Schedules be damned! We're covering our favorite comedy, Community, every week until NBC puts it back on the air.
Developing a relationship with a TV show is a lot like developing a romantic relationship, except it's much cheaper (cable company monopoly pricing aside). Sometimes you hit it off right away, declare your love immediately, and elope to Vegas with a Michael Jackson-impersonating blackjack dealer as your witness. Sometimes you end up in a Meg Ryan romantic comedy, and you hate each other at first but realize later that opposites attract.
Given that Community was recently voted Best Overall Series of 2011 by TV.com readers, I know I'm not alone in scribbling "Mr. Tim Community" inside a heart on my notepad. For me, Community is one of those shows that took a bit of time to get to know before really understanding its brilliance. The show's early episodes didn't give us much indication of the Easter-egg-laden internet sensation it would become as it found its legs. Heck, before the first half of Season 1 was over, I actually had eyes for another then-new comedy: ABC's Modern Family. But there's one moment I fondly remember as the moment that Community began to separate itself from the rest of the pack. It was an innocent exchange between Jeff and Troy in Episode 6, "Football, Feminism, and You."
The timing! The Troy! The "That's Racist!"es! So. Funny.
And it was only a week later that Community and I went to third base with the show's first Halloween episode, "Introduction to Statistics." Annie in a skin-tight skeleton outfit dancing around the drug-fueled mind of Pierce's Beastmaster! Abed dressed as Batman rescuing Jeff and Pierce from a crumbling furniture fort! Annie in a skin-tight skeleton suit! That was the episode that made me realize Community was awesome, and that I was in love.
When did you realize YOU loved Community? Or, if you're not as infatuated as we are, what turns you off about the show?
Follow TV.com writer Tim Surette on Twitter: @TimAtTVDotCom
Comments (175)
I enjoyed community from season one, the halloween & modern warefare was great but I am a very cautious viewer thinking that meh, it may go down hill from here...Loved season 2 even better. What made it my top priority to watch is after the Cooperative Calligraphy episode where Annie lost her fav pen! Its best, when its just the gang doing their thing...like dungeons & dragons or remedial chaos theory etc
I can't pinpoint one exact moment. I was drawn from the get-go. But what makes the show for me in my opinion is the relationship between Troy and Abed. Those two together (let alone individually) are hilarious. But the one episode that really left me with my jaw dropped was the paintball ep. The entire time I was thinking in the back of my head "this isn't happening!" It was just so different and unique and I think those two adjectives describe the show as a whole.
Who could ignore Jeff and Pierce's amazing Spanish presentation?
Funny that I JUST started watching this show in light of Chuck ending. I realized that I loved it after the third or fourth episode and that was reaffirmed after that very episode in which that "racist" part happened! I already bought the seasons on iTunes and now I impatiently await its return.
Paintball modern warfare episode fell in love
Physical education: Abed's vampire impression......nuff said
for me it was after the Halloween episode
After episode 2 or 3, can't remember right now exactly.
This is tough, even though i really liked Community in the first half of its season 1, the bit that made it truley brilliant for me was in the romance one, where annie starts dating Vaughn and that scene with them all around the table just looking at each other and basically thinking 'would i?' Pure brilliance :P
At the end of the pilot when Abed thinks he's deaf sealed the deal for me.
I only recently started watching Community. But I LOVE it!! I can't pin point an exact moment but I was definitely hooked after the first disc. I watched the first two seasons in a week. They had better bring it back soon.
For me after the spanish rap. that sold it to me as far as creativelity. great show it takes chances and the usually payoff.
I've been rewatching season 1 and for me it was the Halloween episode that you mentioned. It was kinda the first real meta-community-thing episode they did.
Troy's sneeze and the fallout from that.
I think Abed's Breakfast Club speech in the pilot did it for me...
I got into the show early on and saw most of the episodes... but I STILL have to give mad props to "Modern Warfare." They went so off the rails with that episode that I really started to appreciate how far they were willing to go.
I've only watched the pilot a few years ago...but maybe I'll now continue watching because everyone keeps recommending this show!
I was the same. I watched the pilot last year.
I love the show from the beginning, but the first paintball episode just took it over the top. Everything about that episode was just perfect.
I actually started watching the show by looking up clips which I guess is a weird way. My brother had shown me a few once and I'd been really intrigued and thought the show was something I'd never seen before so I eventually looked a few up and found the show was actually reeeaaaally different but really good to what I thought it was. I asked my Mum for the first two seasons and yeah... I only started watching the show a few months ago...
Abed's film Six Candles, not sure which episode its in, possibly "Introduction to Film". I was so surprised by the film because all episode it was played up as being zany Abed weirdness and when we got to see it it was really touching an honestly quite un-nerving, it made me feel sorry for Abed and see him as he truly is; misunderstood. That was the most powerful moment of the series for me and the first time I saw it was special and was going to deliver some fantastic moments and it did.
Funniest episode for me probably the second 2 paintball episodes they did.
Funniest moment, almost definitely Chang's batsh*t insane film Noir monologue's in the S03E03 "Competitive Ecology". I was left amazed at the hilarious nonsense the writers had written for Change, it was genius.moreless
Everyone, rewatch that first episode. It's brilliant. The moment I fell in love also took place on the football field, this time between Jeff and Professor Duncan:
Duncan: I'm a professor, you can't talk to me that way!
Jeff: A 6 year old girl could talk to you that way!
Duncan: Yes, because that would be adorable.
Jeff: No because you're a 5 year old girl and there's a pecking order.
I cried laughing and during the pilot! That's rare. (I put a link to a sound clip, couldn't find video.)
http://www.hark.com/clips/plzzvhqqmj-youre-a-5-year-old-girl-and-theres-a-peking-order
I honestly don't remember a time when I wasn't in love with this show. If I had to pin-point a moment though, it would probably be this. Yes, the first episode.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iE8meUf0qCM
First episode I watched was Introduction to Film. The Cool Abed bit had me laughing so hard. I only started watching because of this episode and the fact it aired before the Inbetweeners in Australia. I caught some other eps like Home Economics, The one with Somewhere Out There, and thought it was worth watching. But it was the paintball episode that cemented it's spot in my brain.
And of course, Introduction to Film.
Haha, fell in love with it during the Biblioteca rap tag.
Troy and Abed in the morning!
I think it was the raps that did it for me. La Biblioteca got me and Community to friend level.
But I started falling in love in the same episode as Tim did. It was Troy and Annie's old highschool shamefully outdated fight rap that got me. "Hip Hop / Body don't stop / At the side got the broom / Don't need a mop / Put your teammate in a box / Put a ribbon on top / We're not John Kerry cause we don't flip flop!"
Fell completely 7 episodes later. I was questioning whether they could come back from the hiatus and bam! Chang breaks out his own rap, "I am Senor CHANG! And I'm so ill! This is a warning I can't be killed!"
Awesome.
Love at first sight, which almost never happens when it comes to tv-shows (Rome being another exception). If Community gets cancelled the lobotomized general public is to blame..
As soon as i saw the La Biblioteca Rap outro (second episode of first season i believe),
Then i really knew it was my kinda show.
Tthe outro's alone are better then 90% of the comedies out there.
After having seen around 4-6 episodes and somewhat gotten to know the characters i feel deeply in love with this series and have since watched each episode at least 5 times, i cant stop and since it seems to get better and better with every episode i would actually cry if i never got to see more of what happens at the best bloody college in the world.
I watched the pilot last week, and have since devoured all of season one and half of season two!
paintball episode
Roleplaying game episode!
The first episode I saw, was the STD episode for some reason and i liked it as much one can like a show he knows nothing about. But Annies insistance to be uncomfortable with the word penis was pretty funny I thought and then she had a line like:"Stupid thumb in a turtleneck". Which i found was hilarious. After that i really relly liked Community and knew it was brilliant show, but it wasn't before Advanced Dungeons and Dragons i fell in love with it.
for me, it was "debate 109"
Definitely the bottle episode for me!!!
Probably the same episode as you, the first halloween episode, Peirce getting all stoned and building that fort of chairs and desks around him was freakin' hilarious: "What the Pink Floyd!".
That's easy: the second i started watching.
I discovered Community by accident through this website a few years back, when i was checking if Chuck had been cancelled. It may have been Tim who had stated that this was his new favourite show, so i thought i'd give it a go. I'm now so hooked on this show that i am typing whilst drinking tea from my 'Troy & Abed in the morning' mug the wife got me for valentines day! Cannot pinpoint the moment i fell in love with the show, but i truly believe that Modern Warfare is the best episode of television ever. I use it to convert non-believers to the ways of Greendale with great success. Thanks Tim.
I realised that I loved Community when I watched the paintball episode..classic!
"I thought you said you got your degree from Columbia?"
"Well, Now I need to get one from America."
Well I have been reading from tv.com that you guys basically want to have the Communitys babies, so umm the day before yesterday (I guess) I decided to download the 1st season. And I have finished it by now. I fell in love with it during the scene where they had the discipline court thingy in the pool. I experienced some major LOLs watching that.
When I first saw that exchanged between Jeff and Troy, I rewound it over and over again and I still believe that it is the most awesome thing I've ever seen! And I also fell in love with the show after watching the Halloween episode of season 1
It's fun, but still no parks and rec
I agree.
thank God it isn't Parks and Rec
For me it wasn't love at first sight...it took a couple of episodes to get to know the characters...but I think what got me hooked was Seor Chang's first appearance...
Troy is my favorite character though. My absolute favorite scene was "Prepare to meet the power of imagination".... i am laughing just thinking about it now...
Community is absolutely my favorite comedy series of all time...
i always loved it but the paintball episodes were what made me know it was for life
When did I ever stop?!?!