Inside Television with Alan Sepinwall

Why I'll miss 'Community' when it's gone: Because we are about to enter the darkest timeline

The show leaves NBC's schedule for a while after tonight, so let's get evil!

By Alan Sepinwall Thursday, Jan 5, 2012 8:00 PM

Danny Pudi as Evil Abed on "Community."

Credit: NBC

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Okay, tonight's the night, "Community" fans. NBC is about to rerun the last episode of the show that's currently scheduled to air on the network. While we know the remaining 12 episodes are going to air sometime, somewhere(*), for the moment, "Community" disappears from our televisions.

(*) Conveniently, it's NBC's day at the TV critics' press tour tomorrow, and I imagine Bob Greenblatt will be fielding a question or three about this show - just as, unfortunately, I imagine Greenblatt is going to give us nothing in the way of concrete answers about its return. (For him to know where it will be would require him to know which mid-season moves will fail, and even if he has an idea that, say, the "Whitney"/"Are You There, Chelsea?" bloc will be a mess, he's not going to admit to that before it debuts.)

And with the impending absence staring us in the face, it means that there can only be one choice for this week's Why I'll Miss "Community" (about to become Why I Miss "Community") clip: Evil Abed explaining how the events of "Remedial Chaos Theory" led them all to become trapped in the darkest timeline.

So strap on your felt goatee, enjoy Troy's artificial voicebox, and start talking about what, if anything, you plan to be doing to keep the "Community" flame alive during the gloomy period ahead of us.

Alan Sepinwall
Sr. Editor, What's Alan Watching

Alan Sepinwall has been reviewing television since the mid-'90s, first for Tony Soprano's hometown paper, The Star-Ledger, and now for HitFix. His new book, "The Revolution Was Televised," about the last 15 years of TV drama, is for sale at Amazon. He can be reached at sepinwall@hitfix.com

Related Searches: Community, Why I Miss Community

Amrit

Brilliant, just brilliant.
January 5, 2012 at 9:11PM EST Reply to Comment
TNT

I'm watching this rerun, and will not watching anything on NBC Thursday until Community returns to air. P&R will have to wait...
January 5, 2012 at 9:25PM EST Reply to Comment
- downbound No reason to miss P&R. Unless you have a Nielsen box, they don't know if you're watching or not.
  January 5, 2012 at 10:30PM EST
Chrissy

Well, I think my Twitter pic looks weird *without* a goatee, at this point. I might also sign up for Hulu Plus if they have season 3. And of course I'll be drinking my morning coffee out of my Troy and Abed in the Morning mug.
January 5, 2012 at 10:25PM EST Reply to Comment
Marcus

I'll miss Leonard.
January 5, 2012 at 10:31PM EST Reply to Comment
@LongTallSally08

Wow, Remedial Chaos Theory will go down in history as one of the greatest sitcom episodes of all time! Yes, the darkest timeline truly begins tonight, but I plan to keep the Community spirit alive.
@notajenny (who writes an awesome blog review of Community every week) started a Thursday night re-watch of the show on Twitter. It's a nice way to re-watch old episodes with die-hard fans. I plan to continue to join them every Thursday throughout the hiatus. You should too!
You can also support the flashmobs and other Community events scheduled by fans. @violincatherine has some great ideas for targeting advertisers and future events.
Finally, to echo previous commenters, I'm boycotting NBC Thursdays until Community comes back. I'm not going to give NBC a reason to say, "See, 30 Rock can get great ratings at 8:00, so why can't Community?"
January 5, 2012 at 10:48PM EST Reply to Comment
- Prettok Boycotts are silly. Aside from depriving yourself from some great television, you are declaring yourself the sort of fickle tv viewer that NBC doesn't want.
  ("People kept telling me that 'Arrested Development' was the greatest show ever, but I didn't care, I was boycotting FOX for cancelling Firefly! So that really showed them.)
  January 6, 2012 at 11:21AM EST
- @ChannelGuideAV Thursday night rewatch sounds great! Though, I think it would be hilarious to do it during the Whitney (ahem, She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named) timeslot on Wed. :)
  
  @EvilTroyAndAbed tweeted a schedule of hiatus events that anyone can participate in to show support for the show http://www.twitlonger.com/show/f6ahgh
  January 6, 2012 at 3:54PM EST
Todd

I love this show and can't accept it's apparent demise. I watched and re-watched this clip like 10 times when I first saw it, it had me laughing so hard.
January 6, 2012 at 12:13AM EST Reply to Comment
CK

I think I'll re-watch every episode of Community, but on my own time. Should be fun to remind myself of the best episodes, I feel like I've forgotten them because I haven't seen that in a while and I have a terrible memory.
January 6, 2012 at 1:40AM EST Reply to Comment
Tanya

Goodbye, study group. See you at Regionals.
January 6, 2012 at 2:55AM EST Reply to Comment
- blah what the hell are regionals??
  /sad but laughing
  January 6, 2012 at 3:34AM EST
belinda

I was rewatching this episode the other day....such an awesome episode.
January 6, 2012 at 8:09AM EST Reply to Comment
AL

I re-watched the "foosball" episode yesterday and really enjoyed it because there were some many jokes that I missed the first time around (plus the jokes I did remember held up well enough to get repeat laughs)...it was like seeing a whole new episode.

I plan to fill the void by watching the Season 2 DVDs (many of those episodes I've only seen once, so I'm looking forward to viewing them from a new perspective).

I'm not too worried about Community's return. I have a feeling that when it does return, something's gonna click that will bring the show to new heights and much needed/deserved attention (kind of like when Seinfeld flew under the radar for so long and then finally rose to prominence in it's fourth [or was it fifth?] season).
January 6, 2012 at 8:50AM EST Reply to Comment
Streets Ahead

[singing] Evil Troy and Evil Aaaabed!
January 6, 2012 at 9:31AM EST Reply to Comment
noclist

I've been spending the last few days burning through every season 1 and 2 episode with and without commentary. I highly recommend it, it is keeping me sane in this time of uncertainty.
January 6, 2012 at 11:25AM EST Reply to Comment
- mrbilliam How is the commentary? I own, and have been rewatching, the first two seasons on DVD, but haven't watched any commentaries yet.
  Who usually does the commentary?
  Any episodes with specifically good commentary?
  January 6, 2012 at 12:25PM EST
- Streets Ahead I hope the commentary is Alison Brie doing her Christian Bale impression.
  
  "We shot this seen on location..."
  January 6, 2012 at 12:54PM EST
- Lisa Different people comment on different episodes. They're pretty generous, too; there are around 4 episodes with commentary per disc. Dan Harmon does a lot of them and random cast members. Both paintball episodes have good commentary.
  January 6, 2012 at 1:49PM EST
- Guest Every episode of each season has a commentary track. Most of them are pretty good, but the commentary track for Intro to Political Science is the worst I've ever heard. Half of it is filled with Dino trying to call random people. They either don't pick up or they don't know what's going on. It's really awful. You should skip that one.
  January 6, 2012 at 4:38PM EST
- darthzombie first season commentary was better, I think it had to do with Dan Harmon doing every one and keeping things together while season 2 was all over the map usually with the directer of the episode a writer and a couple cast members...
  January 7, 2012 at 7:23AM EST
Lisa

I bought the Seasons 1 and 2 DVDs and have been watching them for the past week. I highly recommend buying them, because there are a ton of great extra features. Lots of commentary, deleted scenes, bloopers, and Dan Harmon's cast evaluations, which are really funny. Plus I suppose I can lend them to people...although I don't really want to.
January 6, 2012 at 11:59AM EST Reply to Comment
GBK

"Apparently you don't know anything about defeating trolls." Just fantastic.

Over the last couple of weeks I took advantage of my free month of Hulu Plus and rewatched every episode of Community. I rewatched certain episodes a few times, such as Modern Warfare, Paradigms of Human Memory and of course, Remedial Chaos Theory. I will miss Community, mostly because "El corazon de agua es verdad," and because Britta "is the pizza burn on the roof of the world's mouth."
January 6, 2012 at 12:01PM EST Reply to Comment
War Chief Shake Zula

This is all the more bittersweet for the fact that I had an argument w/ other members of my household last night who not only can't appreciate Community, but can't even undestand it.

If anything, their list of complaints about the show, particularly in regards to the characters and their development (or from their perspective, lack thereof), came off as them describing a mediocre Big Bang Theory episode instead (in fact, I had some of those feelings about The Russian Rocket Reaction, which happened to air the same night as Remedial Chaos Theory).
January 6, 2012 at 10:44PM EST Reply to Comment
- War Chief Shake Zula Actually, there is no sweetness to this. This and that are just flat out bitter.
  January 6, 2012 at 10:48PM EST
- War Chief Shake Zula Although, as long as I have Remedial Chaos Theory tucked away on my DVR, I think I'll be able to mitigate the worst parts of it all...
  January 7, 2012 at 1:01AM EST
Sketch

I'll miss community..because it was one of it not the best show on Tv. Cleverly written, awesome story lines, unpredictability, sexual tension, clever parodies..you name it, community had it..
January 12, 2012 at 10:00PM EST Reply to Comment

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Inside Television with Alan Sepinwall

Why I'll miss 'Community' when it's gone: Because we are about to enter the darkest timeline

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Comments

Option 1

Option 2

Option 3

Amrit Brilliant, just brilliant.

TNT I'm watching this rerun, and will not watching anything on NBC Thursday until Community returns to air. P&R will have to wait...

downbound No reason to miss P&R. Unless you have a Nielsen box, they don't know if you're watching or not.

Chrissy Well, I think my Twitter pic looks weird *without* a goatee, at this point. I might also sign up for Hulu Plus if they have season 3. And of course I'll be drinking my morning coffee out of my Troy and Abed in the Morning mug.

Marcus I'll miss Leonard.

Todd I love this show and can't accept it's apparent demise. I watched and re-watched this clip like 10 times when I first saw it, it had me laughing so hard.

CK I think I'll re-watch every episode of Community, but on my own time. Should be fun to remind myself of the best episodes, I feel like I've forgotten them because I haven't seen that in a while and I have a terrible memory.

Tanya Goodbye, study group. See you at Regionals.

blah what the hell are regionals??/sad but laughing

belinda I was rewatching this episode the other day....such an awesome episode.

Streets Ahead [singing] Evil Troy and Evil Aaaabed!

noclist I've been spending the last few days burning through every season 1 and 2 episode with and without commentary. I highly recommend it, it is keeping me sane in this time of uncertainty.

mrbilliam How is the commentary? I own, and have been rewatching, the first two seasons on DVD, but haven't watched any commentaries yet.Who usually does the commentary?Any episodes with specifically good commentary?

Streets Ahead I hope the commentary is Alison Brie doing her Christian Bale impression."We shot this seen on location..."

Lisa Different people comment on different episodes. They're pretty generous, too; there are around 4 episodes with commentary per disc. Dan Harmon does a lot of them and random cast members. Both paintball episodes have good commentary.

darthzombie first season commentary was better, I think it had to do with Dan Harmon doing every one and keeping things together while season 2 was all over the map usually with the directer of the episode a writer and a couple cast members...

War Chief Shake Zula Actually, there is no sweetness to this. This and that are just flat out bitter.

War Chief Shake Zula Although, as long as I have Remedial Chaos Theory tucked away on my DVR, I think I'll be able to mitigate the worst parts of it all...

Sketch I'll miss community..because it was one of it not the best show on Tv. Cleverly written, awesome story lines, unpredictability, sexual tension, clever parodies..you name it, community had it..

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Community is updated

Amrit

Brilliant, just brilliant.

TNT

I'm watching this rerun, and will not watching anything on NBC Thursday until Community returns to air. P&R will have to wait...

Chrissy

Well, I think my Twitter pic looks weird without a goatee, at this point. I might also sign up for Hulu Plus if they have season 3. And of course I'll be drinking my morning coffee out of my Troy and Abed in the Morning mug.

Marcus

I'll miss Leonard.

Todd

I love this show and can't accept it's apparent demise. I watched and re-watched this clip like 10 times when I first saw it, it had me laughing so hard.

CK

I think I'll re-watch every episode of Community, but on my own time. Should be fun to remind myself of the best episodes, I feel like I've forgotten them because I haven't seen that in a while and I have a terrible memory.

Tanya

Goodbye, study group. See you at Regionals.

blah what the hell are regionals??
/sad but laughing

belinda

I was rewatching this episode the other day....such an awesome episode.

Streets Ahead

[singing] Evil Troy and Evil Aaaabed!

noclist

I've been spending the last few days burning through every season 1 and 2 episode with and without commentary. I highly recommend it, it is keeping me sane in this time of uncertainty.

mrbilliam How is the commentary? I own, and have been rewatching, the first two seasons on DVD, but haven't watched any commentaries yet.
Who usually does the commentary?
Any episodes with specifically good commentary?

Streets Ahead I hope the commentary is Alison Brie doing her Christian Bale impression.

"We shot this seen on location..."

Sketch

I'll miss community..because it was one of it not the best show on Tv. Cleverly written, awesome story lines, unpredictability, sexual tension, clever parodies..you name it, community had it..

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