Ongoing Community Discussion Thread

[bigdaddy]

It's now....

#Fiveseasonsamovieandanetflixminiseriesortwo

 

[JirinPanthosa]

I don't understand the rationale of not being with a show if it's going to get cancelled. The vast majority of shows do not get a second season. It's exciting to try a new show and meet new characters and new situations. Sometimes I'm crushed when a great show gets cancelled... sometimes I enjoy the year of it and that's good enough.... Community had a good run and lasted far longer than I ever thought it would have.

Community though always left off at a reasonable place that they could have easily ended the series on. A lot of series that end after one season leave off on cliffhangers and don't resolve any of their stories.

Kind of how I enjoyed Flashforward the one year it was on, but once the writing was on the wall they would not get renewed they should have ended on a real conclusion instead of an advertisement for a nonexistent next season. It's hard to rewatch a show you know never got properly finished.

 

[AgentCoop]

Yeah, from the get-go, Harmon & Co. seemed committed to making each season "complete" (for want of a better word). And Seasons 3, 4 and 5 all ended with episodes that would make very strong series finales. I'm sad to see the show end, but I applaud all involved for not leaving fans hanging.

 

[bigdaddy]

Yeah, from the get-go, Harmon & Co. seemed committed to making each season "complete" (for want of a better word). And Seasons 3, 4 and 5 all ended with episodes that would make very strong series finales. I'm sad to see the show end, but I applaud all involved for not leaving fans hanging.

I'd love 13 more, but I love the ending, it's fine. I'm happy with the 97 episodes, most of season 4 isn't horrible. So if we get a Hulu save or not I'll be happy.

 

[Guy Gardener]

97?

####.

Surely a tv movie they can air as three episodes is called for?

 

[doubleohfive]

Dan Harmon penned a letter to the fans:

Dan Harmon wrote:

More Than a Tweet

I have always tried to be as transparent with you guys as possible, letting you in on the process of making (and not making) Community. So maybe my silence on the issue of a hypothetical sixth season seems frustrating. I was thinking I could stay quiet because there’s too much to say and anything can become a headline because of the timing, and I am so very sick of clicking on my dumb fat name and seeing my dumb fat face in that dumb photo where I’m pointing at the camera and my hands are inexplicably tiny despite being closer to the camera.

But, I’m getting tweets from some anxious sounding fans, tweets that make me anxious because I feel like I’ve made THEM anxious with my silence, etc.

The general feel of my twitter feed is “well, what should we do, do you want us to petition/riot/negotiate/scream or do you want us to say goodbye and let it be done?” There’s also references to an article in an industry gossip blog, which I won’t click, indicating that everyone in the world BUT me wants to shop Community around. And probably featuring that fucking weird tiny hand photo. Or the one where I’m snarling and my teeth are like corn kernels.

Let’s start with that, the idea that I don’t want this to continue. I don’t think I’m the guy that gets to say what happens at the more effective levels - my career would have a different shape if I were that guy. I’d fire everyone that fired me, give all of you a raise, let the audience pick which pilots go to series and keep shows running as long as their subscription revenue was a dollar over their budget. I am not Mister Shot Caller Guy. That guy went to a better school, didn’t drop out and has lizard blood.

I will confess, however, that when Sony called me on Friday with the news, there was brief discussion at the end of the call about the concept of the show living elsewhere, and I was definitely in the “eh” column. For a million reasons, some selfish, some creative, one logistic, five sexual, three racist (in a good way) and, oddly, nine isometric. I won’t bore you with them. I mean, of course I will bore you with them. Boring you is my job, my hobby and my passion. But it doesn’t matter right now WHY I’d be lukewarm or if my reasons would be valid, what matters is, I won’t be lukewarm. I’ll heat up. I said “eh” on a Friday afternoon, I will change it to a “sure, let’s talk” on Monday morning and Sony can do their thing. I’m not going to be the guy that recancels cancelled Community.

I’m scared to tell you how little a difference I think my enthusiasm will make. I know fandom, when it gets this deep for this long, becomes almost religious, including the urge to stone the less than faithful. But there are lots of reasons a Community resurrection could be difficult. So be prepared for that. Which brings us to the other thing, the first thing, that most of the anxious tweets are about:

What do we, the fans, do? How can we help? Whose dog can we kidnap? Should we eat at Subway? Does Obama know? Should I have this tattoo removed? Was that Abed in Captain America 2?

I honestly think you can totally sit back and relax for this chapter. I know you don’t feel relaxed but I mean you don’t have to worry that someone on this planet isn’t aware of this show’s value to its audience. There are actually astronauts on a space station right now saying “we get it, you love Community” in Chinese. You have done your thing.

If you want to know the God’s honest truth, part of my “eh” was coming from the unsettling thought of your passion for campaigns being once again exploited by this rather unfair, somewhat backward system, one that now treats you like it’s your responsibility to keep a show alive, like a corporation is doing you a favor by feeding you low grade opiate through a regulated tube. Like you owe them an apology when they can’t measure or monetize you to their satisfaction. You deserve better. I love you guys, and at its best, Community is me saying that over and over again, saying let’s get less mad at ourselves and each other and more mad at the inhuman systems that keep us down and divided. “Maybe it should have said less of that and more jokes.” Shut up, voice of my grade school principal that also coached and umpired softball because shrieking “steeeeeeerike” at children was his sole recourse to virility.

Anyway, I will not be standing in the way. I’m sorry to anyone that’s really taking this cancellation hard. I know how I felt when these fuckers killed Max Headroom. But you sit back and treat yourself to some New Girl and Parks and Mindy and Brooklyn 99 and Eagleheart and Portlandia and have you seen Matt Berry’s Toast of London? It’s awesome. Also not to be selfish but maybe check out Rick and Morty. And let TV be the needy clown that it’s still very overpaid to be, and let the suits deal with the suits and see what possibilities exist. That’s the best we can do for now. Ninety seven episodes. Over eighty pretty good ones. Mission accomplished.

By the way, remember when you complained about that one episode? Bet it’s not looking so bad now, huh ass face? Just kidding, I know it sucked. I was going for something cooler and - whatever, I don’t need to explain myself to you. Marry softball if you love it so much. I’m gonna be special when I grow up!

Your Lover
Daniel Anastasia Harmon

LINK

 

[bigdaddy]

That was the best letter ever.

 

[AgentCoop]

God, I fucking love Dan Harmon.

 

[the G-man]

That was the best letter ever.

I'm the G-man and I approve this message

 

[JirinPanthosa]

That was a great response to fans, it's refreshing to see a show producer actually say honestly how he's feeling.

What episode is he referring to by that one episode that sucked? The only non-S4 episode I really skip is the Troy's grandmother episode.

 

[Mister Fandango]

What episode is he referring to by that one episode that sucked?

Whooosh.

 

[Pingfah]

He's right about Rick & Morty. I like Community, but I LOVE Rick & Morty. His energy is better spent on that, than trying to bring back a show that already had its second and third chances.

 

[gblews]

Absolutely brilliant response from Harmon. Yes, if you have not checked out Rick and Morty, I highly recommend.

What episode is he referring to by that one episode that sucked?

Whooosh.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

Was that meant to be making fun of fans who tweet about every bad episode? I assumed it was some specific trend for some episode people vocally hated, because I don't follow Twitter.

 

[tighr]

What episode is he referring to by that one episode that sucked? The only non-S4 episode I really skip is the Troy's grandmother episode.

He's speaking about the episode you hated. Not the general "you" of the whole audience, but the specific "you", ie, you. He's talking directly to you, and apologizing for that one episode you didn't like.

It's like when someone says "Hey, how about that local sports team?"

 

[gblews]

Was that meant to be making fun of fans who tweet about every bad episode? I assumed it was some specific trend for some episode people vocally hated, because I don't follow Twitter.

I think he was referring to just about any episode that any of the fans disliked, not exclusive to the Twitter-verse or any specific episode. The guy is really funny.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

Heh, I assumed it was some kind of Twitterverse reference.

Well, at least he apologized for the Troy's grandmother episode. Britta letting an old woman spank her to prove how culturally tolerant she is sounds like a cool idea in principle, but on screen it just doesn't work. Also notice Abed's father never appeared again after the episode.

 

[AgentCoop]

^That episode features one of my favorite moments in the entire series: "I don't understand you, Britta! I don't understand you at all!"

I have rarely laughed at any sitcom as hard as I laughed at that.

 

[Guy Gardener]

Joel on the soup tonight... "Hello everyone and welcome to a new episode of Community... No, wait that's not right?"

10 minutes later... "And they're exaggerating, there isn't such a horrible stigma attached to the E! network, why I'm on a great show on another network and E! hasn't dragged down my credibility... Oh, that's right."

 

[The Borgified Corpse]

Personally, I can't get too worked up over this cancellation. While the show continues to surprise and pleasure me in various ways, I knew from the outset that this day would come. And, honestly, it came 2 years later than I expected and 4 years later than any of us had any right to hope.

What can I say? After the agony of Wonderfalls' cancellation, I feel like any show is insanely blessed to last more than 4 episodes.

^That episode features one of my favorite moments in the entire series: "I don't understand you, Britta! I don't understand you at all!"

I have rarely laughed at any sitcom as hard as I laughed at that.

If it weren't for that scene, I might never have watched the show at all. My first introduction to the show was a random Youtube video of a bunch of different scenes of Troy crying. The image of this blonde woman being whipped in the ass by an elderly black woman while the guy from Mystery Team can't stop crying, totally divorced from any context, immediately stood out in my mind. I knew right then and there that I had to watch this show if only to find out what the hell was going on in that scene!

He's speaking about the episode you hated. Not the general "you" of the whole audience, but the specific "you", ie, you. He's talking directly to you, and apologizing for that one episode you didn't like.

It's like when someone says "Hey, how about that local sports team?"

Yeah. Joss Whedon did a similar thing in the liner notes of one of the Buffy DVDs. Something like, "We hope you enjoy these 21 great episodes. And that 1 crappy one. Sorry. I don't know what we where thinking. I guess we were tired."