'Cool. Cool, Cool, Cool'
TV shows are an odd thing. They started out as good old-fashioned family fun: I Love Lucy and The Hooneymooners were classic examples of this, the proto-versions of sitcoms with laugh track. Friends is an obvious modern example of this. Then came something different. Something new. Fox heralded in a cultural Gem, Arrested Development. Well heralded is maybe the wrong word, unwittingly birthed and then beaten over a head until it had been killed is a tad more accurate. Despite its brutal treatment from Fox it is perhaps the best written comedy of all time (This is not hyperbole, seriously, it is actually so tightly written that you can watch it again and again and again and again ad infinitum, and still catch new stuff). This led to a new kind of comedy series, one that was multi-layered, that didn't try to appeal to a large demographic, the lowest common denominator; TV shows that knew they were clever TV shows and flaunted it. They were also TV shows that always one step away from cancellation. Arrested Development left the air after only 3 Seasons http://tinyurl.com/nqwhy7x and much like 30 Rock only managed to avoid cancellation due to its outstanding critical acclaim; Arrested Development picked up 4 Emmys, whereas 30 Rock picked up 135 award nominations. These two TV shows are Community's biggest influences. Yet, it sits in an awkward position between them. Its not as tight as Arrested Development, and it can't keep up with the number of references that 30 Rock can throw down. Yet ultimately it reaches a different high than either of these shows. It's something warmer, the belief that people can become better than they already are. No matter how much you love Liz Lemon and Michael Bluth, its hard to find them as endearing as those who populate Community.
Now, lets be honest here, at first glance Community doesn't sound that intriguing. An ex-lawyer has to go to Community college in an attempt to get a real bachelors degree. He forms a study group that consists of a high-school drop out, a divorcee, a high-school quarterback, a former drug addict, a millionaire and a film enthusiast. This is the description that was posted with Community when I first discovered it. So its an ensemble sitcom. Great. Apart from Joel McHale (From the Soup) and Chevy Chase its a cast of relative unknowns. Nothing about this really stood out.
However, there are many reasons why this description is just so wrong on many many levels. To say something obvious, and please bear with me, Community is TV about TV. It really is as simple as that. While at first it presents itself as a simple sitcom staple that just seems to be a little too self-aware, it quickly evolves into hilarious satire of the pop-culture society that we live in today.To give a completely out of context example that will no doubt confuse the un-educated reader and even avid watcher, In episode 2 of Season 1, two characters fall out , leading too, of course, hilarity. What makes this moment that much better is another character, whose purpose at first seems to be simply highlighting the fact that their lives are erringly similar to that of TV characters, observes, 'Conflicts like these will ultimately bring us together as an unlikely family'. This brings out the entire meta-textual level of Community, its self-awareness as a TV show, and is a new fresh twist on a old sitcom trope.
Those who don't understand and probably think I'm a douche bag (Fair enough) meta is simply taking something and 'Shoving it up its own ass' ,such as a play within a play, or in this case, TV within TV (Abed, who actually mentioned the meta-joke from earlier, is seen as becoming more and more aware of his existence as a TV character). 30 Rock has been doing this for years, but while it would often lampoon itself and the world of TV (Its especially critical of NBC, which is hilarious because both 30 Rock and Community are actually NBC shows), Community has a far greater ambition. It starts of with a tired concept, that simply puts seven people in a room and lets them bounce of one another (and so the Breakfast Club becomes the shows first cultural reference). The pilot begins with ass-hole Jeff Winger (McHale) attempting to get a bachelors degree after he was discovered to have faked his way into become a rather successful lawyer. (McHale is perfect in the role, being immensely likeable despite exhibiting less than sympathetic characteristics) In doing so he sets up a study group who effectively can do his work for him. This is the premise. Ultimately though its rather about an ass-hole trying to become less of an ass-hole through this social group he creates. However, the show moves on from a wacky, fast paced jaunt in a community college into a huge, far, far too ambitious show that attempts to ridicule and parody modern pop-culture. At its best, from the back end of Season 1 to the middle of Season 2, Community could be considered or at least compared, to the Simpsons in its heyday: a fantastic mix of pop satire with a viscous heart at the centre.
Forever 30 Rock was my one true love. It was something I could always come back to a couple of months after I had watched it in its entirety, and then watch it again in its entirety. Community offered me something new, something witty and something that you could really care about. Season 6 comes out in the new year on Yahoo.
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