I do my weekly DVR Purges, but let's be frank: they are crap. I don't proofread them at all most weeks. They're collections of scattered thoughts that barely even make sense a week later. What I've decided to do is, with most of these shows I watch taking a break, reflect on where I stand with them, assessing what is in the show's favor (assets) and what could get it in trouble (liabilities).
Now, not every show I watch will be included. In general, I'm sticking to shows that I've kept notes (be them from Purges or otherwise) as I've watched. That means, shows like The Bridge, Looking, Sherlock, and Dexter will not be included. To get my thoughts on those, ask me. This project, supposing I stay on schedule should take all month and I hope it does a good job summing up where these shows stand. In some cases, I'm hoping to convince you to start watching. Other times, it'll be nothing more than a postmortem for a show that's gone.
I hope you enjoy.
NOTE: It figures that the day before I start this Community gets renewed. I already had this in the bag, so I'm going to post it for fun. Maybe I'll come back with an updated one later. I think most of this still applies for now.
Favorite Episode(s): "Cooperative Polygraphy", "Geothermal Escapism"
Assets:
Dan Harmon: As in movies, some shows are star-driven (I'm pretty sure Bill Prady isn't needed to make Big Bang Theory work), and some are creator-driven. Never has this been more clear about a show than Community's fourth season, which wasn't bad, but was very different in tone. To be fair, it wasn't just that Dan Harmon left. Chris McKenna, probably the best writer on the show left too, as did a lot of others. The new showrunners were brought in from outside the ranks of the Community staff at the time. It makes sense that tone was off. Regardless, season five welcomed Harmon back as showrunner after being fired only a year before. While Community showed its age, it worked much better as a whole with Harmon running things again. To reiterate, it is his show. As much as I love the cast, season four proved that their likability wasn't what held the show together. I'm not sure anyone else could've given us a premiere like "Repilot" that actually worked or a defiant "I dare you to cancel us" like "Basic Sandwich" as well as all the weird episodes in between. It was good to have him back.
Who's Left: Even with Donald Glover and Chevy Chase gone, I'd still argue that Community's is one of the strongest casts on TV, if not as dynamic as before those departures. Everyone has settled into their characters by now and the fifth season was as much a celebration of hanging out with them as anything. Joel McHale as Jeff is less the 'lead' than he is the character with the most screen time. Dani Pudi is a force, but I'll get to that in a moment. Gillian Jacobs as Britta has fully embraced the sad puppy that she is. Alison Brie is still uptight but owns it now, like when she challenges Jeff to be a good teacher in "Introduction to Teaching". Shirley regressed personally some with her family leaving her and the sandwich shop business falling apart. She still got a lot to do to get the group to take her seriously. Then there's the addition of Jonathan Banks as Professor Hickey, filling in the Pierce role while changing it enough to make it his own. The Dean and Chang remained regulars but didn't get shoehorned into plots they weren't needed in. The biggest treat this season was the amount of Duncan (John Oliver). His tag at the end of "Analysis of Cork-Based Networking" where hr stumbles onto a secret military phone line is the hardest I laughed all season. What I'm trying to say is that even when it felt like they were working with a skeleton crew, I loved this cast.
Dani Pudi: My biggest worry with Troy's departure was the effects it would have on Abed. While Donald Glover and Dani Pudi have had great moments in the past individually ("Mixology Certification" is one of my favorite episodes of the series, for example), Troy and Abed have been probably the strongest comedic duo on TV for the last half a decade. I mean, what would Norm be without Cliff? What would Dot Com be without Griz? Some characters just work better together. As it turns out, the writers went out of their way to make sure Pudi was as good as ever. The season starts with his epic Nic Cage breakdown in "Introduction to Teaching". He got to do great dramatic things in Troy's farewell episode. There's his dark exchange with Hickey in "Bondage and Beta Male Sexuality". Later in the season he got to work with Brie Larson and, frankly, Brie Larson + anyone is going to be a fun duo to watch. It was a strong as hell season for him and I'd argue, his most deserving year for Emmy consideration (as if such a thing will ever happen).
Liabilities:
Experiments: I know, right? I'm going after the thing that made the show famous? This is why I call these 'liabilities' and not 'problems'. I love a good dystopian story about phone apps or Waterworld spoof as much as anyone. I also like when the ambition is a little smaller too. I'd say that "Introduction to Teaching" is the only "normal" Community episode this season and it did feel uneven as a result. I don't know if Dan Harmon was more focused on getting all these big ideas out while he could in case of cancellation than keeping balance, but after everything was thrown out of whack last season, it'd've been nice to get some more episodes with character focus over concept focus. Granted, even something like "Geothermal Escapism" fit a nice goodbye in for Troy amidst the fun, so I'm probably looking into this too much.
Who Left: Donald Glover leaving mid-season hurt. He was my favorite character and I'd argue the most dynamic performer on the show. He can work with anyone and tweak any line to make it funnier than it started. Chevy Chase, despite his punchline status, had value to the show, even if it was to be the lighting rod for all bad feelings: the character that allowed the rest of the gang to be a cohesive unit. By the end of the season, you felt their absence. Jonathan Banks filled Chevy's role to some extent although he always felt like a replacement, not another member of the group. More Duncan helped and Chang had a little more significance than before. It can't be a coincidence that nearly every week after Troy left featured a heavy does of guest stars including showrunners Vince Gilligan (Breaking Bad) and Mitch Hurwitz (Arrested Development), season four favorite, Brie Larson, guys like David Cross, who I'm not sure how it took them this long to show up here, and Nathan Fillion, who was completely wasted. If a sixth season does happen, this will become increasingly hard to work around.
Cancellation?: I still don't know what to think of "Basic Sandwich". The season two ending "For a Few Paintballs More" would've ended the series on an experimental high note. Season three's "Introduction to Finality" was the most perfect ending the show could ask for. "Advanced Introduction to Finality" left with as much of a whimper as the rest of season four. I don't know how I feel about "Basic Sandwich". There is a ballsy acceptance to how everything is left completely in limbo. Everything is technically tied up, but instead of a buzzer to signify that time's up, it plays more like a pick up game where everyone is out of breath, the sun is almost gone, and everyone decides they might as well stop. Based on the love the cast has for the show and the cult devotion of the fans, I fully expect a sixth season [and a movie] in a way similar to Arrested Development: it won't happen next year but I have to believe it will happen. As is, I think I'm underwhelmed with where it is stopping. [Note: I sure called that wrong]
Outlook:
Community is gone...probably...I think...for now...right? NBC cancelled it and no one wants to pick it up yet. The fans are so devoted, I'm waiting to see how long before someone begins a Kickstarter campaign (btw, please don't. A TV season is way more expensive than a single Veronica Mars movie and I'd rather see the show done right if it's done again). The fact is, five seasons is an incredible run for a show this poorly rated, ignored by the Emmys, and run by such an abrasive showrunner. If it would've gotten a proper season four, I wouldn't've wanted it to go any longer than that. Seeing how hard it was to keep the cast and how much more enamored Dan Harmon was with doing experimental episodes than the traditional ones to offer some contrast, I'm ok with it ending here...for now. Not every show gets a farewell order of episodes like 30 Rock and Parks & Recreation and it's doubtful Dan Harmon would ever use the episodes like that anyway. I await the day when I see The Study Group reunited. If it never happens, there's still 97 episodes (let that sink in for a minute) of one of my favorite comedies to watch, rewatch, and watch again.
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