The first seasons of Community were an absolute joy. The writers managed to create an intellectual and off-beat sitcom, which is a welcome change in a genre that has seen tons of generic titles come and go. By blatantly calling out their own clichés for what they were - usually through the character Abed - they were a very special kind of comedy. One that made you mockingly laugh at something you were thoroughly enjoying at the same time. Perfect examples are of course the paint ball episodes, in which external influences force the school into an absurd mayhem.
As Chevy Chase, the actor that portrayed Pierce, mentioned in various interviews and a disturbing voice mail (look it up!), over time Community has fallen into its own trap. By focusing more and more on predictable sitcom story lines, such as those regarding love interests within the group and the pregnancy of the character Shirley, it slowly turned into another one of those shows. We do not care. We just want to laugh.
The reboot at the start of the fifth season looks promising, but the forced nature of the fourth episode is a terrible sign. It is abundantly clear that the writers wanted to do another paint ball-type episode, because they know we enjoyed the others. But the thing is, we didn't enjoy it just because of the blazing guns and outright craziness. We enjoyed it because it poked fun at the action genre - and most importantly, at itself. This time the premise was weak and the execution was predictable. The joke was gone.
If you enjoyed shows like How I Met Your Mother and The Big Bang Theory for more than a couple of seasons, you may or may not appreciate Community. But if the repetitiveness and lack of innovation of those shows bothered you, this is a show you should not miss.
I'm just sad that this show no longer deserves the A+ it once earned. Community has become the type of series it once mocked. Perhaps in an attempt to gain a wider audience, it has lost its heart.
Let's hope Dan Harmon manages to find it again, before it is too late.
As Chevy Chase, the actor that portrayed Pierce, mentioned in various interviews and a disturbing voice mail (look it up!), over time Community has fallen into its own trap. By focusing more and more on predictable sitcom story lines, such as those regarding love interests within the group and the pregnancy of the character Shirley, it slowly turned into another one of those shows. We do not care. We just want to laugh.
The reboot at the start of the fifth season looks promising, but the forced nature of the fourth episode is a terrible sign. It is abundantly clear that the writers wanted to do another paint ball-type episode, because they know we enjoyed the others. But the thing is, we didn't enjoy it just because of the blazing guns and outright craziness. We enjoyed it because it poked fun at the action genre - and most importantly, at itself. This time the premise was weak and the execution was predictable. The joke was gone.
If you enjoyed shows like How I Met Your Mother and The Big Bang Theory for more than a couple of seasons, you may or may not appreciate Community. But if the repetitiveness and lack of innovation of those shows bothered you, this is a show you should not miss.
I'm just sad that this show no longer deserves the A+ it once earned. Community has become the type of series it once mocked. Perhaps in an attempt to gain a wider audience, it has lost its heart.
Let's hope Dan Harmon manages to find it again, before it is too late.