Why You Should Watch Community

Community is my favorite show. For me, it is appointment television and I tell everyone to watch it whenever possible.

However there was a time when I thought the show looked absolutely lame and I avoided it like the plague. My first impression: Community? What a lousy title for a show. It has Chevy Chase, so it must not be funny at all. It’s about school? I don’t want to watch Saved By The Bell in prime time.

I sound pretty darn jaded and critical there, don’t I? So how did I go from avoiding this show to carrying it’s torch? Easy - I tuned in once.

I discovered the show was hilarious, in a very human way. All of the characters are flawed underdogs, each resorting to attending a third-rate Community College. These seven people form a study group, but it turns into a dysfunctional family. And it’s one hell of a dynamic. They are inseparable, but you can see and understand why.

Chevy Chase is perfect as the old guy trying to fit in and be cool, no matter what it takes. Seeing his character attempt to tell jokes/be funny but end up crashing and burning won me over. He is something of a foil/villain now, but completely within the character’s need for attention and acceptance.

Right now Community is on the bubble, and I am seeing shades of Arrested Development. I have a feeling that if this show gets canceled, people will discover it after it’s gone, love it and then clamor for more. Now is the time to adopt this show.

Besides, you need this show. Community is an extremely positive experience, the perfect chaser for all the gritty crime shows, narcissistic reality shows, and mean-spirited cartoons (Family Guy, South Park). If I only watched dark depressing fare like Breaking Bad and Battlestar Galactica, I would go insane. Well, more so.

Check it out, Thursday nights at 8pm on NBC. You can find full episodes online (if you’re in the U.S.) here. You lucky Americans can also view it on Hulu. I’m not one to preach piracy, but if it will expose you to the show then pirate away and download a few episodes - you’ll be hooked (like your pirate namesake!).