(S01E01) In a rather touching tribute to John Hughes, tonight's premiere of Community honored the director in the best way possible. By creating a great ensemble of individuals coming together to form a ... yes, that's the meaning of the title ... community.
I expected to like this show. Hell, the promos and early reviews made it a foregone conclusion. What I wasn't sure of was whether I'd like it because it had funny lines and jokes, or whether I'd like it because I cared about the people in it. It looks like the answer to that is going to be both.
The study group that Jeff accidentally pulls together to try and get into Britta's pants -- because why else would you form one -- is made up of just the kind of eclectic personalities you need to make a comedy like this work. Like Cheers, these are people from all different walks of life coming together.
The formula is so simple it's beautiful. The reason The Breakfast Club worked is because as different as those kids were on the surface, they were all people underneath it all. The same goes for Jeff's study group. Yes, the set-up for the series was a bit trite: he got caught in his lie, was ostracized, learned an important lesson toward becoming a better person, and everyone got together and hugged it out. Sort of.
With the set-up out of the way, we can start getting to know the players a bit better. And I'm really looking forward to getting to episodes beyond the scenes we've all seen ad nauseam while the NBC promotional machine jammed this down our eye throats. I want to get to know these characters better.
So far, Abed is standing out as the funniest of the group. I don't know if he has Asperger's Syndrome, but he's different. The funniest moment of the night came when everyone was mouthing to one another behind Jeff's back and in a moment of panic, Abed shouted out, concerned that he'd suddenly gone deaf.
We've barely scratched the surface of what this show is going to be about. We've yet to see anyone in class; they haven't even introduced Ken Jeong's character yet. All we've seen is the first study group session that surprisingly brought them all together as a team to face this challenge together. Now, I'm looking forward to their journey.
(Find clips, behind-the-scenes interviews and more over on SlashControl's Community page!)
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
9-18-2009 @ 3:26AM
steve rogowskey said...
I hate to do this, but I knew this day would come, I came up with the same basic idea for this type of show a few years ago and even filmed a web series pilot. It definitely has its similarities, what do you guys think ? Mines only 8 minutes, watch it if you have the time.
www.thewalkofshame.tv
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9-18-2009 @ 9:49AM
R-Bro said...
Surprisingly good show! Everything clicked except the overly long, kind of ridiculous "we're all people" speech near the end. Note to producers: make Jon Oliver a regular! (Or give him his own show.)
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9-18-2009 @ 10:42AM
Wii60 said...
I was pleasantly surprised by this one. Especially the characters, this ensemble will work out very well.
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9-18-2009 @ 11:29AM
Mirriam Webster said...
I'm sorry, but the amount of typos in this post make it unreadable. You consider yourself a writer, seriously?
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9-18-2009 @ 11:48AM
Elf said...
First off, was the black woman in the group the same actress in the Fiber One yogurt commercials with Kathryn Joosten? She looks familiar...
Anyway, it was a very good start. I think Jeff's attitude may have been just a bit too cocky, but I think that will get toned down over time, along with who knows what other minor tweaks they'll make. Jeff's ability to talk himself out of any situation tiptoed the line of incredulousless.
I like that there are no real idiots in the group. Sure, some may be smarter than others but there's not a token idiot. They just all have their own quirks and shortcomings to work through. Just as I'm sure all the characters will eventually get their 'spotlight' episode to give us more insight and background.
Certainly more John Oliver is warranted as others have mentioned, though I think The Daily Show is the best showcase for his talents. His stand-up special was also supremely inspired.
I have another question: If Jeff can't work as a lawyer until his degree is complete, how is he supporting himself?
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9-18-2009 @ 12:50PM
Adam said...
She's the same woman in almost every commercial ever!
9-18-2009 @ 1:16PM
Just the Facts said...
Must See TV is back. It was great spending the evening just laughing at one funny sit-com after another.
I've been pretty fed up with NBC lately, but this line up gave me some hope.
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9-18-2009 @ 12:27PM
David said...
I guess I'm in the minority here, but I turned it off at the second commercial break. I found it neither funny nor charming. I had high hopes, and this show didn't come close to living up to them. I found the lead character completely unlikeable.
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9-18-2009 @ 12:40PM
btarlinian said...
I think the point of the show is that he's supposed to become more likable. Maybe I'm too optimistic, but community college is a second chance at life for all of these people, including the lead character.
9-18-2009 @ 1:15PM
Rico said...
I'm in the minority with you, David. You are not alone. I got about half way through and gave up. I think I gave one chuckle and that was the joke about getting his degree from Columbia, and now he's going to get one from America.
Hopefully, when it comes back, 30 Rock will be back-to-back with The Office so I don't have to be subjected to either this or the gawd awful Parks & Recreation.
9-18-2009 @ 1:05PM
ac said...
The commercials sold me. And what we got was exactly what we saw in the ads. Literally, I mean the ads for this show added together give you the whole pilot. That's my only gripe so far. I'm tuning in for more.
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9-18-2009 @ 1:54PM
izikavazo said...
I thought this show was hilarious. I am definitely sticking around for the rest of the season and forcing my friends to.
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9-18-2009 @ 1:54PM
horsenbuggy said...
I liked it well enough. I agree that the "am I deaf" scene was the best laugh of the show. I actually thought that was one of the best laughs I've had in a while - it felt original.
However, watching this show made me really lament the demise of Ted Dansen's "Help Me Help You." I was probably the only one watching that show, but I thought it was hilarious. I would love to have seen what NBC would have done with it instead of ABC.
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9-18-2009 @ 3:47PM
hotdogjack said...
Hey, steve rogowskey, no one gives a damn about your stupid webisode you made with your mom's camcorder.
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9-18-2009 @ 4:02PM
hotdogjack said...
Hey, steve rogowskey, no one gives a damn about your stupid webisode you made with your mom's camcorder.
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9-18-2009 @ 4:50PM
Rico said...
Did you watch it? It's actually very good.
Well done, Steve.
9-19-2009 @ 3:04AM
CC said...
I tuned in after seeing promos because it reminded me a bit of The Office. It's pretty funny - I also thought the best scene was when Abed thought he was deaf. Also - the text message that the professor sent to Jeff (I don't remember what it was exactly).
I think Jeff's ability to talk himself out of any situation is probably because he is/was a lawyer - and their whole job is to be able to win an argument.
Sure, he's arrogant but it's funny because he doesn't (as least, not yet) get what he wants.
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9-19-2009 @ 3:36PM
Community NBC said...
We at Community NBC loved the pilot!
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9-24-2009 @ 8:09AM
Alex said...
When Abdel just randomly started saying the breakfast club line i lost it. Absolutely hilarious pilot!
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9-20-2009 @ 12:41AM
been there done that said...
Not bad, not great. Promising. Interesting cast, especially the motormouth guy and the blonde; she was The Hot Girl without being The Obnoxious Hot Girl.
Speaking of obnoxious.. I have never seen Joel McHale onscreen when he was not repellent. He's not funny, not interesting, not appealing.. why is he even there? Yeah and his character is a creep. So are they going to have A Very Special Episode in which he sees the error of his ways? yuck
Chevy is great but enough already with the too-clumsy-hands bits.. Really, incapable of putting a hot dog into a bun? There was too much of that particular shtick on SNL in '75 and it's still not funny 35 years later..
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