"Community" (2009) is so funny, it almost isn't fair. The commercials for the new NBC comedy were grin-worthy, chuckle-inducing at best. Prior to the pilot, it seemed likely that the show squeezed all of its humor into 30-second spots that ran incessantly for the past few months.
There's a simple rule of thumb to be followed when trying to choose which new television show to watch: the more it's advertised, the crappier it's going to be. But this theory falls through with "Community," which, despite being advertised constantly, is sure to split sides with a killer cast and well-written script.
When "Friends" left NBC back in 2004, the network's future success was in doubt. Then, as if by some miracle, NBC regained total dominance through Thursday night comedy. A solid line-up including "The Office," "30 Rock," "Scrubs," "My Name is Earl," and the network's go-to show, "ER," won fans and critics. With the departure of "Scrubs" and "ER," however, NBC needed something new to fill a half-hour slot on Thursday night.
Cue "Community."
A single-camera comedy set at a community college, "Community" follows Jeff (Joel McHale), a lawyer who has to go back to school after the state bar sssociation disbarred him for practicing without a valid college degree.
The premise is achingly simple but allows for endless jabs at underachievers, academics and more often the wannabe academics who attend community college. The show will do very little to boost attendance at these institutions, but what local schools suffer, the audience gains in side-splitting wisecracks.
The level of talent in "Community" is astounding. Besides the hilarious McHale of E!'s "The Soup," the show also landed John Oliver of "The Daily Show," Alison Brie (Trudy Campbell of AMC's "Mad Men"), Donald Glover (from Derrick Comedy, of Youtube fame), newcomers Danny Pudi (a frequent scene stealer) and Gillian Jacobs, veteran Yvette Nicole Brown and, most impressively, Chevy Chase.
Chase plays Pierce, an aging, sagging businessman who claims to be back at school to continue his education. Actually, he seems to be trolling for an eighth wife. All of the principal actors play such community college stereotypes, from the divorced mother to the jock that peaked in high school to the professional who must return to school against his will.
The first episode concerns Jeff (McHale) trying to get a date with Britta (Gillian Jacobs) by pretending to be a Spanish tutor. Eventually, the main cast comes together for Jeff's fake study group. In one of the highlights of the show, Abed (Danny Pudi) likens the group to "The Breakfast Club" (1985) and delivers Judd Nelson's famous monologue from the film.
The jokes come hard and fast. Everyone holds their own, though McHale could easily carry the whole show. It's also great to see Chevy Chase working again.
Some of the humor isn't conventional (writers get a good, long, surprisingly guilt-free laugh out of the not-so-funny Asperger's Syndrome), but it's a nice change of pace from the rest of the tried-and-true NBC Thursday night line-up. And despite the show's comedic risks, there's something here for everybody — for the whole "Community," as it were.
Oftentimes a show's pilot is the weakest episode of the season. If this pilot is the worst it gets, NBC has a winner on its hands.
