Community (TV series)
Community | |
---|---|
File:Community title.jpg | |
Genre | Sitcom |
Created by | Dan Harmon |
Starring | Joel McHale Gillian Jacobs Danny Pudi Yvette Nicole Brown Alison Brie Donald Glover Chevy Chase Ken Jeong Jim Rash[1] |
Opening theme | "At Least It Was Here" by The 88 |
Composer | Ludwig Göransson |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 2 |
No. of episodes | 49 (list of episodes) |
Production | |
Executive producers | Gary Foster Russ Krasnoff Dan Harmon Anthony Russo Joe Russo Neil Goldman Garrett Donovan |
Production locations | Los Angeles City College, California |
Camera setup | Single-camera |
Running time | 22 minutes |
Production companies | Sony Pictures Television Universal Media Studios Krasnoff Foster Entertainment Russo Brothers Harmonious Claptrap |
Original release | |
Network | NBC |
Release | September 17, 2009 present | –
Community is an American television comedy series created by Dan Harmon that airs on NBC. The series is about a group of students at a community college in the fictional locale of Greendale, Colorado. The series heavily uses meta-humor and pop culture references, often parodying film and television clichés and tropes.[2] The series premiered Thursday, September 17, 2009, and airs in the 8:00 pm ET time slot.[3] It previously aired in the 9:30 pm ET time slot, beginning with its premiere, but later relocated with its fourth episode. On March 17, 2011, NBC renewed Community for a third season,[4] which is scheduled to premiere on September 22, 2011.[5]
Premise
Community centers on Jeff Winger (Joel McHale), a disbarred lawyer going to school for the first time after his bachelor's degree is revealed as a falsification. The series focuses on the experiences of Jeff and the study group he accidentally forms while pursuing Britta Perry (Gillian Jacobs), a student trying to get her life back on track. The other members of Jeff's study group include Pierce Hawthorne (Chevy Chase), a millionaire on a late-in-life voyage of self-discovery; Annie Edison (Alison Brie), a young straight-laced student and former prescription drug addict; Troy Barnes (Donald Glover), a former high school star quarterback; Shirley Bennett (Yvette Nicole Brown), a single mother and vocal Christian going to school to jumpstart her brownie business; and Abed Nadir (Danny Pudi), a pop-culture-obsessed film student. Former Spanish teacher, now student Ben "Señor" Chang (Ken Jeong) attempts to join the study group in the second season.
Cast and characters
The ensemble cast centers on Jeff, Britta, Troy, Abed, Pierce, Annie, and Shirley, members of a study group. Also recurring are unbalanced former Spanish instructor Señor Ben Chang (Ken Jeong), psychology professor Ian Duncan (John Oliver), whom Jeff once represented for a DUI, and the overwhelmed Dean Pelton (Jim Rash), who desperately wants his school to be more like a real university and goes to strenuous and excessive lengths to seem politically correct.
Episodes
The first season premiered on September 17, 2009 in the 9:30 pm ET timeslot. After three episodes, the show was moved to the 8:00 pm ET timeslot. In October 2009, it was announced that the show had been picked up for a full twenty-two episode season.[6] In January 2010, NBC ordered an additional three episodes for the first season, extending it to a total of 25 episodes.[7] On March 5, 2010, Community was renewed for a second season and premiered on September 23, 2010.[8] On March 17, 2011, NBC renewed Community for a third season.[4]
Webisodes
In addition to the regular episodes, NBC produced a series of webisodes. The newest ones are focused on the daily life of Dean Pelton. Others include a Spanish project, study breaks, and Abed copying his friends' lives and turning them into student films. These webisodes are featured on the front page of the Greendale Community College website on the AV Department page.[9]
Production
Casting
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4b/DonaldGloverDannyPudiGillianJacobsChevyChaseSDCCJuly10.jpg/220px-DonaldGloverDannyPudiGillianJacobsChevyChaseSDCCJuly10.jpg)
Dan Harmon emphasized the importance of the cast to making the premise of the comedy work. "Casting was 95 percent of putting the show together," he said in an interview.[10] He had worked with several of the cast members earlier; Joel McHale, John Oliver, and Chevy Chase all had cameo roles in episode 9 of Water and Power, the short film series produced by Harmon for Channel 101.[11] Actor Chevy Chase had long been a favorite of Harmon. Though principally not very partial to sitcoms, Chase was persuaded to take the job by the quality of the show's writing.[10] Harmon saw similarities between Chase and the character he plays on the show. Though Chase has often been ridiculed for his career choices, Harmon believed this role could be redeeming: "What makes Chevy and Pierce heroic is this refusal to stop."[12] Harmon had to warn Chase against playing a "wise-ass" the way he often does in his roles, since the character of Pierce is a rather pathetic figure who is normally the butt of the joke himself.[12]
McHale, known from the E! comedy talk show The Soup, was also (like Chase) impressed by Harmon's writing. He commented that "Dan's script was so head and shoulders above everything else that I was reading."[13] McHale appealed to Harmon because of his likeable quality, which allowed the character to possess certain unsympathetic traits without turning the viewer against him.[12] For the role of Annie, Harmon wanted someone who would resemble Tracy Flick, Reese Witherspoon's character from the 1999 movie Election. Originally the producers were looking for a Latina or Asian Tracy Flick, but could not find any. Instead they ended up casting Alison Brie, known from her role as Trudy Campbell on Mad Men.[12]
Development
The premise of Community was based on Harmon's real-life experiences. In an attempt to save his relationship with his then-girlfriend, he enrolled in Glendale Community College northeast of Los Angeles, where they would take Spanish together.[10] Harmon got involved in a study group and, somewhat against his own instincts, became closely connected to the group of people with whom he had very little in common. "...I was in this group with these knuckleheads and I started really liking them," he explains, "even though they had nothing to do with the film industry and I had nothing to gain from them and nothing to offer them."[12] With this as the background, Harmon wrote the show with a main character largely based on himself. He had, like Jeff, been self-centered and independent to the extreme before he realized the value of connecting with other people.[12]
About the creative process behind the writing, Harmon says that he had to write the show as if it were a movie, not a sitcom. Essentially, the process was no different from the earlier work he had done, except for the length and the target demographic.[12]
Filming
Filming the show involved a lot of improvisation, particularly from Chevy Chase. About Chase, Harmon said that he "tends to come up with lines that you can actually end scenes with sometimes."[14] He also mentioned Joel McHale and Donald Glover, the actors who portray Jeff and Troy respectively, as adept improvisers.[13]
Theme song
The theme song of Community is "At Least It Was Here" by The 88. Additionally, the song "Good Ol' Fashion Nightmare" by Matt & Kim is featured prominently in the pilot episode and in commercials.
Reception
The show's first season received mostly positive reviews, scoring 69 out of 100 based on 23 critics on Metacritic.[15] Notably, David Bushman (Curator, Television) of the Paley Center for Media called Community the best new show of the fall season.[16] Jonah Krakow of IGN gave the first season an 8.5 saying that "Community eventually ramped up and delivered some amazing stories in the second half of the season."[17] The second season received very positive reviews, scoring 88 out of 100 based on 4 critics on Metacritic.[18] Emily Nussbaum of New York Magazine and Heather Havrilesky of Salon.com rated Community as the best show of 2010.[19][20] In The A.V. Club's list of the 25 best television series of 2010, Community ranked second, stating that the best episodes were "Modern Warfare", "Cooperative Calligraphy", and "Abed's Uncontrollable Christmas".[21]
Premiering in the 9:30 pm ET spot on September 17, 2009, the pilot episode had a viewership of 7.680 million. In the 18–49 audience, it had a rating of 3.7. As such, it held 93% of this audience from The Office, which had been in the previous time slot. The show was called the "bright spot for the night" for NBC, seeing how The Office was down 18% from the previous year's premiere, while Parks and Recreation, in the preceding time slot, was down 30%.[22]
Awards and nominations
The series received a nomination for Favorite New TV Comedy at the 36th People's Choice Awards.[23] At the 41st NAACP Image Awards, Justin Lin received a nomination for Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series for "Introduction to Statistics".[24] At the 2010 Teen Choice Awards, the series received a nomination for Breakout Show and Ken Jeong was nominated for Breakout Star Male.[25] For Entertainment Weekly's 3rd Ewwy Awards, it was nominated for Best Comedy Series,[26] Joel McHale was nominated for Best Lead Actor in a Comedy[27] and Danny Pudi was nominated for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy.[28] Betty White received a nomination for Favorite TV Guest Star at the 37th People's Choice Awards.[29] The series received a nomination for Best Directing for a Comedy Series at the The Comedy Awards.[30] The episode "Modern Warfare" won the 2010 Gold Derby TV Award for Comedy Episode of the Year.[31] For the 1st Critics' Choice Television Awards, it was nominated for Best Comedy Series, while Joel McHale and Danny Pudi were nominated for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor in Comedy Series, respectively.[32]
Ratings
Seasonal rankings (based on average total viewers per episode) of Community.
- Note: Each U.S. network television season starts in late September and ends in late May, which coincides with the completion of May sweeps.
Season | Episodes | Timeslot (ET) | Original airing | Rank | Viewers (in millions) | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Season premiere | Season finale | TV season | |||||
1st | 25 | Thursday 9:30 pm (September 17, 2009 – October 1, 2009) Thursday 8:00 pm (October 8, 2009 – May 20, 2010) |
September 17, 2009 | May 20, 2010 | 2009–10 | #97[33] | 5.00[33] |
2nd | 24 | Thursday 8:00 pm | September 23, 2010 | May 12, 2011 | 2010–11 | #115[34] | 4.48[34] |
International broadcast
In Australia, season one of Community premiered on Go! on March 23, 2010, airing Tuesdays at 9:00 pm.[35] The series was moved to Mondays at 8:30 pm on June 7, 2010.[36] The second season started airing in Australia with a double episode on November 30, 2010 on Go! airing Tuesdays at 9:30 pm. In the United Kingdom, the show began airing on October 5, 2010 on Viva, airing two episodes on Tuesdays at 10:00 pm.[37] In Latin America, it is aired on Sony Entertainment Television. In Canada, the show airs on Citytv, simsubbed with NBC in many areas. In New Zealand, season one of Community premiered on FOUR on February 7, 2011, airing Mondays at 8:00 pm.[38] In South Africa, the show airs on Vuzu, with the first season broadcast between April 7 and September 22, 2010, and the second season airing from February 2 to July 13, 2011.[39] It premiered in India on March 14, 2011, on STAR World India airing at 11:00 pm.
Home media releases
DVD
The first season was released in North America on DVD on September 21, 2010 in a four-disc set. The set includes all 25 episodes plus bonus features, including commentary on every episode by cast and crew members; extended versions of the "Pilot" and "Communication Studies" episodes; outtakes; "Season One Cast Evaluations" featurette; "Season One Highlight Reel" featurette; "Creative Compromises" featurette; "Advanced Criminal Law" alternative scenes; and three mini episodes.[40] The second season will be released on DVD on September 6, 2011.[41]
Soundtrack
A soundtrack for the first season, titled Community (Music from the Original Television Series) was released on September 21, 2010[42] by Madison Gate Records.[43] The tracklist includes the main title theme, "At Least It Was Here" by The 88; original songs and incidental music composed for the show; and several songs were performed by the characters (a mix of original compositions and covers).
Track listing
No. | Title | Artist | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "At Least It Was Here (Community Main Title) – Main Title Version" | The 88 | 0:35 |
2. | "101 Rap" | Donald Glover and Danny Pudi | 0:35 |
3. | "Getting Rid of Britta" | Chevy Chase, Eric Olsen and Tom Wolfe | 2:15 |
4. | "Pierce You Are A B" | Eric Olsen, Tom Wolfe and Jacques Slade | 2:21 |
5. | "Pierce Raps" | Jacques Slade | 0:36 |
6. | "Night Cap" | Jacques Slade | 2:10 |
7. | "The Way It Is" | Chevy Chase | 0:59 |
8. | "Community Medley" | Ludwig Göransson | 4:37 |
9. | "Somewhere Out There" | Donald Glover and Danny Pudi | 2:09 |
10. | "I Never Die" | Jacques Slade | 1:50 |
11. | "Sensitive Night" | Yvette Nicole Brown | 1:01 |
12. | "Party Where Your Heart Is" | Trevor Armstrong | 1:01 |
13. | "Annie's Song" | Eric Olsen | 1:37 |
14. | "Episode 119 Medley" | Ludwig Göransson | 3:43 |
15. | "Come, Take a Trip In My Air-Ship" | Chevy Chase, Danny Pudi and Joel McHale | 0:46 |
16. | "Some Worries" | Chevy Chase, Eric Olsen and Tom Wolfe | 2:10 |
17. | "If I Die Before You" | Ludwig Göransson | 2:49 |
18. | "At Least It Was Here (Community Main Title) – Full Length Version" | The 88 | 2:50 |
References
- ^ Adalian, Josef (July 22, 2011). "Community Creator Dan Harmon on What's in Store for Next Season". NY Mag. Retrieved July 24, 2011.
- ^ Ostroff, Mike (May 13, 2010). "Community never meta gag it didn't like". Eye Weekly. Retrieved November 12, 2010.
- ^ Mitovich, Matt (June 25, 2009). "Fall TV: NBC Announces Premiere Dates". TV Guide. Retrieved June 25, 2009.
- ^ a b Gorman, Bill (March 17, 2011). "'The Office,' 'Parks & Recreation,' 'Community' Renewed By NBC". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved March 17, 2011.
- ^ "NBC Announces Series Premiere Dates for Fall 2011 Schedule" (Press release). NBC. July 6, 2011. Retrieved July 6, 2011.
- ^ Flint, Joe (October 23, 2009). "NBC picks up `Community,' `Parks and Recreation' and 'Mercy' for season". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 31, 2009.
- ^ "NBC Orders More Trauma and Community, Parks & Recreation, Law & Order: SVU & More". TV by the Numbers. January 20, 2010. Retrieved February 20, 2011.
- ^ "NBC Gives Pickups To Thursday-Night Comedies '30 Rock,' 'The Office' and 'Community'". NBC. Retrieved March 5, 2010.
- ^ "AV Department". Retrieved December 28, 2009.
- ^ a b c "Fine writing spurs Chevy to move to 'Community'". Omaha World-Herald. September 22, 2009. Retrieved October 25, 2009.
- ^ "Water and Power Episode Nine at Channel101.com". Retrieved September 12, 2009.
- ^ a b c d e f g Hyden, Steven (September 19, 2009). "How Dan Harmon went from doing ComedySportz in Milwaukee to creating NBC's Community". The A.V. Club. Retrieved October 25, 2009.
- ^ a b Loggins, Emma (October 19, 2009). "Joel McHale & Dan Harmon of Community". Fanbolt. Retrieved October 25, 2009.
- ^ Elkin, Michael (October 1, 2009). "College Daze". The Jewish Exponent. Retrieved October 25, 2009.
- ^ "Community: Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved February 16, 2010.
- ^ Bushman, David (October 13, 2009). "And the Best New Show of the Season Is..." Paley Center. Retrieved February 16, 2010.
- ^ Krakow, Jonah (May 27, 2010). "Community: Season 1 Review". IGN. Retrieved June 6, 2010.
- ^ "Community: Season 2". Metacritic. Retrieved December 20, 2010.
- ^ Nussbaum, Emily (December 5, 2010). "The Year in TV". New York Magazine. Retrieved December 10, 2010.
- ^ Havrilesky, Heather. "The best TV shows of 2010". Salon.com. Retrieved December 20, 2010.
- ^ "The 25 best television series of 2010". The A.V. Club. December 20, 2010. Retrieved July 8, 2011.
- ^ Gorman, Bill (September 18, 2009). "TV Ratings Thursday: Strong: Bones; Weak: Parks, Office, Survivor; Good Start: Community". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved October 25, 2009.
- ^ Dawidziak, Mark (November 10, 2009). "Patricia Heaton's 'The Middle' and Russo brothers' 'Community' nab nominations". Cleveland.com. Retrieved December 4, 2009.
- ^ "The 41st NAACP Image Awards - Nominees". NAACP Image Awards. Retrieved June 8, 2011.
- ^ Milet, Sandrine (June 28, 2010). "Teen Choice Awards 2010: Second (Giant) Wave Of Nominees Announced!". MTV. Retrieved June 8, 2011.
- ^ Slezak, Michael (August 20, 2010). "Best Comedy Series: Nominee No. 1 — Community". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved June 8, 2011.
- ^ Slezak, Michael (August 20, 2010). "Best Lead Actor in a Comedy: Nominee No. 3 — Joel McHale, Community". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved June 8, 2011.
- ^ Slezak, Michael (August 20, 2010). "Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy: Nominee No. 4 — Danny Pudi, Community". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved June 8, 2011.
- ^ "37th annual People's Choice Awards winners and nominees". Zap2it. Retrieved June 8, 2011.
- ^ "The Comedy Awards Best TV Director Page". The Comedy Awards. Retrieved June 8, 2011.
- ^ "Modern Family' and 'Mad Men' sweep Gold Derby TV Awards". Los Angeles Times. August 11, 2010. Retrieved March 30, 2011.
- ^ Ausiello, Michael (June 6, 2011). "Mad Men, Fringe, Good Wife, Modern Family, Community, Justified Lead Critics Choice Kudos". TVLine. Retrieved June 8, 2011.
- ^ a b Gorman, Bill (June 16, 2010). "Final 2009-10 Broadcast Primetime Show Average Viewership". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved June 19, 2010.
- ^ a b Andreeva, Nellie (May 27, 2011). "Full 2010-2011 TV Season Series Rankings". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 28, 2011.
- ^ Knox, David (March 8, 2010). "Airdate: Community, The Inbetweeners". TV Tonight. Retrieved September 24, 2010.
- ^ Knox, David (May 24, 2010). "Airdate: Eastwick. Bumped: Community". TV Tonight. Retrieved September 24, 2010.
- ^ "Community - VIVA". VIVA. Retrieved December 14, 2010.
- ^ "Community - Shows - TV - FOUR". Retrieved February 6, 2011.
- ^ "Community". TVSA. Retrieved February 17, 2011.
- ^ Lacey, Gord (October 14, 2010). "Community - The Complete 1st Season Review". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Retrieved December 16, 2010.
- ^ Lambert, David (July 21, 2011). "Community - 'The Complete 2nd Season' DVDs: Press Release with Actual Date and 3D Packaging". TVShowsOnDVD. Retrieved July 21, 2011.
- ^ Community (Music from the Original Television Series) at Amazon.com
- ^ Community (Music from the Original Television Series) at the iTunes Store
External links
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