Community season 1
Community | |
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Season 1 | |
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Starring | |
No. of episodes | 25 |
Release | |
Original network | NBC |
Original release | September 17, 2009 May 20, 2010 | –
Season chronology | |
The first season of the television comedy series Community originally aired from September 17, 2009 on NBC to May 20, 2010 in the United States. The first three episodes aired at 9:30 pm ET before being moved to 8:00 pm ET. The show was picked up for 22 episodes in October 2009, and an additional 3 episodes were ordered later.
The show focuses on disbarred lawyer Jeff Winger, and his attempt to get a bachelor's degree at a community college, while he forms a bond with his Spanish study group.
Cast
Starring
- Joel McHale as Jeff Winger
- Gillian Jacobs as Britta Perry
- Danny Pudi as Abed Nadir
- Yvette Nicole Brown as Shirley Bennett
- Alison Brie as Annie Edison
- Donald Glover as Troy Barnes
- Ken Jeong as Señor Ben Chang
- Chevy Chase as Pierce Hawthorne
Recurring
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Guest stars
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Episodes
No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code | US viewers (millions) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | "Pilot" | Anthony Russo & Joe Russo | Dan Harmon | September 17, 2009 | 100 | 7.89[1] |
2 | 2 | "Spanish 101" | Joe Russo | Dan Harmon | September 24, 2009 | 101 | 5.39[2] |
3 | 3 | "Introduction to Film" | Anthony Russo | Tim Hobert & Jon Pollack | October 1, 2009 | 102 | 5.86[3] |
4 | 4 | "Social Psychology" | Anthony Russo | Liz Cackowski | October 8, 2009 | 104 | 4.87[4] |
5 | 5 | "Advanced Criminal Law" | Joe Russo | Andrew Guest | October 15, 2009 | 105 | 5.01[5] |
6 | 6 | "Football, Feminism and You" | Joe Russo | Hilary Winston | October 22, 2009 | 103 | 5.18[6] |
7 | 7 | "Introduction to Statistics" | Justin Lin | Tim Hobert & Jon Pollack | October 29, 2009 | 106 | 5.32[7] |
8 | 8 | "Home Economics" | Anthony Russo | Lauren Pomerantz | November 5, 2009 | 107 | 5.45[8] |
9 | 9 | "Debate 109" | Joe Russo | Tim Hobert | November 12, 2009 | 109 | 5.09[9] |
10 | 10 | "Environmental Science" | Seth Gordon | Zach Paez | November 19, 2009 | 108 | 4.86[10] |
11 | 11 | "The Politics of Human Sexuality" | Anthony Russo | Hilary Winston | December 3, 2009 | 110 | 5.42[11] |
12 | 12 | "Comparative Religion" | Adam Davidson | Liz Cackowski | December 10, 2009 | 111 | 5.51[12] |
13 | 13 | "Investigative Journalism" | Joe Russo | Jon Pollack & Tim Hobert | January 14, 2010 | 113 | 5.42[13] |
14 | 14 | "Interpretive Dance" | Justin Lin | Lauren Pomerantz | January 21, 2010 | 112 | 4.73[14] |
15 | 15 | "Romantic Expressionism" | Joe Russo | Andrew Guest | February 4, 2010 | 115 | 5.23[15] |
16 | 16 | "Communication Studies" | Adam Davidson | Chris McKenna | February 11, 2010 | 116 | 5.15[16] |
17 | 17 | "Physical Education" | Anthony Russo | Jessie Miller | March 4, 2010 | 118 | 5.06[17] |
18 | 18 | "Basic Genealogy" | Ken Whittingham | Karey Dornetto | March 11, 2010 | 117 | 4.70[18] |
19 | 19 | "Beginner Pottery" | Anthony Russo | Hilary Winston | March 18, 2010 | 114 | 5.21[19] |
20 | 20 | "The Science of Illusion" | Adam Davidson | Zach Paez | March 25, 2010 | 122 | 5.07[20] |
21 | 21 | "Contemporary American Poultry" | Tristram Shapeero | Emily Cutler & Karey Dornetto | April 22, 2010 | 123 | 3.67[21] |
22 | 22 | "The Art of Discourse" | Adam Davidson | Chris McKenna | April 29, 2010 | 124 | 4.36[22] |
23 | 23 | "Modern Warfare" | Justin Lin | Emily Cutler | May 6, 2010 | 119 | 4.35[23] |
24 | 24 | "English as a Second Language" | Gail Mancuso | Tim Hobert | May 13, 2010 | 120 | 4.49[24] |
25 | 25 | "Pascal's Triangle Revisited" | Joe Russo | Hilary Winston | May 20, 2010 | 121 | 4.41[25] |
Production
Casting
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.[26] 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.[27] 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.[26] 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."[28] 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.[28]
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."[29] McHale appealed to Harmon because of his likeable quality, which allowed the character to possess certain unsympathetic traits without turning the viewer against him.[28] For the role of Annie, Harmon wanted someone who would resemble Tracy Flick, Reese Witherspoon's character from the 1999 film Election. Originally the producers were looking for a Latina or Asian Tracy Flick. Instead they ended up casting Alison Brie, known from her role as Trudy Campbell on Mad Men.[28]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/66/Dan_Harmon_2007_cropped.jpg/150px-Dan_Harmon_2007_cropped.jpg)
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.[26] 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."[28] 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.[28]
About the creative process behind the writing, Harmon says that he had to write the show as if it were a film, not a sitcom. Essentially, he says, the process was no different from the earlier work he had done, except for the length and the target demographic.[28]
Reception
Critical reception
The show's reviews for season 1 have been mostly positive, scoring a 69 out of 100 with critics on Metacritic.[30] Notably, David Bushman (Curator, Television) of the Paley Center for Media called Community the best new show of the fall season.[31] Jonah Krakow of IGN gave the first season an 8.5 saying "Given the way Community eventually ramped up and delivered some amazing stories in the second half of the season, I'm extremely excited about what's to come for Season 2."[32]
Awards and nominations
- The show received a nomination for "Favorite New TV Comedy" at the 36th People's Choice Awards.[33]
- Justin Lin received a nomination for "Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series" at the 41st NAACP Image Awards for "Introduction to Statistics".
Nielsen ratings
The first season averaged 5 million viewers with a 2.4 rating in the 18–49 demographic and ranked #97 for the season.[34]
DVD release
The first season of Community was released on DVD on September 21, 2010. The DVD contains all 25 episodes on four discs plus special features. Special features on the DVD include:[35]
- Commentary on every episode. Participants include creator Dan Harmon; cast members Joel McHale, Gillian Jacobs, Danny Pudi, Yvette Nicole Brown, Alison Brie, Donald Glover, Ken Jeong and Chevy Chase; directors Anthony Russo, Joe Russo and Adam Davidson; and writers Andrew Guest, Lauren Pomerantz, Hilary Winston, Karey Dornetto, Chris McKenna and Emily Cutler.
- Outtakes
- Season one cast evaluations
- Season one highlight reel
- "Creative Compromises" featurette
- "Advanced Criminal Law" alternative scenes
- Three mini episodes
- "Kickpuncher" comic book
References
- ^ Seidman, Robert (September 18, 2009). "Thursday night broadcast original final numbers". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on April 20, 2011. Retrieved September 18, 2009.
- ^ Seidman, Robert (September 25, 2009). "Thursday broadcast finals, plus quarter hour detail for FlashForward". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on April 20, 2011. Retrieved September 25, 2009.
- ^ Seidman, Robert (October 2, 2009). ""Greys", "Practice", "CSI", "Mentalist" all a tick up in broadcast final, "Leno Show" down a tick". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on April 30, 2011. Retrieved October 2, 2009.
- ^ Seidman, Robert (October 9, 2009). "Thursday broadcast finals: The Office, Bones, Grey's, Supernatural up; Community, Private Practice down a tick". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on April 20, 2011. Retrieved October 9, 2009.
- ^ Seidman, Robert (October 16, 2009). "Broadcast Finals: Bones, The Office, Grey's Anatomy, The Mentalist up, Private Practice down a tick". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on April 20, 2011. Retrieved October 16, 2009.
- ^ Gorman, Bill (October 23, 2009). "TV Ratings Thursday: Community, FlashForward, Leno Down; Survivor, Grey's Up". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on October 10, 2012. Retrieved October 23, 2009.
- ^ Seidman, Robert (October 30, 2009). "Thursday finals: Grey's Anatomy, The Mentalist, 30 Rock tick up, Parks & Recreation, The Jay Leno Show down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on November 18, 2010. Retrieved October 30, 2009.
- ^ Seidman, Robert (November 6, 2009). "Broadcast Finals: Grey's, CSI, The Office, 30 Rock, The Mentalist, Bones up in finals". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on April 20, 2011. Retrieved November 6, 2009.
- ^ Seidman, Robert (November 13, 2009). "Broadcast Finals: Grey's Anatomy, 30 Rock, The Office, CSI, The Mentalist up; The Vampire Diaries down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on April 20, 2011. Retrieved November 13, 2009.
- ^ Seidman, Robert (November 20, 2009). "Thursday broadcast finals: Grey's Anatomy up; The Vampire Diaries, 30 Rock down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on April 20, 2011. Retrieved November 20, 2009.
- ^ Gorman, Bill (December 4, 2009). "Thursday broadcast & cable finals: Flash Forward Down; Other Broadcast shows unchanged". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on October 16, 2012. Retrieved December 4, 2009.
- ^ Gorman, Bill (December 11, 2009). "Broadcast Finals: Survivor, CSI, Mentalist, Community, Parks, Office, 30 Rock, Leno All Down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on February 28, 2012. Retrieved December 11, 2009.
- ^ Gorman, Bill (January 15, 2010). "TV Ratings: Private Practice Crossover Boost; Bones High; Grey's, CSI, 30 Rock, Leno Hit Lows". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on December 3, 2010. Retrieved January 15, 2010.
- ^ Gorman, Bill (January 22, 2010). "TV Ratings Thursday: Deep End Underwater; Bones High; CSI, Mentalist, Grey's Series Lows". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on February 1, 2011. Retrieved January 22, 2010.
- ^ Gorman, Bill (February 5, 2010). "Thursday Broadcast Final Ratings; Vampire Diaries, Community Tick Up". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on May 23, 2011. Retrieved February 5, 2010.
- ^ Seidman, Robert (February 12, 2010). "Thursday Broadcast Finals: Grey's Anatomy, The Mentalist Tick Up, Private Practice, 30 Rock Tick Down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on May 23, 2011. Retrieved February 12, 2010.
- ^ Gorman, Bill (March 5, 2010). "TV Ratings: Fox Wins The Night; But Office, Marriage Ref Win Their Hours In Adults 18-49". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on April 22, 2012. Retrieved March 5, 2010.
- ^ Gorman, Bill (March 12, 2010). "TV Ratings: American Idol Leads Fox Win; Marriage Ref Loses Yardage". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on March 16, 2011. Retrieved March 12, 2010.
- ^ Gorman, Bill (March 19, 2010). "TV Ratings: March Madness Upsets Thursday; FlashForward Return Fizzles". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on October 10, 2012. Retrieved March 19, 2010.
- ^ Seidman, Robert (March 26, 2010). "Broadcast Finals: Grey's Anatomy, Community, Parks & Rec, Vampire Diaries Adjusted Up". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on February 5, 2018. Retrieved March 26, 2010.
- ^ Gorman, Bill (April 23, 2010). "Thursday Broadcast Finals: Vampire Diaries, Supernatural Adjusted Up; Community, Office Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on December 22, 2010. Retrieved April 23, 2010.
- ^ Seidman, Robert (April 30, 2010). "Thursday Finals FlashForward, Survivor, Bones Adjusted Up; Community, Parks & Rec, Private Practice Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on May 24, 2011. Retrieved April 30, 2010.
- ^ Seidman, Robert (May 7, 2010). "Thursday Finals: Survivor, Bones, Adjusted Up; 30 Rock Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on May 23, 2011. Retrieved May 7, 2010.
- ^ Gorman, Bill (May 14, 2010). "Thursday Finals: Survivor, Grey's Anatomy, CSI, Mentalist, Community Adjusted Up". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on November 21, 2010. Retrieved May 14, 2010.
- ^ Gorman, Bill (May 21, 2010). "TV Ratings: Grey's Anatomy Rules Finale Thursday; Bones, FlashForward, CSI, Parks, 30 Rock, Ref Rise". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on November 27, 2010. Retrieved May 21, 2010.
- ^ a b c "Fine writing spurs Chevy to move to 'Community'". Omaha World-Herald. September 22, 2009. Archived from the original on January 4, 2013. Retrieved October 25, 2009.
- ^ "Water and Power Episode Nine at Channel101.com". Archived from the original on February 28, 2011. 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.
- ^ Loggins, Emma (October 19, 2009). "Joel McHale & Dan Harmon of Community". Fanbolt. Archived from the original on July 10, 2011. 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. Archived from the original on December 28, 2009. Retrieved February 16, 2010.
- ^ Krakow, Jonah (May 27, 2010). "Community: Season 1 Review". IGN. Retrieved June 6, 2010.
- ^ Dawidziak, Mark (November 10, 2009). "Patricia Heaton's 'The Middle' and Russo brothers' 'Community' nab nominations". Cleveland.com. Retrieved December 4, 2009.
- ^ Gorman, Bill (June 16, 2010). "Final 2009-10 Broadcast Primetime Show Average Viewership". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on November 21, 2010. Retrieved June 19, 2010.
- ^ Lacey, Gord (October 14, 2010). "Community - The Complete 1st Season Review". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on December 18, 2010. Retrieved December 16, 2010.
External links
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