Okay, so it's my new little obsession. The first time I heard of this show was after googling Donald Glover. I heard one of his standup bits about being the first black Spiderman. Funny stuff. His Wikipedia entry said he was in a show called Community, which is praised by critics and has a loyal fan base. I thought Community was like Parks and Recreation, so I did not bother seeking out episodes. I know Parks and Recreation is supposed to be quite funny too, but it uses the faux documentary style of The Office which is not really my thing.
How did I come to start watching Community? I was watching some shows on the City TV app, and the commercial for Community kept playing. From the clips in the ad, I started to wonder about the show. Netflix has the first three seasons available online. After the pilot episode, I knew I would like it. Pop culture, self referential, quirky, homages to various genres and movies. It's a dream come true for a child of the 80s. I have known for a while that most of the writers in Hollywood are people born in the early to mid 70s. This show is custom made for us Gen Xers.
I still find it odd how Generation X got expanded to include people born as late as 1980. When the book first came out, we babies of the 70s were just outside of the Gen X bracket. I suppose there was nowhere else to put us since they had decided to call the babies of the 80s Generation Y. I always thought we should be called the Muppet Generation.
Anyway, if you watch Family Guy, How I Met Your Mother or most Judd and Joss Whedon related stuff, you will see all those references to our generation. Even the so called teen shows keep doing 80s themed stuff. Community taps into all that nostalgia, but then they make it "meta" which is the new buzz word in entertainment. Kevin Williamson did it with Scream in the 90s, now it's something being done in TV shows quite regularly. Supernatural uses the meta gag often. Community has it as its backbone. Meta means tearing down the fourth wall and being self referential. Also, if you are a pop culture nut, this show is right up your alley.
Of course, they are getting actors to play below their ages, as per usual. Actors in their early 30s playing 20 year-olds. Actors in their 40s playing mid 30s. The two younger women are the same age, but one plays her age, and the other plays someone ten years younger. That has to suck. But this is nothing new. The original 90210 used 30 year olds to play teenagers. I think Friends was one of the few shows that had age appropriate actors.
Fans of Community want it to keep going indefinitely. They like to quote what Abed hopes for Cougar Town. "Six seasons and a movie." I think it might be a good thing if it ends after the fourth season. The show is about people doing a four year degree. At the end of the four years, they should graduate and move on.
I find most show revolving around schooling tend to drag after the characters move into "the real world". Is Glee as popular as it was, now that the main characters are off doing post secondary stuff? If the show involves a stage of life that is relatively stable, longevity is more attainable. When you focus on the students, their stay at the college is temporary. They leave, get jobs, have different lives. Think about how many high school/college/university friends you still hang out with.
I am looking forward to season 4. From what I have seen of the first couple of seasons, they have a lot to live up to. This show makes me smile with most of their episodes, even when the characters are doing despicable things. It reminds me a little of the Seinfeld dysfunctional family. So far, my favourite episode is Advanced Dungeons and Dragons. I like Remedial Chaos Theory as well. Check it out.
Season 4 starts February 7, 2013. It's on City TV in Canada. NBC in the US.
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