Me being a worrywart about the future of Community, but still, you know, I'm game for #sixseasonsandamovie if it can happen joyfully

BLOT: (22 May 2012 - 09:41:39 AM)

Me being a worrywart about the future of Community, but still, you know, I'm game for #sixseasonsandamovie if it can happen joyfully

I realize that when I store up episodes of shows like Community via my Amazon account (where I purchase episodes directly of essentially all of the first-run shows that I watch including Mythbusters and Dirty Jobs and Justified) then I am doubly part of the problem when said show needs a bit of a ratings boost, but without cable—nor even broadcast TV since I do not have a de-scrambler—and with a busy schedule sometimes watching two or three weeks worth in a two-hour marathon just makes sense. At any rate, sat down and finished the last four eps of the third season with Sarah this past weekend, and I enjoyed them. A lot. The therapy episode made for a nice "missing season" clip show. The heist episode mostly petered out by the end but had some fabulous moments. The videogame episode felt like it should have shown up earlier in the season for a number of reasons, but will likely be a fan favorite and was brilliant, and the final episode brought so many storylines to a perfect close that had it been the last ever episode of the show it would have been one of the best series finales I have seen.

Except it won't be the final ep. There will be at least thirteen more as a fourth season. Which is good. Yay. Except I'm a worrywart. Boo. This is why I am worried:

• Dan Harmon, the showrunner, is gone [and like the writer of that piece, I assume most of the show's energy has dribbled directly down from him].
• Dino Stamatopoulos, writer and "Star-Burns", is gone.
• Several other producers, directors, and/or writers have left.
• Timeslot is gone from Thursday, moved to Friday.
• Half-season is obviously going to be something like a "can it survive?" test, and stands the chance of becoming a perpetual unknown and/or the death-knell for the show. Both have worrisome qualities.
• While I am not a huge fan of Pierce, any sort of tension brought about by Chevy Chase's complaints cannot help.
• Speaking of Pierce, he and Britta have definitely taken a few lumps since the first season. Pierce got turned into a complete asshole in the second season and that hasn't felt resolved—just forgotten as they switched over to "Senile Man"—while Britta has only had a few highlights, lately. Since her "maybe" relationship with Jeff was the emotional core of the first season, it leaves the show with a desperate need to re-keel itself. Jeff/Annie tension is better, I think, but was maybe more fun when it was kind of weird and occasional.
• The playing up [pun intended] of Troy and Abed's complicated relationship has been funny, but it was better when all characters are given a chance to shine. The final couple of eps balanced this better than the rest of 3rd season—Abed finally got back some of his "meta, not psychopathic" vibe and even the Evil Abed arc was played with joy—but it will take a lot of effort to keep that up [note to new showrunners: it will be worth the effort].

Even with these worries, there are good things for the to looking forward:

• I assume nearly all of the cast is game and energetic to return. Jim Rash and Joel McHale could be given a two hour special to just riff off one another.
• The new time-slot might help them to go a bit gonzo.
• The video-game episode and the Law & Order episode show that quite a bit of experimentation and fun is still in the show's DNA [though with Harmon being gone, who knows?, *crosses fingers*]. It's just a matter of looking back at what worked and understanding how to keep it fresh.
• The tighter schedule means more of the episodes have to be on point, presumably they only get about 6-eps per semester.
• And, hey, Karen Gillan is a fan and says she would do an Inspector Spacetime bit... Dear new showrunners, if you are going to jump any sharks, I have a suggestion.

I will definitely be there. And I'm looking forward to it. Just, you know, it might be rough.

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OTHER BLOTS THIS MONTH: May 2012