54 PM on May 9, 2014 [6 favorites]
I very much hope Dany Pudi, Yvette Nicole Brown, and Gillian Jacobs get other gigs fast. They were each unknown or virtually unknown when the show started, and they all did amazing comedic work.
posted by dry white toast at 12:54 PM on May 9, 2014 [6 favorites]
I still can't believe how divisive the GI Joe episode is.
I liked it more than most despite not having any particular feelings about GI Joe. I did like finding out that Hasbro was MORE THAN HAPPY to let Community do that particular episode, including giving their blessing to the parody theme song.
posted by sparkletone at 12:54 PM on May 9, 2014 [5 favorites]
I liked it more than most despite not having any particular feelings about GI Joe. I did like finding out that Hasbro was MORE THAN HAPPY to let Community do that particular episode, including giving their blessing to the parody theme song.
posted by sparkletone at 12:54 PM on May 9, 2014 [5 favorites]
oh no this is very sad
Honestly I totally see them doing at least a movie or something to finish this off.
posted by rebent at 12:54 PM on May 9, 2014
Honestly I totally see them doing at least a movie or something to finish this off.
posted by rebent at 12:54 PM on May 9, 2014
I had the same problem with the GI Joe episode that I did with the 8-bit episode and the Claymation episode. Great writing does not make up for the fact that they were taking one of the greatest ensemble casts ever and removing it. Reducing the characters to stiffly delivered voiceovers. They all lost so much of the chemistry and comedic timing that they had become so amazing at. It was a very well written episode, the execution just by its very nature robs the proceedings of a huge part of what makes it great.
posted by mediocre at 12:54 PM on May 9, 2014 [5 favorites]
posted by mediocre at 12:54 PM on May 9, 2014 [5 favorites]
at least a few of the episodes felt like he wrote them instead of discussing the issue with his therapist.
Dan Harmon is Kevin Smith: one flash of talent and now groupies will follow him around for life. Clerks is a great movie and Community had a few brilliant episodes, but both guys belong on somebody else's writing staff, not running their own projects.
posted by cribcage at 12:56 PM on May 9, 2014 [10 favorites]
Dan Harmon is Kevin Smith: one flash of talent and now groupies will follow him around for life. Clerks is a great movie and Community had a few brilliant episodes, but both guys belong on somebody else's writing staff, not running their own projects.
posted by cribcage at 12:56 PM on May 9, 2014 [10 favorites]
Being new to this fandom, is the fanbase rabid enough to make something happen? Not that that's a guarantee of anything, but if there's something worth supporting ...
posted by ZeusHumms at 12:57 PM on May 9, 2014
posted by ZeusHumms at 12:57 PM on May 9, 2014
The show was good because of the talent, but the talent was better than the show. It was holding them back. I am glad it's over so that I can see what (in particular) Dan Harmon, Gillian Jacobs, Danny Pudi, and Donald Glover do next.
posted by painquale at 12:58 PM on May 9, 2014 [3 favorites]
posted by painquale at 12:58 PM on May 9, 2014 [3 favorites]
I had the same problem with the GI Joe episode that I did with the 8-bit episode and the Claymation episode. Great writing does not make up for the fact that taking the human element out of it and you lose so much of the chemistry and comedic timing that the ensemble cast had become so amazing at.If you needed actual, literal humans on-screen for something to express humanity then Metafilter wouldn't be the place it is.
posted by Freon at 12:59 PM on May 9, 2014 [4 favorites]
I have to imagine Community is pretty expensive to produce. Being that Hulu would be the only possible buyer to continue the show, I don't really see it continuing. Unless it's an Arrested Development situation, where we get another season years on down the line.
posted by mediocre at 12:59 PM on May 9, 2014
posted by mediocre at 12:59 PM on May 9, 2014
I don't think season 4 is quite as bad as some say, especially in context of season 3 tilting downward into weakness. But 5 was quite a comeback for the most part, the strongest season since 2. I could have wished for a stronger finale if that was going to be the end, but I don't feel dis-satisfied. Still sorry not to see another season, given it's the only comedy on American TV that I will voluntarily watch.
posted by tavella at 12:59 PM on May 9, 2014 [4 favorites]
posted by tavella at 12:59 PM on May 9, 2014 [4 favorites]
Dan Harmon is Kevin Smith: one flash of talent and now groupies will follow him around for life. Clerks is a great movie and Community had a few brilliant episodes, but both guys belong on somebody else's writing staff, not running their own projects.
Until recently, there would be no counterexample one could really offer to this. But as things currently stand... You need to go watch Rick & Morty. Because just... No.
posted by sparkletone at 1:00 PM on May 9, 2014 [16 favorites]
Until recently, there would be no counterexample one could really offer to this. But as things currently stand... You need to go watch Rick & Morty. Because just... No.
posted by sparkletone at 1:00 PM on May 9, 2014 [16 favorites]
(In other TV news, Agent Carter got picked up, which makes me very very happy. Between that and SHIELD and Hannibal, I'm quite looking forward to dramas next year.)
posted by kmz at 1:03 PM on May 9, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by kmz at 1:03 PM on May 9, 2014 [2 favorites]
Rick and Morty is amazing television if you can stand comedy vomit. It's beyond hilarious... The writing is tight, the episodes are imaginative, the voice acting is fantastic. However, it can be somewhat exhausting to watch and I every time an episode ends I have to check to make sure it was only 22 minutes because the show is so fast paced it feels like 40.
posted by Strass at 1:03 PM on May 9, 2014
posted by Strass at 1:03 PM on May 9, 2014
I watched it religiously up until the olympics... and then they must have changed the time or something because my DVR stopped picking it up. Not sure if I can blame NBC (or CityTV) or my cable company for that.
posted by Pruitt-Igoe at 1:03 PM on May 9, 2014
posted by Pruitt-Igoe at 1:03 PM on May 9, 2014
.
I am truly bummed.
Quick, roll the dice, maybe we can get a different outcome!
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 1:04 PM on May 9, 2014 [6 favorites]
I have to imagine Community is pretty expensive to produce. Being that Hulu would be the only possible buyer to continue the show, I don't really see it continuing. Unless it's an Arrested Development situation, where we get another season years on down the line.
posted by mediocre at 14:59 on May 9 [+] [!]
I think at this point most of the costs would come from escalating salaries. I imagine set and other one time costs are pretty much done now. Community's syndication deal takes away the urgency of getting more episodes. That said, I wonder if any of the smaller cable TV networks would take a swing at this.
posted by ZeusHumms at 1:04 PM on May 9, 2014
posted by mediocre at 14:59 on May 9 [+] [!]
I think at this point most of the costs would come from escalating salaries. I imagine set and other one time costs are pretty much done now. Community's syndication deal takes away the urgency of getting more episodes. That said, I wonder if any of the smaller cable TV networks would take a swing at this.
posted by ZeusHumms at 1:04 PM on May 9, 2014
In this #darkesttimeline, Joel McHale will be the new host of The Late Late Show.
posted by oneswellfoop at 1:05 PM on May 9, 2014 [3 favorites]
posted by oneswellfoop at 1:05 PM on May 9, 2014 [3 favorites]
Dan Harmon is Kevin Smith: one flash of talent and now groupies will follow him around for life. Clerks is a great movie and Community had a few brilliant episodes, but both guys belong on somebody else's writing staff, not running their own projects.
Compare their podcasts and the difference between the two is apparent. I don't think all too much of Community, but listening to Harmon on Harmontown makes it apparent that he's a real blitzkrieg of humor and energy and introspection and character.
Rick and Morty is Harmon's second success. You can tell that Rick's style of speech is modeled on Harmon's, and it's a voice that never really appeared in Community. I think Harmon's just finding his voice and that whatever he does next will be even stronger.
posted by painquale at 1:05 PM on May 9, 2014 [1 favorite]
Compare their podcasts and the difference between the two is apparent. I don't think all too much of Community, but listening to Harmon on Harmontown makes it apparent that he's a real blitzkrieg of humor and energy and introspection and character.
Rick and Morty is Harmon's second success. You can tell that Rick's style of speech is modeled on Harmon's, and it's a voice that never really appeared in Community. I think Harmon's just finding his voice and that whatever he does next will be even stronger.
posted by painquale at 1:05 PM on May 9, 2014 [1 favorite]
And they're going to milk the engagement story for that long.
"This Whateverdayit'son, tune in for a very special two-hour Big Bang Theory."
posted by rhizome at 1:05 PM on May 9, 2014
"This Whateverdayit'son, tune in for a very special two-hour Big Bang Theory."
posted by rhizome at 1:05 PM on May 9, 2014
I hear Joel McHale just hosted the White House Correspondents Dinner.
THANKS OBAMA
posted by m@f at 1:07 PM on May 9, 2014 [3 favorites]
THANKS OBAMA
posted by m@f at 1:07 PM on May 9, 2014 [3 favorites]
Dan Harmon is Kevin Smith: one flash of talent and now groupies will follow him around for life.
Go watch the "Meseeks and Destroy" episode of Rick & Morty, and get back to us on that.
posted by malphigian at 1:07 PM on May 9, 2014 [6 favorites]
Go watch the "Meseeks and Destroy" episode of Rick & Morty, and get back to us on that.
posted by malphigian at 1:07 PM on May 9, 2014 [6 favorites]
I think I'd like a movie.
Not another whole season. Maybe a miniseries, on Hulu. Six episodes or so, tops, but probably not even that.
Community was my favorite TV show, in large part because it was a show about growing. A show about changing, and finding where you belong. And growing, in the context of the show, is about getting off the treadmill of the terrible mistakes you've made over and over again.
So it'd be nice to see Harmon's vision of where these people end up. Seeing Abed being a functional enough person to have a healthy relationship. Seeing Troy come back, and finding out what happened when he and LeVar Burton were captured by pirates. The show shunted Shirley off to the side, so she's kind of in limbo right now with her husband, and I'd love to see some sort of happy ending for an underused character. Hell, for everyone. I'd love to see Annie step into adulthood and overachieve that shit like she does with everything else. Insofar as I've ever had a ship, it was Jeff and Britta, so I think it'd be great to see them stumble headfirst into the next stages of their lives together.
I think it'd be great if Harmon got the chance to tell one final story with them, with everyone knowing in advance that this is it, this is the end, there's no throwing any hats over the wall: where you leave the characters at the end of it is where they will be forever. Just to spend a little more time with them, and see where they end up.
It'd be nice. I doubt it'll happen, but it'd be nice.
posted by FAMOUS MONSTER at 1:10 PM on May 9, 2014 [6 favorites]
Not another whole season. Maybe a miniseries, on Hulu. Six episodes or so, tops, but probably not even that.
Community was my favorite TV show, in large part because it was a show about growing. A show about changing, and finding where you belong. And growing, in the context of the show, is about getting off the treadmill of the terrible mistakes you've made over and over again.
So it'd be nice to see Harmon's vision of where these people end up. Seeing Abed being a functional enough person to have a healthy relationship. Seeing Troy come back, and finding out what happened when he and LeVar Burton were captured by pirates. The show shunted Shirley off to the side, so she's kind of in limbo right now with her husband, and I'd love to see some sort of happy ending for an underused character. Hell, for everyone. I'd love to see Annie step into adulthood and overachieve that shit like she does with everything else. Insofar as I've ever had a ship, it was Jeff and Britta, so I think it'd be great to see them stumble headfirst into the next stages of their lives together.
I think it'd be great if Harmon got the chance to tell one final story with them, with everyone knowing in advance that this is it, this is the end, there's no throwing any hats over the wall: where you leave the characters at the end of it is where they will be forever. Just to spend a little more time with them, and see where they end up.
It'd be nice. I doubt it'll happen, but it'd be nice.
posted by FAMOUS MONSTER at 1:10 PM on May 9, 2014 [6 favorites]
Well, I wasn't going to have a drink tonight...
posted by Kitteh at 1:13 PM on May 9, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by Kitteh at 1:13 PM on May 9, 2014 [1 favorite]
Condolences from the Hannibal fandom, we will try to honor every part.
posted by The Whelk at 1:14 PM on May 9, 2014 [16 favorites]
posted by The Whelk at 1:14 PM on May 9, 2014 [16 favorites]
Shame it's not on Netflix anymore. I meant to catch up after seeing the D&D episode but never did.
I had a hard time getting into the show because the setting was so ludicrously wrong on pretty much every level. I've been to community college and my mom teaches at one, and I remember the first season having such a huge distance from how they function that it constantly took me out of the show. I just assumed after seeing the D&D thing that they abandoned most of that and just had an adult Head of the Class thing going that was better without worrying about the logistics of the world.
posted by klangklangston at 1:15 PM on May 9, 2014
I had a hard time getting into the show because the setting was so ludicrously wrong on pretty much every level. I've been to community college and my mom teaches at one, and I remember the first season having such a huge distance from how they function that it constantly took me out of the show. I just assumed after seeing the D&D thing that they abandoned most of that and just had an adult Head of the Class thing going that was better without worrying about the logistics of the world.
posted by klangklangston at 1:15 PM on May 9, 2014
Until recently, there would be no counterexample one could really offer to this. But as things currently stand... You need to go watch Rick & Morty.
That show is so great, I was going to say the same thing. At this point I'm even laughing at the number of times Rick says "Morty" alone.
posted by Hoopo at 1:16 PM on May 9, 2014
That show is so great, I was going to say the same thing. At this point I'm even laughing at the number of times Rick says "Morty" alone.
posted by Hoopo at 1:16 PM on May 9, 2014
I really wish I could make people watch Community without knowing that fact [that Harmon was fired before Season 4], because I saw very little of the change people claim to have seen, and I suspect it to be largely an artifact of knowing that the Dan Harmon was fired.I dunno, I went into Season 4 really hopeful that it would be good, so it wasn't like I was all "They lost Harmon, let's see how much it goes downhill", and my hopefulness just kept going down every episode.
I thought Season 5 only rebounded about halfway, FWIW.
posted by dfan at 1:16 PM on May 9, 2014 [1 favorite]
appreciation for how much work was involved in a) making an animated episode of a non-animated show
I had the same problem with the GI Joe episode that I did with the 8-bit episode and the Claymation episode.
You know, I was going to say that the Claymation episode had to be much more expensive/time-consuming than the G.I. Joe episode, and actually showed a lot of moxie to invest in that (being that it was only midway through the second season and the show hadn't yet delivered much evidence it was going to have high ratings/staying power), but I completely forgot about the 8-bit ep. God, this show really has been all over the place.
Also the 8-bit ep did had a fair amount of phoned-in V.O., so agree there.
posted by psoas at 1:17 PM on May 9, 2014
I had the same problem with the GI Joe episode that I did with the 8-bit episode and the Claymation episode.
You know, I was going to say that the Claymation episode had to be much more expensive/time-consuming than the G.I. Joe episode, and actually showed a lot of moxie to invest in that (being that it was only midway through the second season and the show hadn't yet delivered much evidence it was going to have high ratings/staying power), but I completely forgot about the 8-bit ep. God, this show really has been all over the place.
Also the 8-bit ep did had a fair amount of phoned-in V.O., so agree there.
posted by psoas at 1:17 PM on May 9, 2014
MY EMOTIONS
posted by Dr-Baa at 1:24 PM on May 9, 2014 [5 favorites]
posted by Dr-Baa at 1:24 PM on May 9, 2014 [5 favorites]
The other concept episodes worked because at their base they still had a logical plot and good dialogue. "Modern Warfare" is epic in part because there is major character development in the episode.
I spent most of the GI Joe episode saying to myself, "What is happening? Whatever it is, I don't care."
The muppets episode had the same problem. Anything can work if there is an actual story behind it.
posted by dry white toast at 1:25 PM on May 9, 2014 [1 favorite]
I spent most of the GI Joe episode saying to myself, "What is happening? Whatever it is, I don't care."
The muppets episode had the same problem. Anything can work if there is an actual story behind it.
posted by dry white toast at 1:25 PM on May 9, 2014 [1 favorite]
Yeah yeah, it was tired, you quit in season 4; wake me up when the backlash to the backlash gets here. In the meantime, I got to watch Mike the Cleaner interrogate a hobgoblin, so nyah.
posted by ormondsacker at 1:35 PM on May 9, 2014 [3 favorites]
posted by ormondsacker at 1:35 PM on May 9, 2014 [3 favorites]
filthy light thief: " Comfortable TV versus weird, esoteric and layered TV."
"Layered" is not a word I'd use to describe Revolution. However, I gave up on the show around the 15th episode of the first season, when it became apparent it wasn't varying its storylines and the superficial characterizations we had been given for each of the main characters weren't getting deeper. Did it ever get better? Because until that point: 3/4 of the way through the first season, Revolution desperately needed better writers. Ones that could invest the viewer in the story arcs and characters. Mysteries that need to be unraveled are all well and good, but man, the characters were boring and it all seemed pointless.
posted by zarq at 1:45 PM on May 9, 2014
"Layered" is not a word I'd use to describe Revolution. However, I gave up on the show around the 15th episode of the first season, when it became apparent it wasn't varying its storylines and the superficial characterizations we had been given for each of the main characters weren't getting deeper. Did it ever get better? Because until that point: 3/4 of the way through the first season, Revolution desperately needed better writers. Ones that could invest the viewer in the story arcs and characters. Mysteries that need to be unraveled are all well and good, but man, the characters were boring and it all seemed pointless.
posted by zarq at 1:45 PM on May 9, 2014
RIP. I will say, however, apropos of little, that a good portion of Community feels like it would play best in comic book form.
posted by Sticherbeast at 1:50 PM on May 9, 2014
posted by Sticherbeast at 1:50 PM on May 9, 2014
Give me some more time in a dream.
posted by jwhite1979 at 1:51 PM on May 9, 2014 [3 favorites]
posted by jwhite1979 at 1:51 PM on May 9, 2014 [3 favorites]
I'm usually the first person on the bummer train, but I feel pretty confident Sony will find some place to tell at least one more story in this world. I guarandean it. Sorry. But in a world where Veronica Mars came back it seems like this will deanfinitely happen.
posted by gerryblog at 1:54 PM on May 9, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by gerryblog at 1:54 PM on May 9, 2014 [2 favorites]
Never got the appeal, but it sure had a lot of rabid fans. Sorry to hear.
posted by jeff-o-matic at 2:01 PM on May 9, 2014
posted by jeff-o-matic at 2:01 PM on May 9, 2014
Remember the 70s, when every sitcom was a spinoff from another sitcom? If there's any justice, Community should become a fountainhead of All In The Family proportions.
posted by whuppy at 2:01 PM on May 9, 2014 [4 favorites]
posted by whuppy at 2:01 PM on May 9, 2014 [4 favorites]
Dan Harmon is Kevin Smith: one flash of talent and now groupies will follow him around for life. Clerks is a great movie and Community had a few brilliant episodes, but both guys belong on somebody else's writing staff, not running their own projects.
So who is Harmon's Jason Mewes, i.e. dude from back home he dragged to stardom?
posted by Steely-eyed Missile Man at 2:03 PM on May 9, 2014
So who is Harmon's Jason Mewes, i.e. dude from back home he dragged to stardom?
posted by Steely-eyed Missile Man at 2:03 PM on May 9, 2014
Rob Schrab?
posted by painquale at 2:05 PM on May 9, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by painquale at 2:05 PM on May 9, 2014 [1 favorite]
:(
...
Alright then, Rick and Morty: #sixseasonsandamovie
posted by bigendian at 2:05 PM on May 9, 2014
...
Alright then, Rick and Morty: #sixseasonsandamovie
posted by bigendian at 2:05 PM on May 9, 2014
I've never been much for televised comedy, but man. Community was fucking great.
.
posted by brundlefly at 2:06 PM on May 9, 2014 [1 favorite]
.
posted by brundlefly at 2:06 PM on May 9, 2014 [1 favorite]
Guys, I need you to help me react to something.
posted by spinifex23 at 2:10 PM on May 9, 2014 [7 favorites]
posted by spinifex23 at 2:10 PM on May 9, 2014 [7 favorites]
Daniel Bryan, we need you and the power of the Yes Movement.
posted by jwhite1979 at 2:13 PM on May 9, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by jwhite1979 at 2:13 PM on May 9, 2014 [1 favorite]
So who is Harmon's Jason Mewes, i.e. dude from back home he dragged to stardom?
Wasn't Annie's brother some dude Harmon found at a podcast taping?
posted by smackfu at 2:13 PM on May 9, 2014
Wasn't Annie's brother some dude Harmon found at a podcast taping?
posted by smackfu at 2:13 PM on May 9, 2014
Rick And Morty! It is better than Community ever was. Focus your attentions there.
posted by damehex at 2:15 PM on May 9, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by damehex at 2:15 PM on May 9, 2014 [2 favorites]
So, I just watched the first two episodes of Rick and Morty and I think I'm in love.
posted by Pendragon at 2:23 PM on May 9, 2014
posted by Pendragon at 2:23 PM on May 9, 2014
Oh my god where will I get my Jim Rash fix now?
posted by elsietheeel at 2:33 PM on May 9, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by elsietheeel at 2:33 PM on May 9, 2014 [2 favorites]
With Trudy Campbell divorcing Pete on Mad Men, I'm wondering the same thing about Alison Brie.
posted by dry white toast at 2:37 PM on May 9, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by dry white toast at 2:37 PM on May 9, 2014 [1 favorite]
though I admit I was always puzzled by the phrase "Give me some rope, tie me a dream."
Oh, it's not? ...but the end of the same verse is "We could be roped up, tied up, dead in a year." Parallelism!
posted by psoas at 2:37 PM on May 9, 2014
Oh, it's not? ...but the end of the same verse is "We could be roped up, tied up, dead in a year." Parallelism!
posted by psoas at 2:37 PM on May 9, 2014
Give me some more time in a dream
Holy shit, those are the lyrics! I have apparently spent the last four years under a mistaken impression, though I admit I was always puzzled by the phrase "Give me some rope, tie me a dream."
Those are alternate verses to the theme song, "At Least It Was Here", though the full lyrics now seem like from the very beginning Harmon & Co. were telling us this couldn't last:
posted by Doktor Zed at 2:38 PM on May 9, 2014 [12 favorites]
Holy shit, those are the lyrics! I have apparently spent the last four years under a mistaken impression, though I admit I was always puzzled by the phrase "Give me some rope, tie me a dream."
Those are alternate verses to the theme song, "At Least It Was Here", though the full lyrics now seem like from the very beginning Harmon & Co. were telling us this couldn't last:
Give me your handsFade out.
Show me the door
I cannot stand
To wait anymore
Somebody said
Be what you be
We could be old and cold and dead on the scene
But I love you more than words can say
I can’t count the reasons I should stay
Give me some more
Time in a dream
Give me the hope to run out of steam
Somebody said it can be here
We could be roped up, tied up, dead in a year
I can't count the reasons I should stay
One by one they all just fade away
I’m tied to the wait and sees
I’m tired of that part of me
That makes up a perfect lie
To keep us busy
But hours turn into days
So watch what you throw away
And be here to recognize
There’s another way
Give me some rope
Tie me to dream
Give me the hope to run out of steam
Somebody said it can be here
We could be roped up, tied up, dead in a year
But I love you more than words can say
I can’t count the reasons I should stay
One by one they all just fade away
But I love you more than words can say
posted by Doktor Zed at 2:38 PM on May 9, 2014 [12 favorites]
I hope some of those NBC execs are keeping a low profile. Things could turn ugly.
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 2:46 PM on May 9, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 2:46 PM on May 9, 2014 [1 favorite]
Just a note to the PDX mefites: Harmontown will be gracing our fair city tomorrow. For those that missed it come through town last year, it's really quite an experience, and I have a feeling that today's news will make it even more so this time.
posted by a box and a stick and a string and a bear at 2:48 PM on May 9, 2014
posted by a box and a stick and a string and a bear at 2:48 PM on May 9, 2014
As others have mentioned, Rick & Morty is fantastic. Forever and forever! One hundred years!
posted by cazoo at 2:50 PM on May 9, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by cazoo at 2:50 PM on May 9, 2014 [2 favorites]
So who is Harmon's Jason Mewes, i.e. dude from back home he dragged to stardom?
I'd say Spencer, Harmontown's resident DM. Just a guy working at an Apple Store before walking out of the audience and subsequently dragged on tour across the country.
posted by m@f at 3:11 PM on May 9, 2014 [2 favorites]
I'd say Spencer, Harmontown's resident DM. Just a guy working at an Apple Store before walking out of the audience and subsequently dragged on tour across the country.
posted by m@f at 3:11 PM on May 9, 2014 [2 favorites]
I am just panicishly stacking on my grief and confusion with everyone else.
posted by One Hand Slowclapping at 3:21 PM on May 9, 2014
posted by One Hand Slowclapping at 3:21 PM on May 9, 2014
I wish I could be there for the first Harmontown made post-cancellation. It should be a very interesting, if emotional, show. Unfortunately, it's at a venue I hate. Even if it weren't sold out, I would have trouble going just because I hate Doug Fir so much. Years back, a friend of mine took me to a Neil Hamburger show there. I was in my "I'm the guy who always has a pint bottle of whiskey in his inside breast pocket" phase, so needless to say I was kind of drunk. The friend who took me said that funnier than anything else that night was the sight of me pissing on one of their hotel room windows whilst yelling "Fuck your hipster meat market!"
posted by mediocre at 3:23 PM on May 9, 2014 [3 favorites]
posted by mediocre at 3:23 PM on May 9, 2014 [3 favorites]
.
posted by Navelgazer at 3:25 PM on May 9, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by Navelgazer at 3:25 PM on May 9, 2014 [1 favorite]
*
posted by logicpunk at 3:29 PM on May 9, 2014 [7 favorites]
posted by logicpunk at 3:29 PM on May 9, 2014 [7 favorites]
⊛
posted by Guy Smiley at 3:30 PM on May 9, 2014 [3 favorites]
posted by Guy Smiley at 3:30 PM on May 9, 2014 [3 favorites]
Reverently holds the Energon Pod of Community
It's not gone. The show was a Level 5 Laser Lotus. We can watch it forever one month at a time on Free trials of Hulu Plus!!
posted by Megafly at 4:03 PM on May 9, 2014 [4 favorites]
It's not gone. The show was a Level 5 Laser Lotus. We can watch it forever one month at a time on Free trials of Hulu Plus!!
posted by Megafly at 4:03 PM on May 9, 2014 [4 favorites]
I feel like I am missing something in Rick and Morty that everyone else is not. I enjoy it, don't get me wrong. But.. I don't know, maybe I don't get something that seeing all the episodes in order will get you. I have been told that it has arcs that extend through many episodes, but I haven't seen that. I've only seen a few stray episodes. But the constant drooling and farts kind of turns me off.
posted by mediocre at 4:04 PM on May 9, 2014 [3 favorites]
posted by mediocre at 4:04 PM on May 9, 2014 [3 favorites]
So, uh, what's NBC's plan at this point? Other than SVU, which is well beyond its expiration date, do they have anything?
posted by Sys Rq at 4:13 PM on May 9, 2014
posted by Sys Rq at 4:13 PM on May 9, 2014
NBC is bringing back Heroes. I have no idea why.
posted by ZeusHumms at 4:23 PM on May 9, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by ZeusHumms at 4:23 PM on May 9, 2014 [1 favorite]
Not just bringing back. But a full on reboot.
To be fair though, Heroes was a show that had a lot of potential based on the premise alone. The fact that they botched the execution so bad is what is frustrating. Maybe this time they'll get it right.
posted by mediocre at 4:25 PM on May 9, 2014 [3 favorites]
To be fair though, Heroes was a show that had a lot of potential based on the premise alone. The fact that they botched the execution so bad is what is frustrating. Maybe this time they'll get it right.
posted by mediocre at 4:25 PM on May 9, 2014 [3 favorites]
The Voice and The Blacklist both get good ratings (for NBC).
posted by smackfu at 4:26 PM on May 9, 2014
posted by smackfu at 4:26 PM on May 9, 2014
They've got Hannibal, I guess, and one more season of Parks and Rec?
posted by MeghanC at 4:27 PM on May 9, 2014
posted by MeghanC at 4:27 PM on May 9, 2014
To be fair though, Heroes was a show that had a lot of potential based on the premise alone.
But in the interim, the same concept they squandered has been done -- far, far, far better -- by a handful of other shows, like Misfits and Being Human and whatnot.
posted by Sys Rq at 4:30 PM on May 9, 2014 [1 favorite]
But in the interim, the same concept they squandered has been done -- far, far, far better -- by a handful of other shows, like Misfits and Being Human and whatnot.
posted by Sys Rq at 4:30 PM on May 9, 2014 [1 favorite]
A Heroes reboot would be pretty tempting. Sys Req is right that the concept has been mined pretty clear by Misfits and even Orphan Black but if they got into some Planetary style meta stuff? Or some Astro City slice-of-life bits? That could be really good, especially if they stay on top of the other superhero media and do interesting things with close-but-not-quite versions of widely known heroes.
As for Community, Season 5 was hurt by the lack of an editor. Harmon needs someone to say no to him to move things to the next level. After being begged back, he knew he was free to do whatever, so didn't need to be the cunning mofo he really is to get what he wanted.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 4:42 PM on May 9, 2014
As for Community, Season 5 was hurt by the lack of an editor. Harmon needs someone to say no to him to move things to the next level. After being begged back, he knew he was free to do whatever, so didn't need to be the cunning mofo he really is to get what he wanted.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 4:42 PM on May 9, 2014
Compare their podcasts and the difference between the two is apparent.
This is my surprised face that Dan Harmon and Kevin Smith both have podcasts. Of course they do. That's what you do when you have this level of fan. More to the point, that's all you have to do. Just keep giving them more. If I'll credit Joss Whedon with one thing (does he have a podcast, too?) it's that he works to transcend his fans. When he made Serenity, he didn't just make it for the Browncoats; he made a film for people who like movies. Smith and Harmon write for people who like Smith and Harmon.
I'm not saying they are talentless hacks who oughtta be flipping burgers. They are both talented writers. They belong in Hollywood. But they belong on writing staffs, among other talented writers whom they can collaborate with, and beneath some type of leader who can see both forest and trees.
posted by cribcage at 4:55 PM on May 9, 2014 [4 favorites]
This is my surprised face that Dan Harmon and Kevin Smith both have podcasts. Of course they do. That's what you do when you have this level of fan. More to the point, that's all you have to do. Just keep giving them more. If I'll credit Joss Whedon with one thing (does he have a podcast, too?) it's that he works to transcend his fans. When he made Serenity, he didn't just make it for the Browncoats; he made a film for people who like movies. Smith and Harmon write for people who like Smith and Harmon.
I'm not saying they are talentless hacks who oughtta be flipping burgers. They are both talented writers. They belong in Hollywood. But they belong on writing staffs, among other talented writers whom they can collaborate with, and beneath some type of leader who can see both forest and trees.
posted by cribcage at 4:55 PM on May 9, 2014 [4 favorites]
I remember when Heroes was originally starting up and I didn't know anything about it. I was disappointed when I found out that it wasn't about what my imagination wanted: a different superhero origin story every week, like a reverse-Quantum Leap.
posted by rhizome at 5:06 PM on May 9, 2014
posted by rhizome at 5:06 PM on May 9, 2014
I guess this is what happens when you narrow the target demographic of a show down to Dan Harmon.
posted by turbid dahlia at 5:12 PM on May 9, 2014
posted by turbid dahlia at 5:12 PM on May 9, 2014
Argh.
posted by ooga_booga at 5:26 PM on May 9, 2014
posted by ooga_booga at 5:26 PM on May 9, 2014
"When he made Serenity, he didn't just make it for the Browncoats; he made a film for people who like movies."
I guess he made it for people who like disappointing movies with third act problems then.
posted by klangklangston at 5:30 PM on May 9, 2014 [6 favorites]
I guess he made it for people who like disappointing movies with third act problems then.
posted by klangklangston at 5:30 PM on May 9, 2014 [6 favorites]
MY WHOLE BRAIN IS CRYING
Srsly, though, we've had a good run, and I've no complaints. I'm honestly surprised something that good lasted as long as it did. Thanks, Community community -- I won't ever forget you.
posted by Capt. Renault at 5:39 PM on May 9, 2014 [1 favorite]
Srsly, though, we've had a good run, and I've no complaints. I'm honestly surprised something that good lasted as long as it did. Thanks, Community community -- I won't ever forget you.
posted by Capt. Renault at 5:39 PM on May 9, 2014 [1 favorite]
NBC must be run by a bunch of ones.
posted by drezdn at 5:42 PM on May 9, 2014 [7 favorites]
posted by drezdn at 5:42 PM on May 9, 2014 [7 favorites]
The only other show that I've loved as much as Community is Arrested Development. Sadness.
posted by Saxon Kane at 5:45 PM on May 9, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by Saxon Kane at 5:45 PM on May 9, 2014 [1 favorite]
Hulu has been producing original shows too.
Not nearly as many as it seems. What Hulu mainly does is license foreign shows and stamp "A Hulu Original" on them. Except for a small handful of series, it is a baldfaced lie.
Still, though, putting anything exclusively on Hulu and expecting it to thrive is just kinda dumb. They'd get just as much, if not more, by letting Netflix carry those titles, then breathing the fumes. Worse still would be expecting such shows to draw people to Hulu; no one's going to pay for a Hulu Plus membership just to see if that new Kristen Schaal thing is any good.
Community probably would have done better on TV if it had been available on a streaming service used by an adequate number of people, who could get acquainted and invested during hiatuses, then tune in live when it airs. Hulu Plus has what, six million users? You'd need every single one of them to watch your show just to get the kind of numbers a low-rated network sitcom gets. Compare Netflix's 33 million subscribers. Compare The Big Bang Theory's 20 million weekly viewers. Six million potential viewers is nothing. Hulu is worthless.
(Community certainly would have done much better if it hadn't been pitted against a massively popular--but inferior--show aimed at the same demographic.)
posted by Sys Rq at 5:50 PM on May 9, 2014
Not nearly as many as it seems. What Hulu mainly does is license foreign shows and stamp "A Hulu Original" on them. Except for a small handful of series, it is a baldfaced lie.
Still, though, putting anything exclusively on Hulu and expecting it to thrive is just kinda dumb. They'd get just as much, if not more, by letting Netflix carry those titles, then breathing the fumes. Worse still would be expecting such shows to draw people to Hulu; no one's going to pay for a Hulu Plus membership just to see if that new Kristen Schaal thing is any good.
Community probably would have done better on TV if it had been available on a streaming service used by an adequate number of people, who could get acquainted and invested during hiatuses, then tune in live when it airs. Hulu Plus has what, six million users? You'd need every single one of them to watch your show just to get the kind of numbers a low-rated network sitcom gets. Compare Netflix's 33 million subscribers. Compare The Big Bang Theory's 20 million weekly viewers. Six million potential viewers is nothing. Hulu is worthless.
(Community certainly would have done much better if it hadn't been pitted against a massively popular--but inferior--show aimed at the same demographic.)
posted by Sys Rq at 5:50 PM on May 9, 2014
> Meanwhile, The Big Bang Theory has been renewed for three more seasons.
Guess what my family is watching right now? All together, on couches, staring at an actual TV screen, together? Laughing along with the laugh track?
They just invited me to watch.
Because I like science.
--------------
Oh, almost forgot:
.
posted by officer_fred at 5:53 PM on May 9, 2014 [3 favorites]
Guess what my family is watching right now? All together, on couches, staring at an actual TV screen, together? Laughing along with the laugh track?
They just invited me to watch.
Because I like science.
--------------
Oh, almost forgot:
.
posted by officer_fred at 5:53 PM on May 9, 2014 [3 favorites]
Not Cool. Not Cool. Not Cool.
posted by Faintdreams at 5:57 PM on May 9, 2014 [9 favorites]
posted by Faintdreams at 5:57 PM on May 9, 2014 [9 favorites]
My main beef with Hulu is that it forces you to watch commercials in a way that's worse than cable, which means that hiding behind the, "Well, you pay for other TV with commercials…" is dumb.
posted by klangklangston at 6:09 PM on May 9, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by klangklangston at 6:09 PM on May 9, 2014 [1 favorite]
But Quickdraw is pretty consistently funny, and I hope they bring that back. It even has a poor man's Jason Bateman as the main character.
posted by klangklangston at 6:10 PM on May 9, 2014
posted by klangklangston at 6:10 PM on May 9, 2014
My main beef with Hulu is that it forces you to watch commercials in a way that's worse than cable,
My main beef with Hulu is they can't stream a show to my Roku without it crashing. Not even the lowly PBS channel is as troublesome.
posted by drezdn at 6:34 PM on May 9, 2014 [1 favorite]
My main beef with Hulu is they can't stream a show to my Roku without it crashing. Not even the lowly PBS channel is as troublesome.
posted by drezdn at 6:34 PM on May 9, 2014 [1 favorite]
This is sadness. I have had several shows cancelled on me this spring, but those other shows, they were just shrug offs. They were entertaining moments that I never sat down eagerly to watch live (Hulu pretty much), but Community, that's the show I tried to be in front of my tv on Thursday nights. It was the show I sat, watched and laugh with/at to the puzzled amusement of my significant other. The characters were people, as dysfunctional as they could be, that I wanted to spend time with, hang out with, or fall into incredibly over the top escapades.
It was, or is, still perhaps the best show of my life, yet so far. The radio wave projected by the show zeroed into my cranium and I connected with the jokes and references. I tried to sing its praises to everyone I met and by whatever contrived excuses within totally unrelated conversations. "Would you like fries with that?" "Does Troy belong with Abed on Community?!"
I'm probably much less of the fan that I like to pretend to be, but there definitely is a void on the tube in front of me. Congrats, NBC, you may have just now nixed the last reason that kept me tuned in to your station. I grew up with NBC, it was the only station my hometown had, and so we always watched it for the news, and of course, for the fantastic Thursday nights, so on and so on. But, that last grain of sand has circled the hole in the middle of the hour glass, screamed frantically in a high pitch sand-like voice and tumbled to join its friends below. Yup, the hour's over, and I suppose I'll go chase Harmon in his other projects and tell everyone how great the Peacock used to be.
Cool.Cool.Cool.
posted by Atreides at 6:44 PM on May 9, 2014 [2 favorites]
It was, or is, still perhaps the best show of my life, yet so far. The radio wave projected by the show zeroed into my cranium and I connected with the jokes and references. I tried to sing its praises to everyone I met and by whatever contrived excuses within totally unrelated conversations. "Would you like fries with that?" "Does Troy belong with Abed on Community?!"
I'm probably much less of the fan that I like to pretend to be, but there definitely is a void on the tube in front of me. Congrats, NBC, you may have just now nixed the last reason that kept me tuned in to your station. I grew up with NBC, it was the only station my hometown had, and so we always watched it for the news, and of course, for the fantastic Thursday nights, so on and so on. But, that last grain of sand has circled the hole in the middle of the hour glass, screamed frantically in a high pitch sand-like voice and tumbled to join its friends below. Yup, the hour's over, and I suppose I'll go chase Harmon in his other projects and tell everyone how great the Peacock used to be.
Cool.Cool.Cool.
posted by Atreides at 6:44 PM on May 9, 2014 [2 favorites]
This is how I put it to my Facebook friends who all expressed wonder as to how this happened:
I am, of course, a big fan of Community. I am saddened to hear about its cancellation.posted by ob1quixote at 6:53 PM on May 9, 2014 [11 favorites]
However, to put things in perspective: April 10th was the last time that Community and The Big Bang Theory aired on the same day. Community pulled in 2.56 million viewers. The execrable Big Bang Theory -- with its terrible writing, stupid characters, and infantile laugh track -- garnered 16.49 million viewers.
This is your culture, America. Cherish it.
(With apologies to Charles P. Pierce)
Maybe it's because NBC-Universal bought the rights to Firefly and so the cast is going to transition to playing characters on the revival of that series.
posted by Apocryphon at 7:22 PM on May 9, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by Apocryphon at 7:22 PM on May 9, 2014 [2 favorites]
My whole brain is crying.
posted by mayurasana at 9:05 PM on May 9, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by mayurasana at 9:05 PM on May 9, 2014 [1 favorite]
It's my fault. I got a side gig teaching .. At a community college ... Tuesday and Thursday nights.
I never got to see this season live.
posted by Pogo_Fuzzybutt at 9:58 PM on May 9, 2014
I never got to see this season live.
posted by Pogo_Fuzzybutt at 9:58 PM on May 9, 2014
I'd seen episodes of Community before, but it wasn't until Adam Cadre (of Interactive Fiction and Little Lytton fame) reviewed the series that I finally plowed through and started watching on a weekly basis.
Consider this a demonstration of the power of priming, then, since my opinion of the show is basically the same as Cadre's: it's decent entertainment, and the clever conceptual episodes are entertaining, but the "we're not a study group/campus improvement committee, we're a family" refrain rings pretty hollow. My one major disagreement would be that the characters that make the show worth watching aren't so much Britta and Annie as they are Troy and LeVar Burton.
While I'm not happy to see the show cancelled, I can't honestly say I liked season 5 more than season 4—"Introduction to Teaching", "Geothermal Escapism", and "Advanced Advanced Dungeons and Dragons" felt pretty redundant, and "G.I. Jeff" labors in the shadow of The Venture Brothers's O.S.I., which gets to both parody G.I. Joe AND strike off in its own direction dramatically and comedically. (Season 4 may had similarly weak episodes, but at least it never made me cringe as much as the end of "G.I. Jeff", or the claymation Christmas episode from season 2, for that matter.) I really want this series to continue with Troy back in the mix, but I can't say I don't understand the cancellation.
(Ricky & Morty IS pretty great, tho)
posted by jsnlxndrlv at 10:09 PM on May 9, 2014 [1 favorite]
Consider this a demonstration of the power of priming, then, since my opinion of the show is basically the same as Cadre's: it's decent entertainment, and the clever conceptual episodes are entertaining, but the "we're not a study group/campus improvement committee, we're a family" refrain rings pretty hollow. My one major disagreement would be that the characters that make the show worth watching aren't so much Britta and Annie as they are Troy and LeVar Burton.
While I'm not happy to see the show cancelled, I can't honestly say I liked season 5 more than season 4—"Introduction to Teaching", "Geothermal Escapism", and "Advanced Advanced Dungeons and Dragons" felt pretty redundant, and "G.I. Jeff" labors in the shadow of The Venture Brothers's O.S.I., which gets to both parody G.I. Joe AND strike off in its own direction dramatically and comedically. (Season 4 may had similarly weak episodes, but at least it never made me cringe as much as the end of "G.I. Jeff", or the claymation Christmas episode from season 2, for that matter.) I really want this series to continue with Troy back in the mix, but I can't say I don't understand the cancellation.
(Ricky & Morty IS pretty great, tho)
posted by jsnlxndrlv at 10:09 PM on May 9, 2014 [1 favorite]
I never got to see this season live, save for one or two episodes, because I was in a night class on Tuesdays and Thursdays at a community college.
Hey, Pogo_Fuzzybutt - you don't happen to teach Pre Calculus in Seattle at nights, do you :)
posted by spinifex23 at 10:11 PM on May 9, 2014
Hey, Pogo_Fuzzybutt - you don't happen to teach Pre Calculus in Seattle at nights, do you :)
posted by spinifex23 at 10:11 PM on May 9, 2014
Hey, Pogo_Fuzzybutt - you don't happen to teach Pre Calculus in Seattle at nights, do you :)
No. I teach Advanced Network Administration and Server OS's, here in Colorado. Still. I made my students call me Professor Professorson. Its the small victories.
The show wasn't always super duper awesome. Like the Princess Bride, it had it's misses. It's that when it landed, it landed BIG. It rewards rewatchings. It's got nuance and depth. When you watch BBT, the laugh track tells you everything you need to know. When you watch Community, you need to pay attention - or you might miss something.
It's a different sort of appeal. Those who like to be told when to laugh vs. those who like to laugh when they find something. I won't argue which is right and which is wrong.
But I know finding my own laughs are much more satisfying.
posted by Pogo_Fuzzybutt at 10:23 PM on May 9, 2014 [6 favorites]
No. I teach Advanced Network Administration and Server OS's, here in Colorado. Still. I made my students call me Professor Professorson. Its the small victories.
The show wasn't always super duper awesome. Like the Princess Bride, it had it's misses. It's that when it landed, it landed BIG. It rewards rewatchings. It's got nuance and depth. When you watch BBT, the laugh track tells you everything you need to know. When you watch Community, you need to pay attention - or you might miss something.
It's a different sort of appeal. Those who like to be told when to laugh vs. those who like to laugh when they find something. I won't argue which is right and which is wrong.
But I know finding my own laughs are much more satisfying.
posted by Pogo_Fuzzybutt at 10:23 PM on May 9, 2014 [6 favorites]
I was turning this over in my head and I think Community is possibly the only American television sitcom that I liked. I'm not a big fan of sitcoms in general, I guess. The only other one which comes to mind is Spaced.
posted by juv3nal at 1:39 AM on May 10, 2014
posted by juv3nal at 1:39 AM on May 10, 2014
I kind of hate bringing this up this way but I don't have many better ways to convey how Community's affected my ... Person-hood basically.
This is what it feels like to find yourself in this show. Not for everyone. But for me and many, many people like me.
Which is to say this show was more than just a sitcom to many people and for good reason.
posted by sparkletone at 5:02 AM on May 10, 2014 [3 favorites]
This is what it feels like to find yourself in this show. Not for everyone. But for me and many, many people like me.
Which is to say this show was more than just a sitcom to many people and for good reason.
posted by sparkletone at 5:02 AM on May 10, 2014 [3 favorites]
I used to be a weekly watcher of Community, but season 4 killed the spark for me. What I've seen of season 5 was definitely an improvement, but this is probably for the best.
With the main cast deteriorating (Chevy was expendable, but I haven't yet brought myself to watch an episode sans Donald Glover), a sixth season just wouldn't be the same show. It's a miracle we got this far, and I look forward to watching the best episodes many times over again.
posted by Gordafarin at 5:42 AM on May 10, 2014
With the main cast deteriorating (Chevy was expendable, but I haven't yet brought myself to watch an episode sans Donald Glover), a sixth season just wouldn't be the same show. It's a miracle we got this far, and I look forward to watching the best episodes many times over again.
posted by Gordafarin at 5:42 AM on May 10, 2014
Guys, this isn't over. We don't have to roll over and play dead just because "the man" wants to deny us our dreams. Because we're not just a website that likes the same show - we're a family. And when a family sticks together and works together, that family can do anything.
That's why I'm forming a Save the Save Greendale Committee Committee, and if you want to join me there's a place at the table for you. Mathowie will be asked to sign up as the "dean" of the StSGCC, and I'm looking forward to his cross-dressing organisational antics.
posted by the quidnunc kid at 6:45 AM on May 10, 2014 [8 favorites]
That's why I'm forming a Save the Save Greendale Committee Committee, and if you want to join me there's a place at the table for you. Mathowie will be asked to sign up as the "dean" of the StSGCC, and I'm looking forward to his cross-dressing organisational antics.
posted by the quidnunc kid at 6:45 AM on May 10, 2014 [8 favorites]
I'm really not interested in a 'Television' without Alison Brie anywhere in it. So let me know when you come to your senses, I might watch you again.
posted by signal at 7:27 AM on May 10, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by signal at 7:27 AM on May 10, 2014 [2 favorites]
This is my surprised face that Dan Harmon and Kevin Smith both have podcasts. Of course they do. That's what you do when you have this level of fan.
To be fair to Harmon, it's what he did after he was fired from Community and didn't have a job.
posted by smackfu at 7:31 AM on May 10, 2014
To be fair to Harmon, it's what he did after he was fired from Community and didn't have a job.
posted by smackfu at 7:31 AM on May 10, 2014
Good bye Inspector Spacetime.
posted by ZeusHumms at 7:53 AM on May 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by ZeusHumms at 7:53 AM on May 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
I don't get all the carping about seasons 4 and 5.
Thing about season 4 : while the good episodes were just as good as the good ones from previous season and the bad ones were every bit as bad as previous bad ones, there were no great episodes. Still, lots of enjoyable TV watching, and I still looked forward to each new episode. I thought the Shawshank Redemption Thanksgiving episode was particularly enjoyable.
Season 5 was somewhat hampered by the lack of Troy. To this day, I can't understand why Donald Glover left the show. What, so he could focus on his "rap career" that nobody gave a crap about? I bet he's really proud of that decision. Still, there was a lot about season 5 that worked. Jonathan Banks was brilliant, I think he fit right into the ensemble cast, his character was brilliant and he played it brilliantly. It was as if a Jonathan Banks-shaped hole was there all along and he filled it. The GI Joe episode was hilarious, and I'm not sure how anyone could say anything bad about it. There were some weak episodes in S5, but they simply suffered from the same weaknesses of bad episodes of previous seasons, i.e. Harmon forgetting that he's making a cult show and relying on tired sitcom tropes to make Community feel more like a "normal" show. (anybody remember the super-dull Chang and Shirley baby story arc from Season 3?) I don't think anybody missed Chevy Chase, he was always the least funny part of Community anyway.
As for the cancellation...
I think it can be explained in a nutshell by examining one of my favorite episodes of S5, probably one of my favorite episodes of TV ever : App Development and Condiments. Much of the humor in this episode derives from extensive references to Logan's Run, Zardoz, and The Apple. Now, Zardoz and Logan's Run aren't just cult movies, they're some of the cultiest of the cult movies. I mean, how many people have actually watched Zardoz from frame-first to frame-last? But wait ... The Apple? What is this? So, for anybody who hasn't seen it, The Apple is probably THE MOST WTF movie ever made. I mean, it just goes beyond any amount of inexplicable cheesy weirdness you could imagine cramming into an early 80 no-budget bible-inspired dystopian sci-fi musical about an evil record company that takes over the world with Bollywood-style dance numbers and costuming straight out of Liquid Sky. It really has to be seen to be believed. Anyway, quite a bit of the humor in App Development and Condiments derives from references to this movie, a movie see by basically nobody. I've never even seen it featured as an art house midnight movie, and I look out for that kind of thing. To give you an idea, when I posted a thread to reddit to the effect of, "Hey, anybody notice the Apple references in last night's Community?", I got very few responses on what is a very well-trafficked subreddit. So even among Community fans, who, let's face it, are the very people who would have seen The Apple, only a few actually have. Hell, I'd only seen it a few weeks before at a friend's Bad Movie Night. But that's Dan Harmon. He's like the honey badger of TV writers. He don't give a shit. He's going to load an episode with brilliant references to a movie even his greatest fans will never see, because it's fucking hilarious, it makes insanely awesome watching for the few hundred people who will actually get the joke, and because Dan Harmon knows how to fucking commit. This is why Community thrived, and it's also why it was killed.
So shine on, Dan Harmon, you crazy fucking diamond. Rick and Morty is a blast of fucking genius, and I hope it lasts. From the interviews I've read with DH, it sounds like the Cartoon Network people actually Get It, so I believe we have reason to be optimistic on that front.
A shame about Community. It's too bad she won't live, but then again, who does?
posted by evil otto at 9:57 AM on May 10, 2014 [8 favorites]
Thing about season 4 : while the good episodes were just as good as the good ones from previous season and the bad ones were every bit as bad as previous bad ones, there were no great episodes. Still, lots of enjoyable TV watching, and I still looked forward to each new episode. I thought the Shawshank Redemption Thanksgiving episode was particularly enjoyable.
Season 5 was somewhat hampered by the lack of Troy. To this day, I can't understand why Donald Glover left the show. What, so he could focus on his "rap career" that nobody gave a crap about? I bet he's really proud of that decision. Still, there was a lot about season 5 that worked. Jonathan Banks was brilliant, I think he fit right into the ensemble cast, his character was brilliant and he played it brilliantly. It was as if a Jonathan Banks-shaped hole was there all along and he filled it. The GI Joe episode was hilarious, and I'm not sure how anyone could say anything bad about it. There were some weak episodes in S5, but they simply suffered from the same weaknesses of bad episodes of previous seasons, i.e. Harmon forgetting that he's making a cult show and relying on tired sitcom tropes to make Community feel more like a "normal" show. (anybody remember the super-dull Chang and Shirley baby story arc from Season 3?) I don't think anybody missed Chevy Chase, he was always the least funny part of Community anyway.
As for the cancellation...
I think it can be explained in a nutshell by examining one of my favorite episodes of S5, probably one of my favorite episodes of TV ever : App Development and Condiments. Much of the humor in this episode derives from extensive references to Logan's Run, Zardoz, and The Apple. Now, Zardoz and Logan's Run aren't just cult movies, they're some of the cultiest of the cult movies. I mean, how many people have actually watched Zardoz from frame-first to frame-last? But wait ... The Apple? What is this? So, for anybody who hasn't seen it, The Apple is probably THE MOST WTF movie ever made. I mean, it just goes beyond any amount of inexplicable cheesy weirdness you could imagine cramming into an early 80 no-budget bible-inspired dystopian sci-fi musical about an evil record company that takes over the world with Bollywood-style dance numbers and costuming straight out of Liquid Sky. It really has to be seen to be believed. Anyway, quite a bit of the humor in App Development and Condiments derives from references to this movie, a movie see by basically nobody. I've never even seen it featured as an art house midnight movie, and I look out for that kind of thing. To give you an idea, when I posted a thread to reddit to the effect of, "Hey, anybody notice the Apple references in last night's Community?", I got very few responses on what is a very well-trafficked subreddit. So even among Community fans, who, let's face it, are the very people who would have seen The Apple, only a few actually have. Hell, I'd only seen it a few weeks before at a friend's Bad Movie Night. But that's Dan Harmon. He's like the honey badger of TV writers. He don't give a shit. He's going to load an episode with brilliant references to a movie even his greatest fans will never see, because it's fucking hilarious, it makes insanely awesome watching for the few hundred people who will actually get the joke, and because Dan Harmon knows how to fucking commit. This is why Community thrived, and it's also why it was killed.
So shine on, Dan Harmon, you crazy fucking diamond. Rick and Morty is a blast of fucking genius, and I hope it lasts. From the interviews I've read with DH, it sounds like the Cartoon Network people actually Get It, so I believe we have reason to be optimistic on that front.
A shame about Community. It's too bad she won't live, but then again, who does?
posted by evil otto at 9:57 AM on May 10, 2014 [8 favorites]
Community was the only non-animated show with an IQ on US TV.
Knocks wood for Adventure Time, Regular Show and Gumball.
posted by signal at 11:41 AM on May 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
Knocks wood for Adventure Time, Regular Show and Gumball.
posted by signal at 11:41 AM on May 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
To this day, I can't understand why Donald Glover left the show. What, so he could focus on his "rap career" that nobody gave a crap about? I bet he's really proud of that decision.
I bet he is. Community is dead and yet he's writing, producing, and starring in his own comedy series on FX, while still recording music and touring as Childish Gambino.
As an aside, has anyone else produced work under a name they got from a Wu-Tang Clan name generator?
- Spunky Misunderstood Genius
posted by elsietheeel at 11:44 AM on May 10, 2014 [2 favorites]
I bet he is. Community is dead and yet he's writing, producing, and starring in his own comedy series on FX, while still recording music and touring as Childish Gambino.
As an aside, has anyone else produced work under a name they got from a Wu-Tang Clan name generator?
- Spunky Misunderstood Genius
posted by elsietheeel at 11:44 AM on May 10, 2014 [2 favorites]
I guess five years WAS stretching the premise to begin with. They would have given themselves more room to work with if they had made each season a semester instead of a year. It would have been hard to stay topical with real-world events, but how much of that did they really do anyway?
posted by The Underpants Monster at 12:58 PM on May 10, 2014
posted by The Underpants Monster at 12:58 PM on May 10, 2014
"Remedial Chaos Theory" was the tightest 22 minutes of comedy that ever aired on television. Flawless.
No truer words have ever been spoken, since the beginning of the TV-verse. I've watched that ep about a dozen times and I never tire of it. And, I never re-watch TV shows (except BrBa from beginning to mid-season 5 before the 2nd half started).
posted by e40 at 1:53 PM on May 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
No truer words have ever been spoken, since the beginning of the TV-verse. I've watched that ep about a dozen times and I never tire of it. And, I never re-watch TV shows (except BrBa from beginning to mid-season 5 before the 2nd half started).
posted by e40 at 1:53 PM on May 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
One of the great bits of detail that this show was known for, the sort of shit that no one really notices until pointed out by someone else but is totally genius, is in "Introduction To Finality" (itself a sort of de facto series finale since it was made by Harmon being pretty sure the show would not be renewed) when Darkest Timeline Abed is out and about in the real world he is wearing a paper beard. Except when the perspective changes to that of Abed, when Abed sees Darkest Timeline Abed but ONLY when Abed sees Darkest Timeline Abed, it is a real beard.
posted by mediocre at 2:13 PM on May 10, 2014 [4 favorites]
posted by mediocre at 2:13 PM on May 10, 2014 [4 favorites]
What, so he could focus on his "rap career" that nobody gave a crap about?
Judging by the crowd at his latest show, tons of high school teeny-boppers love the 'Bino.
posted by Apocryphon at 4:20 PM on May 10, 2014
Judging by the crowd at his latest show, tons of high school teeny-boppers love the 'Bino.
posted by Apocryphon at 4:20 PM on May 10, 2014
Additionally, can we all agree that NBC should have bought SyFy's Alphas and brought it back, instead of Heroes? It was a far better show.
posted by Apocryphon at 4:29 PM on May 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by Apocryphon at 4:29 PM on May 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
Meanwhile, The Big Bang Theory has been renewed for three more seasons.
Fuck this land.
Consistently funny show with legions of viewers continues while up and down show with few viewers ceases, a bad country.
posted by Drinky Die at 4:54 PM on May 10, 2014
Fuck this land.
Consistently funny show with legions of viewers continues while up and down show with few viewers ceases, a bad country.
posted by Drinky Die at 4:54 PM on May 10, 2014
And Suburgatory and Enlisted were canceled. *flipping table emoji*
posted by drezdn at 4:56 PM on May 10, 2014
posted by drezdn at 4:56 PM on May 10, 2014
Consistently funny show with legions of viewers continues while up and down show...
Community's lowest low was 15 stories above BBT's highest high.
posted by signal at 7:02 PM on May 10, 2014 [5 favorites]
Community's lowest low was 15 stories above BBT's highest high.
posted by signal at 7:02 PM on May 10, 2014 [5 favorites]
To this day, I can't understand why Donald Glover left the show. What, so he could focus on his "rap career" that nobody gave a crap about? I bet he's really proud of that decision.
I don't blame him. Troy had become a one trick pony: Jerry Lewis to Abed's Dean Martin, except in some bizarro version of the act where Martin gets the laughs for being the straight man. He had much more depth in seasons 1 and 2. He deserved better.
posted by dry white toast at 7:04 PM on May 10, 2014 [2 favorites]
I don't blame him. Troy had become a one trick pony: Jerry Lewis to Abed's Dean Martin, except in some bizarro version of the act where Martin gets the laughs for being the straight man. He had much more depth in seasons 1 and 2. He deserved better.
posted by dry white toast at 7:04 PM on May 10, 2014 [2 favorites]
Just got out of Harmontown... Fans of the podcast will know that it can get pretty dark at times, but this was a whole different beast. Much respect to Dan, who was obviously trying to put on a good show despite yesterday's news taking a toll on him.
posted by a box and a stick and a string and a bear at 8:30 PM on May 10, 2014
posted by a box and a stick and a string and a bear at 8:30 PM on May 10, 2014
A roundup of links to Community "obituaries."
“"'Community' Won": Mourning the Death of TV's Most Improbable Show”, Sam Adams, Critic Wire, 09 May 2014
posted by ob1quixote at 9:13 PM on May 10, 2014
“"'Community' Won": Mourning the Death of TV's Most Improbable Show”, Sam Adams, Critic Wire, 09 May 2014
posted by ob1quixote at 9:13 PM on May 10, 2014
Some people who are asking Netflix to pick up Community's sixth season are being told that Netflix will announce "a big surprise" very soon.
posted by waraw at 1:28 AM on May 11, 2014
posted by waraw at 1:28 AM on May 11, 2014
Community's lowest low was 15 stories above BBT's highest high.
Having watched every episode of both shows...no. Community has a lot of turd episodes, the creator even wrote in references to an entire season as a "gas leak" year. BBT is consistently the better comedy.
posted by Drinky Die at 3:37 AM on May 11, 2014
Having watched every episode of both shows...no. Community has a lot of turd episodes, the creator even wrote in references to an entire season as a "gas leak" year. BBT is consistently the better comedy.
posted by Drinky Die at 3:37 AM on May 11, 2014
Just got out of Harmontown... Fans of the podcast will know that it can get pretty dark at times, but this was a whole different beast.
Aw. The previous episode, where everyone returned from a month-long hiatus by getting drunk at a Ren Fair and presenting in costume, was hilarious and joyous. It sounds from other accounts of this latest episode that Dan was glassy-eyed and weeping throughout. I'll be interested to hear it when it hits online.
I just came across these pieces of Harmon's on story structure, and thought I'd post them here: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.
posted by painquale at 4:56 AM on May 11, 2014
Aw. The previous episode, where everyone returned from a month-long hiatus by getting drunk at a Ren Fair and presenting in costume, was hilarious and joyous. It sounds from other accounts of this latest episode that Dan was glassy-eyed and weeping throughout. I'll be interested to hear it when it hits online.
I just came across these pieces of Harmon's on story structure, and thought I'd post them here: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.
posted by painquale at 4:56 AM on May 11, 2014
filthy light thief: Comfortable TV versus weird, esoteric and layered TV.
zarq: "Layered" is not a word I'd use to describe Revolution.
I was referring to Big Bang Theory, especially as compared to Community, but I realize I was vague in my comment.
posted by filthy light thief at 5:27 AM on May 11, 2014
zarq: "Layered" is not a word I'd use to describe Revolution.
I was referring to Big Bang Theory, especially as compared to Community, but I realize I was vague in my comment.
posted by filthy light thief at 5:27 AM on May 11, 2014
Now that Revolution's cancelled, maybe Turn will get a better title.
posted by Sys Rq at 8:42 AM on May 11, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by Sys Rq at 8:42 AM on May 11, 2014 [1 favorite]
Yesterday's Harmontown, for the curious.
posted by a box and a stick and a string and a bear at 3:22 PM on May 11, 2014
posted by a box and a stick and a string and a bear at 3:22 PM on May 11, 2014
I'll miss Community, but I'll also miss The Neighbors, a superficially asinine typical network comedy undercut, and sent into comedic dimensions only matched by Community, by the most daring and subversive throw-away lines and asides ever heard in network prime time. I also appreciated the fact they didn't "Sam and Diane" major characters (ie, like Cheers turning Sam Malone from a clever and self-mocking character into somebody borderline brain-damaged, along with Diane Chambers transforming from an injured psyche into a shrike, I'm afraid Community did something similar to Jeff and Britta, especially Britta-ing Britta).
posted by Chitownfats at 7:39 PM on May 11, 2014
posted by Chitownfats at 7:39 PM on May 11, 2014
NOW what show is going to have a Palestian/Polish-American Muslim Film major with possibly undiagnosed Autism?
posted by spinifex23 at 11:31 PM on May 11, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by spinifex23 at 11:31 PM on May 11, 2014 [2 favorites]
Deadline.com: Dan Harmon not interested in reviving Community elsewhere
I haven't heard the podcast, but I wonder if the article I found simply recapped it.
posted by ZeusHumms at 6:43 AM on May 12, 2014
I haven't heard the podcast, but I wonder if the article I found simply recapped it.
posted by ZeusHumms at 6:43 AM on May 12, 2014
Dan Harmon, in characteristic fashion, has written a lengthy and candid blog post explaining his comparative ambivalence about a sixth season of Community:
Then again, it took years for Mitch Hurwitz to assemble all the moving pieces for a Netflix season of Arrested Development, and that turned out to be worth the wait.
posted by Doktor Zed at 7:20 AM on May 12, 2014
I will confess, however, that when Sony called me on Friday with the news, there was brief discussion at the end of the call about the concept of the show living elsewhere, and I was definitely in the “eh” column{....} If you want to know the God’s honest truth, part of my “eh” was coming from the unsettling thought of your passion for campaigns being once again exploited by this rather unfair, somewhat backward system, one that now treats you like it’s your responsibility to keep a show alive, like a corporation is doing you a favor by feeding you low grade opiate through a regulated tube. Like you owe them an apology when they can’t measure or monetize you to their satisfaction. You deserve better. I love you guys, and at its best, Community is me saying that over and over again[...]To recap, he's not going to stand in the way of Sony shopping the show around ("let the suits deal with the suits"), but it sounds as though his enthusiasm for producing more episodes has been drained by this season.
Then again, it took years for Mitch Hurwitz to assemble all the moving pieces for a Netflix season of Arrested Development, and that turned out to be worth the wait.
posted by Doktor Zed at 7:20 AM on May 12, 2014
I think "worth the wait" is a minority opinion about the Netflix season of Arrested Development, and I think most people would speculate the years' intervention is exactly why. The people involved with that show had chemistry; they split up, and the chemistry was lost. When you reunite with your high-school girlfriend, it doesn't always work out.
posted by cribcage at 8:10 AM on May 12, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by cribcage at 8:10 AM on May 12, 2014 [1 favorite]
If it is a minority opinion (though I'm not sure that's true), then the majority is wrong and the minority is right. It was worth the wait!
posted by painquale at 8:16 AM on May 12, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by painquale at 8:16 AM on May 12, 2014 [1 favorite]
filthy light thief: " I was referring to Big Bang Theory, especially as compared to Community, but I realize I was vague in my comment."
Oops! :)
posted by zarq at 8:44 AM on May 12, 2014
Oops! :)
posted by zarq at 8:44 AM on May 12, 2014
Season 5 was pretty good and the GI Joe episode was hilarious. I think y'all should check your homes for gas leaks.
posted by Skwirl at 11:04 AM on May 12, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by Skwirl at 11:04 AM on May 12, 2014 [2 favorites]
Some people who are asking Netflix to pick up Community's sixth season are being told that Netflix will announce "a big surprise" very soon.
Whatever that surprise may be, Netflix has said that it's not in negotiations for Community. The AV Club's Todd VanDerWerff outlines all the odds against, and a few for, a sixth season—and he doesn't even get into how much harder it will be to reassemble Team Harmon and Community's incredibly talented cast as time passes. The clock for the actors' contracts is already counting down to their expiration over the summer, and many of them have other opportunities lined up.
Perhaps if Sony fails to find a home for a series of 13 to 22 episodes, Dan Harmon & Co. could just do half a dozen, like in the UK. "They only ran six episodes. That’s the great thing about British TV, they give you closure."
posted by Doktor Zed at 11:16 AM on May 12, 2014
Whatever that surprise may be, Netflix has said that it's not in negotiations for Community. The AV Club's Todd VanDerWerff outlines all the odds against, and a few for, a sixth season—and he doesn't even get into how much harder it will be to reassemble Team Harmon and Community's incredibly talented cast as time passes. The clock for the actors' contracts is already counting down to their expiration over the summer, and many of them have other opportunities lined up.
Perhaps if Sony fails to find a home for a series of 13 to 22 episodes, Dan Harmon & Co. could just do half a dozen, like in the UK. "They only ran six episodes. That’s the great thing about British TV, they give you closure."
posted by Doktor Zed at 11:16 AM on May 12, 2014
Some people who are asking Netflix to pick up Community's sixth season are being told that Netflix will announce "a big surprise" very soon.
They're going to revive Firefly with the Community cast and Veronica Mars writers set on a planet named Deadwood.
posted by Apocryphon at 12:03 PM on May 12, 2014 [7 favorites]
They're going to revive Firefly with the Community cast and Veronica Mars writers set on a planet named Deadwood.
posted by Apocryphon at 12:03 PM on May 12, 2014 [7 favorites]
BBT is consistently the better comedy.
Sorry, no. That show stinks on ice.
posted by stenseng at 4:01 PM on May 13, 2014
Sorry, no. That show stinks on ice.
posted by stenseng at 4:01 PM on May 13, 2014
"Having watched every episode of both shows...no. Community has a lot of turd episodes, the creator even wrote in references to an entire season as a "gas leak" year. BBT is consistently the better comedy."
Man, they let you choose your channels in your ward? I mean, I just assume that anyone writing that sentence is heavily medicated. (And I don't even like Community all that much.) BBT is the equivalent to having your overly-literal coworker try to recap a show's gags for you the day after, only with a terrible laugh track to boot.
posted by klangklangston at 4:42 PM on May 13, 2014 [10 favorites]
Man, they let you choose your channels in your ward? I mean, I just assume that anyone writing that sentence is heavily medicated. (And I don't even like Community all that much.) BBT is the equivalent to having your overly-literal coworker try to recap a show's gags for you the day after, only with a terrible laugh track to boot.
posted by klangklangston at 4:42 PM on May 13, 2014 [10 favorites]
They're going to revive Firefly with the Community cast and Veronica Mars writers set on a planet named Deadwood.
Everyone will be working at a a Carnivale.
posted by drezdn at 6:45 PM on May 13, 2014 [2 favorites]
Everyone will be working at a a Carnivale.
posted by drezdn at 6:45 PM on May 13, 2014 [2 favorites]
#FiveSeasonsAndNightOfTheComet ?
posted by ZeusHumms at 8:22 AM on May 14, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by ZeusHumms at 8:22 AM on May 14, 2014 [2 favorites]
I feel like to some degree this is the universe punishing both internet fans and Dan Harmon for our hubris. We were all so elated about his return to the show, and there not being any obvious talk of not renewing it for the propagandized sixth season, that we started to take it as a given. That Community was truly a show that cannot be killed, and not just extraordinarily lucky. I myself posted in the previous Community thread that I had barely given any thought to the idea of the show not getting a sixth season, 24 hours before it was cancelled. Harmon himself had said that the "Six seasons" meme was prophecy, etc.
posted by mediocre at 2:27 PM on May 14, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by mediocre at 2:27 PM on May 14, 2014 [2 favorites]
Ya know, it's just that...NBC seemed generally surrendered to the idea that they won't find anything better other than airing freeze frames of Brian William's forehead that it would just by default continue to limp along. I definitely took it for granted.
posted by Atreides at 2:50 PM on May 14, 2014
posted by Atreides at 2:50 PM on May 14, 2014
Rumors are swirling around Joel McHale that he'll replace Craig Ferguson on the Late Late Show— all starting with him retweeting a seemingly innocent selfie of him with Mr. and Mrs. Moonves. Good for McHale, bad for chances of more Community.
And NBC replacing Community's timeslot with the cheap reality show entitled "Biggest Loser" now just seems like they're rubbing it in Dan Harmon's face for "Thought-Jacker", "Intensive Karen", "Mr. Egypt" "Celebrity Beatoff", and "Captain Cook".
posted by Doktor Zed at 3:49 PM on May 14, 2014
And NBC replacing Community's timeslot with the cheap reality show entitled "Biggest Loser" now just seems like they're rubbing it in Dan Harmon's face for "Thought-Jacker", "Intensive Karen", "Mr. Egypt" "Celebrity Beatoff", and "Captain Cook".
posted by Doktor Zed at 3:49 PM on May 14, 2014
NBC replacing Community's timeslot with the cheap reality show entitled "Biggest Loser" now just seems like they're rubbing it in Dan Harmon's face
Do you think Harmon ranks high enough on the shitlist at NBC that they'd arrange scheduling around a somewhat oblique insult?
posted by Saxon Kane at 6:28 PM on May 14, 2014
Do you think Harmon ranks high enough on the shitlist at NBC that they'd arrange scheduling around a somewhat oblique insult?
posted by Saxon Kane at 6:28 PM on May 14, 2014
Do you think Harmon ranks high enough on the shitlist at NBC that they'd arrange scheduling around a somewhat oblique insult?
Plus, the odds that NBC fills any available time slot with The Biggest Loser is pretty high to begin with. They could discover a new hour of Friday night that was previously unknown to science and they'd probably fill it with Biggest Loser.
posted by Bulgaroktonos at 5:18 AM on May 15, 2014 [4 favorites]
Plus, the odds that NBC fills any available time slot with The Biggest Loser is pretty high to begin with. They could discover a new hour of Friday night that was previously unknown to science and they'd probably fill it with Biggest Loser.
posted by Bulgaroktonos at 5:18 AM on May 15, 2014 [4 favorites]
Dan Harmon is Kevin Smith: one flash of talent and now groupies will follow him around for life. Clerks is a great movie and Community had a few brilliant episodes, but both guys belong on somebody else’s writing staff, not running their own projects.
I think Smith has more than one good movie to his name, but it's a very accurate comparison. The two sure do share the need to vent their emotions on the web and a similar sized chip over not being as popular as they feel they deserve.
”Remedial Chaos Theory” was the tightest 22 minutes of comedy that ever aired on television. Flawless.
For those who haven’t seen the link, read the text conversation between Dan Harmon and Megan Ganz where the idea for the episode was born.
—
Also, if I had one complaint about Season Five it was that it felt like there was entirely too much Harmon; at least a few of the episodes felt like he wrote them instead of discussing the issue with his therapist.
Megan Ganz's departure from the writing staff hurt the show, more than Chase's or Glover's. She appears to have been with who Harmon could workshop all his weird ideas, which meant that season 5 was Harmon publishing without an editor.
It's a wee bit like what happened to Seinfeld after Larry David left. Without David to contribute his dark humor, Jerry took the show in a very silly direction. There was an episode, for instance, where Kramer uses chicken glaze to tan, "cooks" himself, and then Newman tries to eat him. Seinfeld was still funny and incredibly popular, but most of the iconic episodes, the ones people still reference today, were made with David.
Lemons into lemonade, hopefully the cancellation means we only have a year until The Vulture or The Hollywood Reporter or somebody publishes "The Definitive Oral History of Community". I'm really curious to know the whole story about the conflict with Chase. He hasn't said anything and the other actors are mum, at least from the interviews I have come across. Maybe when some time has passed, everyone will be open to letting us hear the utterly salacious details.
posted by riruro at 8:49 PM on May 15, 2014
I think Smith has more than one good movie to his name, but it's a very accurate comparison. The two sure do share the need to vent their emotions on the web and a similar sized chip over not being as popular as they feel they deserve.
”Remedial Chaos Theory” was the tightest 22 minutes of comedy that ever aired on television. Flawless.
For those who haven’t seen the link, read the text conversation between Dan Harmon and Megan Ganz where the idea for the episode was born.
—
Also, if I had one complaint about Season Five it was that it felt like there was entirely too much Harmon; at least a few of the episodes felt like he wrote them instead of discussing the issue with his therapist.
Megan Ganz's departure from the writing staff hurt the show, more than Chase's or Glover's. She appears to have been with who Harmon could workshop all his weird ideas, which meant that season 5 was Harmon publishing without an editor.
It's a wee bit like what happened to Seinfeld after Larry David left. Without David to contribute his dark humor, Jerry took the show in a very silly direction. There was an episode, for instance, where Kramer uses chicken glaze to tan, "cooks" himself, and then Newman tries to eat him. Seinfeld was still funny and incredibly popular, but most of the iconic episodes, the ones people still reference today, were made with David.
Lemons into lemonade, hopefully the cancellation means we only have a year until The Vulture or The Hollywood Reporter or somebody publishes "The Definitive Oral History of Community". I'm really curious to know the whole story about the conflict with Chase. He hasn't said anything and the other actors are mum, at least from the interviews I have come across. Maybe when some time has passed, everyone will be open to letting us hear the utterly salacious details.
posted by riruro at 8:49 PM on May 15, 2014
I hope that they will replace Community by bring back the short-lived Clerks cartoon. That's how cancellations of cult classics should work, if I was emperor of the networks.
posted by Apocryphon at 11:21 PM on May 16, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by Apocryphon at 11:21 PM on May 16, 2014 [1 favorite]
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posted by dry white toast at 12:26 PM on May 9, 2014 [2 favorites]