Emotions have been running high lately on NBC's best Thursday comedies. Saying goodbye to beloved characters can have that effect. Last week, Community sent Abed's playmate Troy (Donald Glover) off to sail the world with LeVar Burton, but not before staging one last epic stunt that turned Greendale into Lava World. This week, the focus shifts to a more grounded yet fictional Indiana — where, incidentally, there is an actual Greendale (I grew up there) — as Pawnee prepares a going-away bash for Chris Traeger (Rob Lowe) and Ann Perkins (Rashida Jones) on Parks and Recreation that may not be as surreal as Community's but compensates with a reservoir of genuine emotion and character-rich moments.
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Fox enjoyed eight seasons of great success with House, a high-concept medical procedural about an incorrigible, deeply flawed medical genius. I'm not sure I could make it through eight episodes (I've seen two so far) of Louse — also known as Rake (Thursday, 9/8c) — which must have been pitched to Fox, via the series' Australian roots, as "House in a courtroom," a high-concept legal dramedy about an incorrigible, deeply flawed law maverick.
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When news of Pierce's (Chevy Chase) death jarringly interrupted the search for the A--crack Bandit, many fans felt his passing wasn't treated with the respect it deserved. This week, "Cooperative Polygraphy" proves Pierce's death wasn't simply a footnote in Community history when the arrival of his executor Mr. Stone (Walton Goggins) demonstrates the continuing influence Pierce has on the Study Group.
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Fans of Community are understandably wary about the fifth season, given the fairly hollow simulacra that aired last spring. But with the return of creator Dan Harmon, the show has regained the sense of deliberate chaos and freewheeling playfulness that originally earned it such a devoted (and vocal) fan base.
For Harmon's unprecedented return, you can thank none other than Joel McHale, who played a crucial role in NBC bringing back the controversial showrunner. Comparing Harmon to Vince Gilligan (Breaking Bad) and Mitch Hurwitz (Arrested Development), both of whom are guest-starring this season, McHale preached the benefits of letting a series be dictated by a singular vision. "There was some really good stuff last year, but it did not....
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NBC couldn't kill Community, even if it tried — and it definitely tried. But lengthy hiatuses and unusual scheduling (including Thanksgiving and Christmas episodes airing last spring) wouldn't destroy it. A controversial decision to replace creator Dan Harmon as showrunner last season couldn't slay it. Even all that Twitter chatter about "six seasons and a movie" didn't jinx it.
"Community is like a Twinkie," says Yvette Nicole Brown, who plays Shirley, perhaps the sweetest of the community-college study-group members who form the show's heart. "The shelf life of this show has defied odds."
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