This series is best described as a handful of comedic genius mixed in with a pile of misguided, moralistic garbage. 75% of the episodes are dedicated to Jeff Winger being taught a pointless lesson. If you've ever lost a court case due to a charismatic lawyer, you'll love every minute.
Great: -All of the Halloween and paintball episodes, as well as few other thematic ones (AC bandit, etc). -Troy and Abed in almost every episode. Their characters are creative, insightful, likable, and believe it or not, mostly focused on HUMOR and not politics. -Annie is also likable and funny in most episodes.
Terrible: -Britta. Unbearable, single-handedly ruined several episodes for me. Completely unlikeable and not funny, yet gets a ton of screen time. Garners an inexplicable amount of sympathy from the writers despite being an insufferable, self-righteous harpy. Can't stand her, brings nothing to the table. I'd give the series two more stars if she was abused more frequently or cut-out altogether. -Shirley. Just not funny most of the time. Character seems out of place. -Emasculated Jeff. He is supposed to be the "cool" guy, but after he cries, pees his pants, and apologizes for no reason on multiple occasions, the illusion is lifted and he is just pathetic. Not significant in small doses, but after watching all 5 seasons in a month the sheer time spent on just this gag overwhelmed me.
Pierce, Chang, and Dean Pelton are funny at first, but all of their bits just get recycled and more over the top as the series progresses, which I found tiresome.
I'd sum up the series as a missed opportunity. The show's premise and some of the characters carry a lot of potential, and when focused on lighthearted laughs it delivers in a big way. Unfortunately, that is only fraction of the time. The rest of the time the writers want to teach you a lesson. Three stars out of ten reflects the ratio of funny to unfunny episodes for me, and an extra star for the magnificent Troy and Abed. I recommend cherry-picking, unless you hate lawyers.
Great: -All of the Halloween and paintball episodes, as well as few other thematic ones (AC bandit, etc). -Troy and Abed in almost every episode. Their characters are creative, insightful, likable, and believe it or not, mostly focused on HUMOR and not politics. -Annie is also likable and funny in most episodes.
Terrible: -Britta. Unbearable, single-handedly ruined several episodes for me. Completely unlikeable and not funny, yet gets a ton of screen time. Garners an inexplicable amount of sympathy from the writers despite being an insufferable, self-righteous harpy. Can't stand her, brings nothing to the table. I'd give the series two more stars if she was abused more frequently or cut-out altogether. -Shirley. Just not funny most of the time. Character seems out of place. -Emasculated Jeff. He is supposed to be the "cool" guy, but after he cries, pees his pants, and apologizes for no reason on multiple occasions, the illusion is lifted and he is just pathetic. Not significant in small doses, but after watching all 5 seasons in a month the sheer time spent on just this gag overwhelmed me.
Pierce, Chang, and Dean Pelton are funny at first, but all of their bits just get recycled and more over the top as the series progresses, which I found tiresome.
I'd sum up the series as a missed opportunity. The show's premise and some of the characters carry a lot of potential, and when focused on lighthearted laughs it delivers in a big way. Unfortunately, that is only fraction of the time. The rest of the time the writers want to teach you a lesson. Three stars out of ten reflects the ratio of funny to unfunny episodes for me, and an extra star for the magnificent Troy and Abed. I recommend cherry-picking, unless you hate lawyers.