# Community (TV series)
**Community** is an American television sitcom created by [Dan Harmon](https://www.edgepedia.org/dan-harmon) that follows a misfit study group at the fictional Greendale Community College, airing for 110 episodes across six seasons on NBC from 2009 to 2014 and on Yahoo Screen in 2015[1](https://www.peacocktv.com/blog/community-movie-confirmed-at-peacock). The show's concept is intentionally mundane: after questions arise about whether his law degree is valid, attorney Jeff Winger has to go back to college, where he ends up at the head of a group made up of other students at the community college.[2](https://www.sonypictures.com/tv/community) What made the show distinctive was its use of that stable ensemble to deconstruct the sitcom format itself, staging entire episodes as homages to other genres and styles[3](https://faculty.etsu.edu/odonnell/readings/community_tv_review.pdf).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Run | Six seasons, 110 episodes; NBC 2009–2014, Yahoo Screen 2015[1](https://www.peacocktv.com/blog/community-movie-confirmed-at-peacock) |
| Creator | Dan Harmon, loosely based on his own experience as a community college student in his 30s[4](https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/news/mix/whoe28099s-streaming-now/whoe28099s-streaming-now) |
| Core cast | Joel McHale, Donald Glover, Alison Brie, Danny Pudi, Gillian Jacobs, Yvette Nicole Brown, Chevy Chase, Jim Rash, and Ken Jeong[5](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/features/community-movie-netflix-tv-series-cast-b2614804.html) |
| Signature device | Whole episodes staged as genre homages: paintball action films, mafia movies, bottle episodes, documentaries, and stop-motion animation[3](https://faculty.etsu.edu/odonnell/readings/community_tv_review.pdf) • [6](https://manyangles.news/screen/community) |
| Behind-the-scenes turmoil | Harmon fired after season 3 and rehired for season 5; NBC canceled the show after five seasons[3](https://faculty.etsu.edu/odonnell/readings/community_tv_review.pdf) • [7](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/la-et-st-dan-harmon-community-creator-20150317-story.html) |
| Fan rallying cry | "Six seasons and a movie," a line from the series that became a fan movement and, in 2022, an actual Peacock movie order[1](https://www.peacocktv.com/blog/community-movie-confirmed-at-peacock) |
| Reception pattern | Generally low ratings paired with critical acclaim and a lasting cult following[8](https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2012/03/30/community-colleges-pop-tv-film-and-new-novels) |
## Premise and origin
The show centers on seven students in a study group at Greendale, a fictional second-rate community college[8](https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2012/03/30/community-colleges-pop-tv-film-and-new-novels). Harmon has said the idea came directly from his own life: as a community college student in his 30s, he balked at joining a study group in the school library, then realized mid-session that he genuinely cared whether the strangers around him passed their biology test. He filed the experience away for a future pitch meeting[4](https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/news/mix/whoe28099s-streaming-now/whoe28099s-streaming-now).
In creating the characters, Harmon drew on his own contact list, stopping at names that gave him an "emotional jolt." Britta ([Gillian Jacobs](https://www.edgepedia.org/gillian-jacobs)) was, in his words, an amalgam of the bad women he had loved; Abed ([Danny Pudi](https://www.edgepedia.org/danny-pudi)) was based on a friend of the same name who had "one foot in and one foot out"; and Jeff Winger ([Joel McHale](https://www.edgepedia.org/joel-mchale)) combined Harmon's best friend Jeff with the parts of himself that measured success by material approval[4](https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/news/mix/whoe28099s-streaming-now/whoe28099s-streaming-now). Ken Jeong was cast as Spanish professor Ben Chang after Harmon saw Judd Apatow's viral *Knocked Up* outtakes featuring him; Jeong signed for at least five episodes, then became a series regular after *The Hangover* raised his profile[5](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/features/community-movie-netflix-tv-series-cast-b2614804.html).
## Genre pastiche and formal experiment
The show's signature was staging entire episodes as exercises in a particular style or genre. The season 2 finale was built around a paintball fight shot like one of [Sergio Leone](https://www.edgepedia.org/sergio-leone)'s spaghetti westerns; other episodes riffed on more obscure material, including a parody of the talky 1981 drama *My Dinner With Andre*, in which Abed tells Jeff that he prefers the term "homage" to "spoof"[3](https://faculty.etsu.edu/odonnell/readings/community_tv_review.pdf). The season 3 episode "Documentary Filmmaking: Redux," in which Dean Pelton ([Jim Rash](https://www.edgepedia.org/jim-rash)) is driven to madness directing a Greendale commercial, was based on *Hearts of Darkness*, the behind-the-scenes documentary about [Francis Ford Coppola](https://www.edgepedia.org/francis-ford-coppola)'s troubles making *Apocalypse Now*[3](https://faculty.etsu.edu/odonnell/readings/community_tv_review.pdf).
Scholarly writing has cataloged the range: episodes modeled on bottle episodes, police procedurals, clip shows, post-apocalyptic films, 1980s teen dramas, courtroom dramas, Christmas specials, conspiracy thrillers, essay-films, and gangster movies[9](https://academic.oup.com/screen/article/65/1/160/7632061). The first-season episode "Contemporary American Poultry" imitates Martin Scorsese's *Goodfellas* through a storyline in which the study group installs one of its own as the campus canteen's fry-cook to guarantee an unlimited supply of chicken fingers[9](https://academic.oup.com/screen/article/65/1/160/7632061). Further formal experiments included a stop-motion animated installment, a parody in documentary style, a story that traced six possible timelines stemming from one roll of the dice, and a bottle episode that stayed entirely within a single room.[6](https://manyangles.news/screen/community)
Placing the meta-commentary inside a character mattered to how it worked. Abed, a character for whom narrative conventions are a functional framework for understanding people, let the show be self-referential without being smug, and gave the device an emotional basis[6](https://manyangles.news/screen/community). One academic account argues the show is both a work of fandom and a work about fandom, advocating for popular culture as a tool for interpreting and navigating life[10](https://ojs.meccsa.org.uk/index.php/netknow/article/view/272).
## Production turmoil and cancellation
The show's run was turbulent. Harmon was fired by NBC after the third season; the fourth season faced vociferous criticism, and he was brought back for the fifth[3](https://faculty.etsu.edu/odonnell/readings/community_tv_review.pdf). Fans stuck with the comedy through that loss and rehiring, a near-move to Hulu, and then the actual move to Yahoo[4](https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/news/mix/whoe28099s-streaming-now/whoe28099s-streaming-now). [Chevy Chase](https://www.edgepedia.org/chevy-chase), who played Pierce Hawthorne, was fired after season 4 when it came to light that he had allegedly used the N-word on set, after a public feud with Harmon throughout filming[11](https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/dan-harmon-reveals-why-chevy-chase-wont-be-in-community-movie/).
Ratings were never stellar. Harmon described the show's Thursday 8 pm slot against *The Big Bang Theory* as, in his words, a slot in which NBC watched viewership decline year after year, and the network canceled the series in 2014 after five seasons[7](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/la-et-st-dan-harmon-community-creator-20150317-story.html). Yahoo stepped in for a sixth season, which debuted in March 2015 with the finale airing June 2[4](https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/news/mix/whoe28099s-streaming-now/whoe28099s-streaming-now). The move to streaming brought one practical change: episode length rose from the previous 22 minutes to a new average of 27[4](https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/news/mix/whoe28099s-streaming-now/whoe28099s-streaming-now).
By season 6 the cast had thinned. [Donald Glover](https://www.edgepedia.org/donald-glover) had left, [Yvette Nicole Brown](https://www.edgepedia.org/yvette-nicole-brown) would soon follow, and [John Oliver](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-oliver) had moved to HBO; new additions Keith David and Paget Brewster joined as the show's premise shifted past the study group's graduation[12](https://time.com/3744573/review-community-season-6-yahoo/).
## Legacy and the long-awaited movie
The show's audience was niche during its original airing, but it developed a cult following afterward, aided by its arrival on Netflix in 2020[13](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/television/tv-rewind-community-of-meta-humour-that-has-aged-well-7205867/lite/). Its influence extended to its own alumni: regular directors Anthony and Joe Russo brought the show's playful wit to the *Avengers* blockbusters they went on to oversee, and Harmon co-created the animated hit *Rick and Morty* for Adult Swim[3](https://faculty.etsu.edu/odonnell/readings/community_tv_review.pdf).
The phrase "six seasons and a movie," originally a cheeky line from the show's early seasons, ignited a passionate fan movement, and in October 2022 Peacock officially greenlit a *Community* movie, ordering the full series library as well. Original stars Joel McHale, Danny Pudi, Alison Brie, Gillian Jacobs, Jim Rash, and [Ken Jeong](https://www.edgepedia.org/ken-jeong) were set to reunite, with Harmon and executive producer Andrew Guest attached[1](https://www.peacocktv.com/blog/community-movie-confirmed-at-peacock). Harmon has said Chevy Chase will not be part of it[11](https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/dan-harmon-reveals-why-chevy-chase-wont-be-in-community-movie/).
Filming has repeatedly slipped. Co-writer Andrew Guest said in early 2026 that the movie had gotten "very close" to filming before one star's schedule caused a delay, with the team unwilling to shoot without full participation[14](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/comedy-movies/community-movie-got-very-close-to-filming-but-one-stars-schedule-caused-a-delay-we-dont-want-to-do-an-arrested-development-netflix-season-situation/). Harmon later attributed the delays chiefly to budget, saying the actors are not paid enough to devote a large block of their calendars and describing scheduling as a whack-a-mole problem, while pledging to announce publicly if the film is ever canceled[15](https://www.aol.com/articles/dan-harmon-encouraging-community-movie-191033000.html). As of the cast's October 2026 New York Comic-Con reunion, the movie had yet to film, though the cast continued to promise it was on the way[16](https://www.tvinsider.com/1296402/community-reunion-movie-update-nycc-2026-exclusive-interview-joel-mchale-danny-pudi-ken-jeong-jim-rash/). The series itself now streams on Peacock[2](https://www.sonypictures.com/tv/community).
## References
1. [Yep, We're Officially Getting a 'Community' Movie, Peacock](https://www.peacocktv.com/blog/community-movie-confirmed-at-peacock)
2. [Community, Sony Pictures Entertainment](https://www.sonypictures.com/tv/community)
3. [Comfort Viewing: 3 Reasons I Love 'Community', Calum Marsh, The New York Times (2021)](https://faculty.etsu.edu/odonnell/readings/community_tv_review.pdf)
4. [Who's Streaming Now, Television Academy (2015)](https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/news/mix/whoe28099s-streaming-now/whoe28099s-streaming-now)
5. ['We were around each other more than our family': An oral history of Community, The Independent (2024)](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/features/community-movie-netflix-tv-series-cast-b2614804.html)
6. [Community (2009–2015) Explained — Why It Matters & Where to Watch, Many Angles](https://manyangles.news/screen/community)
7. [Q&A: It's one big 'Community' for creator Dan Harmon on Yahoo, Los Angeles Times (2015)](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/la-et-st-dan-harmon-community-creator-20150317-story.html)
8. [Community colleges pop up on TV, in film and in new novels, Inside Higher Ed (2012)](https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2012/03/30/community-colleges-pop-tv-film-and-new-novels)
9. [Genre pastiche and Community, Screen, Oxford Academic](https://academic.oup.com/screen/article/65/1/160/7632061)
10. [Repackaging Popular Culture: Commentary and Critique in Community, Networking Knowledge](https://ojs.meccsa.org.uk/index.php/netknow/article/view/272)
11. [Dan Harmon Reveals Why Chevy Chase Won't Be in 'Community' Movie, The Daily Beast](https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/dan-harmon-reveals-why-chevy-chase-wont-be-in-community-movie/)
12. [Review: Community Comes to Yahoo, the Same But Different, Time (2015)](https://time.com/3744573/review-community-season-6-yahoo/)
13. [TV Rewind | Community: Meta humour that has aged well, The Indian Express](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/television/tv-rewind-community-of-meta-humour-that-has-aged-well-7205867/lite/)
14. [Community movie got "very close" to filming, but one star's schedule caused a delay, GamesRadar (2026)](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/comedy-movies/community-movie-got-very-close-to-filming-but-one-stars-schedule-caused-a-delay-we-dont-want-to-do-an-arrested-development-netflix-season-situation/)
15. [Dan Harmon Has An Encouraging Community Movie Update, AOL (2026)](https://www.aol.com/articles/dan-harmon-encouraging-community-movie-191033000.html)
16. ['Community' Reunion: The Cast Gives Movie Update at NYCC 2026, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/1296402/community-reunion-movie-update-nycc-2026-exclusive-interview-joel-mchale-danny-pudi-ken-jeong-jim-rash/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Scripted television and comedy series › Sitcom and comedy series › American sitcoms and comedy series › 2000s network sitcoms*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license