Elite of the Elite : Community

Series Name: Community
Television Network : NBC
Running Time : 22Minutes
Broadcast Run : September 17, 2009 (2009-09-17) – present(27 & counting)

I dunno if I'm the first to say it, but Community is truly an elite show. A worthy successor to NBC's comedy line up, Community fits right in alongside the Office and 30 Rock, filling the niche of former NBC stalwart program Scrubs.

Follow Jeff Winger, disbard former lawyer who returns to community college to get an actual degree this time. After coning his way into a law firm, his position is eventually revealed to his higher ups(by recent cameo Rob Cordrey) and he is promptly fired. Joining Greendale Community College as the easiest and fastest way to returning to his high profile life of wheeling and dealing, Jeff takes Spanish to fulfill a language requirement. Here, he meets Britta Perry, a modern flower power child, whom he becomes infatuated with. He forms a Spanish study group with the sole intention of turning it into a date, before classmate and film centric Abed invites others to a group he wasn't even apart of. These include Troy, former local high school quarterback, Annie, former teen nerd with an adderall addiction, Shirley, a single woman with two kids, and Pierce, a near geriatric Chevy Chase who once wrote successful jingles and is known to himself as a genius.

Of course, over time, our main characters bond, mostly over their hatred of Spanish teaching Senor Chang, played by Ken Jeong. Overly needy Dean Pelton constantly tries to turn this lowly community college into an accredited University with usually woeful results. Also included is a character nicknamed Starburns, because his side burns are actually in the shape of stars, an older individual named Leonard who hates wearing pants to swim, and numerous other one shot cameos(like Jack Black, Owen Wilson, a disco roller bladder, etc etc)

I hesitated counting Community as an elite show, considering it's infancy in the grand scheme of network television, but last night's episode had three belly laugh out loud inducing moments. Any show that chloroforms someone, and then decide they should fake being chloroformed themselves to hide their mis-deeds. Even the bad episodes still deliver laughs to your funny bone.


Community is well on the verge of borderline cancellation at this point. Hopefully it can survive, as it does what few good comedies do. Converge heartfelt moments and interpersonal drama with interweaving hilarity that never has a dull moment.

Plus, it has a special spot in my heart as one of the shows I've done a spec script for. Perhaps my best one to be honest. I truly enjoy this program, and hope it continues for years.

A-

Abed & Troy Rap


Troy & Abed in the Morning w/ Jeff Winger