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I won't be watching.

This is probably worse news than if the show had just been canceled.

I'm with you - I won't be able to watch and get any enjoyment out of it even when there are decent episodes because I'll be thinking about how much better it could have been. And these episodes, much like anything post-Season 10 of The Simpsons (and that's being generous) will be considered just as much Community episodes as the others, and that just waters down the incredible quality that this show had to offer.

Hopefully NBC reconsiders and just axes the show somehow. I won't be able to look at Chevy Chase this season without wanting to kick him in the shins.

I'll probably watch, but out of the same sense of masochism that allowed me to watch the last season of Scrubs. Truth be told, I always thought three seasons to be the perfect length for any series.

No.

In all honesty, Harmon might have pushed the show to some great, weird places, but his petulant trainwreck personality seemed to drag it down just as often. And I think that troublesome and at times unprofessional manner (VanDerWerff at the AVClub noted the trouble with deadlines and sloppiness Harmon described in his season 2 recap) is what led to Harmon's downfall, at least more than any Chase-or-Harmon dilemma on Sony's part. Given the unevenness of this season, I'm not sure a 4th would have been any better with Harmon behind the wheel. I feel like he was particularly involved in the show's persistent march toward sentiment and awkward pathos (completing those little circle charts and all), which was always a bit irksome to me. It could work depending on the character, (like Troy in Mixology and this recent string and sometimes Abed) but it almost always rung annoyingly false with the abrasive ones like Pierce and Jeff, who became rather boring this season (Criss Angel impersonations aside).

So maybe a fourth season will lose some of that at times misplaced ambition and settle down into a fairly fun hangout series in Greendale that doesn't strain itself every episode to have its characters come full circle, only to repeat it all next week. Would that be so bad? (Well it might if that involved more Chang.) Maybe it would have happened anyway, given that most series settle into a comfortable rhythm by the fourth season? I like the show, but its' formula is not perfect, and meta-annoyance at all Jeff's speeches doesn't count as actually fixing the problem. Harmon did some great things, but I'm not sure if he could be detached enough to change some of the continual problems on the show. Granted, I don't know if these new guys can either, but I'm willing to give a fresh approach a chance.

On another, partially related note: this season really didn't use its guest stars well, did it? Goodman was wasted outside of his early monologue, and likewise Williams until the L&O ep and Esposito in the game episode (which I did enjoy, perhaps due to spending many a night trading video game controllers back and forth with friends and watching each other fail).

It's like a real-life version of the Subway episode.

Murdoch wrote:I'll probably watch, but out of the same sense of masochism that allowed me to watch the last season of Scrubs. Truth be told, I always thought three seasons to be the perfect length for any series.

Indeed. The syndication system and unwillingness of broadcasters and talent to take respites between seasons leads to American shows lasting many, many years past their prime.

Season Three DVDs on August 14th, and yes, Dan Harmon's on several commentary tracks

Some of Amazon's episode synopses are hilarious (and entirely accurate, if I recall):

Annie has second thoughts about moving in with Troy and Abed once she realizes that they expect her to live in a blanket fort.

When Britta falls for the human embodiment of the Subway sandwich chain, Shirley and Pierce hope to use the situation to their advantage.

The students of Greendale are drawn into an epic pillow fight as Troy and Abed start a war that threatens to destroy their unique friendship.

When the yam the study group was growing for biology class is killed, Troy and Abed are on the case.

I miss this show so much.

Now you too can jump around (maybe on hippies). Someone made a playable version of the Hawthorne game. Can't do much besides jump or change costumes (tab), but who doesn't want to make Britta squirrel jump on hippies? Er...

Wow.

Next season starts on October 19th.

I wish I were ignorant to the auteurship behind this show and could get excited about that

mfunk9786 wrote:I wish I were ignorant to the auteurship behind this show and could get excited about that

I'm willing to give it a shot considering they hired some of the folks involved with producing Happy Endings (reading that after posting it - that sentence is rife with potential jokes from Pierce Hawthorne).

The series is riding high

Gimme a break

Malcom McDowell and Matt Lucas have been added to the cast for season 4. Malcom McDowell will have a recurring role as a new History professor at Greendale.

James Brolin is Jeff's dad, if anyone cares (No one cares)

It should be noted that the fine people on the Community finale thread on the AV Club (including me, and other souls not represented on this forum) are so close to reaching 100,000 comments. Wish them luck.

And we just made it! Huzzah!

Looks like you'll have to wait a while for the show's return.

The network's official statement sounds like something straight out of 30 Rock.