They're actually getting six seasons!
June 30, 2014 3:10 PM Subscribe
NBC's cult sitcom Community has been uncancelled and will have a sixth season on Yahoo Screen. Previously. The main cast are all scheduled to return, as well as showrunner Dan Harmon.
Oh, goodie! Because if there's one company that doesn't ruin everything that was once good, it's Yahoo.
posted by Sys Rq at 3:14 PM on June 30, 2014 [55 favorites]
posted by Sys Rq at 3:14 PM on June 30, 2014 [55 favorites]
I'm looking forward to jokes about them being on, like, the sixth or seventh most popular video streaming site.
posted by Small Dollar at 3:16 PM on June 30, 2014 [4 favorites]
posted by Small Dollar at 3:16 PM on June 30, 2014 [4 favorites]
I think I speak for everyone when I say "What the hell is Yahoo Screen?"
posted by Strange Interlude at 3:16 PM on June 30, 2014 [83 favorites]
posted by Strange Interlude at 3:16 PM on June 30, 2014 [83 favorites]
Good. Good.
posted by Drinky Die at 3:16 PM on June 30, 2014
posted by Drinky Die at 3:16 PM on June 30, 2014
And what the hell is Yahoo Screen?
posted by Drinky Die at 3:16 PM on June 30, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by Drinky Die at 3:16 PM on June 30, 2014 [2 favorites]
Before I allow the joy to enter my heart, is Yahoo Screen free or a subscription service?
posted by MoxieProxy at 3:17 PM on June 30, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by MoxieProxy at 3:17 PM on June 30, 2014 [1 favorite]
And what the hell is Yahoo Screen?
That is exactly why they want something like Community.
posted by OwlBoy at 3:18 PM on June 30, 2014 [18 favorites]
That is exactly why they want something like Community.
posted by OwlBoy at 3:18 PM on June 30, 2014 [18 favorites]
Whatever it is, I'm sure there will be rips available to torrent.
posted by Sys Rq at 3:18 PM on June 30, 2014 [3 favorites]
posted by Sys Rq at 3:18 PM on June 30, 2014 [3 favorites]
If you were listening closely, you could actually hear Netflix dropping the ball.
posted by eyeballkid at 3:18 PM on June 30, 2014 [17 favorites]
posted by eyeballkid at 3:18 PM on June 30, 2014 [17 favorites]
And what the hell is Yahoo Screen?
That is exactly why they want something like Community.
A show that was cancelled because hardly anyone watched it? I'm not sure it's the solid plan they think it is.
posted by Sys Rq at 3:20 PM on June 30, 2014 [6 favorites]
That is exactly why they want something like Community.
A show that was cancelled because hardly anyone watched it? I'm not sure it's the solid plan they think it is.
posted by Sys Rq at 3:20 PM on June 30, 2014 [6 favorites]
And what the hell is Yahoo Screen?
That is exactly why they want something like Community.
Honestly it doesn't look like they are making a serious effort to compete with Netflix or Amazon Prime yet. The content just isn't there, so maybe you are right and Community can get them started. The interface is kind of thrown together, but videos do load quickly and with high quality. If they get the content and put together a more professional interface, they could do something with it.
posted by Drinky Die at 3:20 PM on June 30, 2014
That is exactly why they want something like Community.
Honestly it doesn't look like they are making a serious effort to compete with Netflix or Amazon Prime yet. The content just isn't there, so maybe you are right and Community can get them started. The interface is kind of thrown together, but videos do load quickly and with high quality. If they get the content and put together a more professional interface, they could do something with it.
posted by Drinky Die at 3:20 PM on June 30, 2014
Cmd+F "John Oliver" no results :-/
posted by Brainy at 3:21 PM on June 30, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by Brainy at 3:21 PM on June 30, 2014 [2 favorites]
Well, they have a Roku channel at least. I was getting worried there for a second.
posted by Strange Interlude at 3:23 PM on June 30, 2014 [3 favorites]
posted by Strange Interlude at 3:23 PM on June 30, 2014 [3 favorites]
Dan Harmon tweeted, somewhat elliptically, "It's been so long since I've seen the young maiden. My love is stronger than my fear of death. #SixSeasonsAndAMovie"
Saddle up!
posted by Doktor Zed at 3:23 PM on June 30, 2014 [4 favorites]
Saddle up!
posted by Doktor Zed at 3:23 PM on June 30, 2014 [4 favorites]
Yahoo Screen is a free service.
posted by Small Dollar at 3:24 PM on June 30, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by Small Dollar at 3:24 PM on June 30, 2014 [1 favorite]
And what the hell is Yahoo Screen?
Where you go to watch Community, now.
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 3:25 PM on June 30, 2014 [33 favorites]
Where you go to watch Community, now.
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 3:25 PM on June 30, 2014 [33 favorites]
Yahoo Screen was the one who originally produced Burning Love, which was legitimately good stuff.
And since Community already has an infrastructure, it's really just a question of providing financing. Community was always a DVR/Internet show, that's why it did poorly in the ratings, so this is a perfectly good place for it to go.
posted by Lyn Never at 3:26 PM on June 30, 2014 [6 favorites]
And since Community already has an infrastructure, it's really just a question of providing financing. Community was always a DVR/Internet show, that's why it did poorly in the ratings, so this is a perfectly good place for it to go.
posted by Lyn Never at 3:26 PM on June 30, 2014 [6 favorites]
A show that was cancelled because hardly anyone watched it? I'm not sure it's the solid plan they think it is.
People watched it. They just didn't watch it live on TV and fill in diaries to prove it. On streaming services most of these more intellectual comedies get much, much higher ratings.
posted by Talez at 3:26 PM on June 30, 2014 [7 favorites]
People watched it. They just didn't watch it live on TV and fill in diaries to prove it. On streaming services most of these more intellectual comedies get much, much higher ratings.
posted by Talez at 3:26 PM on June 30, 2014 [7 favorites]
You know, I went through the n stages of grief. I achieved closure. I started re-watching my favorite episodes on my bus ride home.
This is a little like grandma rising from the grave and sitting down for Christmas dinner 3 weeks after her funeral.
posted by signal at 3:27 PM on June 30, 2014 [16 favorites]
This is a little like grandma rising from the grave and sitting down for Christmas dinner 3 weeks after her funeral.
posted by signal at 3:27 PM on June 30, 2014 [16 favorites]
At this rate, the movie's going to be released via Tugg.
posted by Etrigan at 3:28 PM on June 30, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by Etrigan at 3:28 PM on June 30, 2014 [2 favorites]
Someday a network's gonna find Community's phylactery.
posted by The Gaffer at 3:29 PM on June 30, 2014 [14 favorites]
posted by The Gaffer at 3:29 PM on June 30, 2014 [14 favorites]
Cool. Cool. Cool.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 3:30 PM on June 30, 2014 [7 favorites]
posted by DirtyOldTown at 3:30 PM on June 30, 2014 [7 favorites]
I think I speak for everyone when I say "What the hell is Yahoo Screen?"
I read it as "Yahoo Scream".
posted by mazola at 3:33 PM on June 30, 2014 [2 favorites]
I read it as "Yahoo Scream".
posted by mazola at 3:33 PM on June 30, 2014 [2 favorites]
Yahoo Screen does not care if people watched community - they care if people talked on the internet about community, which they did in crazy fannish numbers (and so might talk about yahoo screen - which i had also never heard of until now).
Personally, I have no idea whether this will work at all but I am so happy about more community and also I get to start pushing #12seasonsandaporno as our new hashtag
posted by Another Fine Product From The Nonsense Factory at 3:36 PM on June 30, 2014 [12 favorites]
Personally, I have no idea whether this will work at all but I am so happy about more community and also I get to start pushing #12seasonsandaporno as our new hashtag
posted by Another Fine Product From The Nonsense Factory at 3:36 PM on June 30, 2014 [12 favorites]
Hmm! Could be interesting. I assume we are probably talking about a much smaller budget, but really, for all my love of their grand apocalypses, some of the best Community work has been done in a single room. The discipline might even be fruitful.
Season 5 was a considerable recovery over 4 and even large parts of 3, and even half-assed Community was better than 95 percent of television.
posted by tavella at 3:38 PM on June 30, 2014 [3 favorites]
Season 5 was a considerable recovery over 4 and even large parts of 3, and even half-assed Community was better than 95 percent of television.
posted by tavella at 3:38 PM on June 30, 2014 [3 favorites]
But will Yahoo Screen get an Apple TV app?
Already has one it looks like.
And I just found out that my TV can play it too
Something I didn't know until today.
Which I'm sure is exactly what Yahoo wanted me to do.
posted by MCMikeNamara at 3:39 PM on June 30, 2014 [11 favorites]
Already has one it looks like.
And I just found out that my TV can play it too
Something I didn't know until today.
Which I'm sure is exactly what Yahoo wanted me to do.
posted by MCMikeNamara at 3:39 PM on June 30, 2014 [11 favorites]
In my book Yahoo Screen just went from unknown to streets ahead!
posted by I_Zimbra at 3:40 PM on June 30, 2014 [36 favorites]
posted by I_Zimbra at 3:40 PM on June 30, 2014 [36 favorites]
But will Yahoo Screen get an Apple TV app?
I just checked. It's already there. Just go to Settings and select "show".
posted by sourwookie at 3:40 PM on June 30, 2014
I just checked. It's already there. Just go to Settings and select "show".
posted by sourwookie at 3:40 PM on June 30, 2014
This is good news. I am happy.
posted by FAMOUS MONSTER at 3:41 PM on June 30, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by FAMOUS MONSTER at 3:41 PM on June 30, 2014 [1 favorite]
So now the question is whether Troy Barnes returns, or if the pirates still have him.
posted by jeffkramer at 3:44 PM on June 30, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by jeffkramer at 3:44 PM on June 30, 2014 [1 favorite]
Yahoo Screen is also home to the SNL archive. Not a bad fit, all in all.
posted by silanfa at 3:44 PM on June 30, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by silanfa at 3:44 PM on June 30, 2014 [1 favorite]
Sys Rq, bad ratings for network television are gold-level ratings for streaming. And Community has the kind of fervent fans that are most likely to follow a show to a previous-obscure site.
And it looks like Yahoo Screen is integrated with Chromecast, excellent!
posted by tavella at 3:48 PM on June 30, 2014 [3 favorites]
And it looks like Yahoo Screen is integrated with Chromecast, excellent!
posted by tavella at 3:48 PM on June 30, 2014 [3 favorites]
Cmd+F "John Oliver" no results :-/
Well, The Bugle is on hiatus 'til September, but then that might be about the right timing if he's not all worked out. I hope so, I really missed him in his absence.
posted by opsin at 3:54 PM on June 30, 2014
Well, The Bugle is on hiatus 'til September, but then that might be about the right timing if he's not all worked out. I hope so, I really missed him in his absence.
posted by opsin at 3:54 PM on June 30, 2014
Well, The Bugle is on hiatus 'til September, but then that might be about the right timing if he's not all worked out.
I think the guy's still gonna be pretty busy.
posted by EmGeeJay at 3:57 PM on June 30, 2014 [1 favorite]
I think the guy's still gonna be pretty busy.
posted by EmGeeJay at 3:57 PM on June 30, 2014 [1 favorite]
Yeah, HBO is gonna keep him to themselves and their own streaming service. Or Amazon if anything.
posted by Drinky Die at 4:08 PM on June 30, 2014
posted by Drinky Die at 4:08 PM on June 30, 2014
sometimes you gotta do whatever it takes to get that movie deal
posted by rebent at 4:16 PM on June 30, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by rebent at 4:16 PM on June 30, 2014 [1 favorite]
If you were listening closely, you could actually hear Netflix dropping the ball.
A deal with Netflix was extremely unlikely given that Hulu has streaming rights to the previous seasons locked up. The ball dropped here was really Hulu's. They apparently tried to do a deal but it didn't work out.
posted by sparkletone at 4:17 PM on June 30, 2014 [8 favorites]
A deal with Netflix was extremely unlikely given that Hulu has streaming rights to the previous seasons locked up. The ball dropped here was really Hulu's. They apparently tried to do a deal but it didn't work out.
posted by sparkletone at 4:17 PM on June 30, 2014 [8 favorites]
People watched it. They just didn't watch it live on TV and fill in diaries to prove it.
Incorrect.
They didn't watch it on metered televisions. And they didn't DVR it, either- this would also be tracked.
They also didn't watch it on free, ad-supported services like Hulu.
They only torrented it.
This really is the darkest timeline.
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 4:19 PM on June 30, 2014 [15 favorites]
Incorrect.
They didn't watch it on metered televisions. And they didn't DVR it, either- this would also be tracked.
They also didn't watch it on free, ad-supported services like Hulu.
They only torrented it.
This really is the darkest timeline.
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 4:19 PM on June 30, 2014 [15 favorites]
Also, Crackle was obviously a better fit.
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 4:20 PM on June 30, 2014
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 4:20 PM on June 30, 2014
Yahoo is all about connecting the best creators to the audiences who love their work.
LOL (1990s style) at this, but I'm mildly optimistic about the new season. Community has been hit and miss lately, so there'll probably be some good episodes and some mediocre ones. It's not what it used to be in S.2, but we've known that for a while.
posted by ersatz at 4:26 PM on June 30, 2014
LOL (1990s style) at this, but I'm mildly optimistic about the new season. Community has been hit and miss lately, so there'll probably be some good episodes and some mediocre ones. It's not what it used to be in S.2, but we've known that for a while.
posted by ersatz at 4:26 PM on June 30, 2014
Is Yahoo Screen one of the streaming services that is US only?
I always root for Netflix to get these series over Hulu or whatever else not because I have a great love for Netflix, but because it's pretty much the only service up here in Canada. And even then I have to jump through some hoops to get access to the American stuff.
posted by thecjm at 4:33 PM on June 30, 2014
I always root for Netflix to get these series over Hulu or whatever else not because I have a great love for Netflix, but because it's pretty much the only service up here in Canada. And even then I have to jump through some hoops to get access to the American stuff.
posted by thecjm at 4:33 PM on June 30, 2014
I await the inevitable all fart humour redesign.
posted by srboisvert at 4:35 PM on June 30, 2014
posted by srboisvert at 4:35 PM on June 30, 2014
Oh god now Yahoo is acqui-hiring community college students.
posted by 2bucksplus at 4:37 PM on June 30, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by 2bucksplus at 4:37 PM on June 30, 2014 [1 favorite]
eyeballkid: "If you were listening closely, you could actually hear Netflix dropping the ball."
Netflix is doing their own productions, I don't think that they want NBC's leftovers.
posted by octothorpe at 4:37 PM on June 30, 2014 [3 favorites]
Netflix is doing their own productions, I don't think that they want NBC's leftovers.
posted by octothorpe at 4:37 PM on June 30, 2014 [3 favorites]
Cancel the asteroid.
posted by Jacqueline at 4:39 PM on June 30, 2014 [3 favorites]
posted by Jacqueline at 4:39 PM on June 30, 2014 [3 favorites]
I didn't mean that as a dis on Community, just that Neflix is forging their own thing with stuff like House of Cards, Orange and Daredevil and might not want to be seen as a second tier venue.
posted by octothorpe at 4:56 PM on June 30, 2014 [3 favorites]
posted by octothorpe at 4:56 PM on June 30, 2014 [3 favorites]
Oh god just let it die already
posted by Ndwright at 4:56 PM on June 30, 2014 [6 favorites]
posted by Ndwright at 4:56 PM on June 30, 2014 [6 favorites]
I really wish they would let this go and let us find out about what delightful new things these talented people could bring us.
posted by bleep at 4:56 PM on June 30, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by bleep at 4:56 PM on June 30, 2014 [1 favorite]
I didn't mean that as a dis on Community, just that Neflix is forging their own thing with stuff like House of Cards, Orange and Daredevil and might not want to be seen as a second tier venue.
I'm with octothorpe on this -- it was one thing to have a new season of Arrested Development years later and in an intriguing new format, but taking a series that was cancelled by someone else just last month isn't the image that Netflix wants to project.
posted by Etrigan at 5:02 PM on June 30, 2014 [1 favorite]
I'm with octothorpe on this -- it was one thing to have a new season of Arrested Development years later and in an intriguing new format, but taking a series that was cancelled by someone else just last month isn't the image that Netflix wants to project.
posted by Etrigan at 5:02 PM on June 30, 2014 [1 favorite]
Just think, in an alternate universe it's zombie Firefly that's been dragged out for 6 seasons.
posted by Elementary Penguin at 5:06 PM on June 30, 2014 [14 favorites]
posted by Elementary Penguin at 5:06 PM on June 30, 2014 [14 favorites]
It would be greedy to ask someone to pick up Enlisted, too, I guess.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 5:08 PM on June 30, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by DirtyOldTown at 5:08 PM on June 30, 2014 [2 favorites]
Episode 1:
To save money, Greendale ditches its scheduling system in favor of upcoming.org
Episode 2:
Abed has difficulty uploading a film to Flickr
Episode 3:
The Dean designs a new logo for the college, soliciting help only from his intern (played by Ken Jeong)
Episode 4:
Abed's "Cheers" fan site is deleted from GeoCities
Episode 5:
Shirley opens a new sandwich shop, and is immediately acqui-hired by a competing chain.
Episode 6:
AltaVista is shut down, rendering Pierce incapable of browsing the web.
Episode 7:
Working title: "Advanced Sunset"
posted by schmod at 5:13 PM on June 30, 2014 [31 favorites]
To save money, Greendale ditches its scheduling system in favor of upcoming.org
Episode 2:
Abed has difficulty uploading a film to Flickr
Episode 3:
The Dean designs a new logo for the college, soliciting help only from his intern (played by Ken Jeong)
Episode 4:
Abed's "Cheers" fan site is deleted from GeoCities
Episode 5:
Shirley opens a new sandwich shop, and is immediately acqui-hired by a competing chain.
Episode 6:
AltaVista is shut down, rendering Pierce incapable of browsing the web.
Episode 7:
Working title: "Advanced Sunset"
posted by schmod at 5:13 PM on June 30, 2014 [31 favorites]
In my eyes, Community faded to black after the line "We'll see you all after regionals," and everything afterwards has been a broadcast from an alternate Fringe-style universe.
posted by Yowser at 5:14 PM on June 30, 2014 [4 favorites]
posted by Yowser at 5:14 PM on June 30, 2014 [4 favorites]
Schmidt, don't forget the episode where Greendale outsources half their course delivery to their rival community college, Oogle Technical Comprehensive.
posted by Yowser at 5:18 PM on June 30, 2014
posted by Yowser at 5:18 PM on June 30, 2014
Episode 8:
The campus contends with population overflow as students from the Greendale Online Degree program are forced to return to campus or else forfeit their accumulated credits.
posted by mochapickle at 5:25 PM on June 30, 2014 [3 favorites]
The campus contends with population overflow as students from the Greendale Online Degree program are forced to return to campus or else forfeit their accumulated credits.
posted by mochapickle at 5:25 PM on June 30, 2014 [3 favorites]
I suspect Dan Harmon is self-aware enough to do some sort of riff on The Monkey's Paw.
Last season had some moments, but overall it felt a little dead.
posted by mochapickle at 5:28 PM on June 30, 2014 [1 favorite]
Last season had some moments, but overall it felt a little dead.
posted by mochapickle at 5:28 PM on June 30, 2014 [1 favorite]
They should have just given Gillian Jacobs her own show consisting entirely of Vine videos.
posted by Atom Eyes at 5:31 PM on June 30, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by Atom Eyes at 5:31 PM on June 30, 2014 [1 favorite]
Community was already a shell of its former self, just let it die.
posted by bgal81 at 5:49 PM on June 30, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by bgal81 at 5:49 PM on June 30, 2014 [1 favorite]
I really like the people involved with Community a lot more than I like the show, and I was looking forward to seeing them move on to new projects.
posted by painquale at 5:53 PM on June 30, 2014 [4 favorites]
posted by painquale at 5:53 PM on June 30, 2014 [4 favorites]
Also "[X] is still better than 95% of anything else on television" needs to be banned from the Internet as it's nearly always untrue.
posted by bgal81 at 5:55 PM on June 30, 2014 [3 favorites]
posted by bgal81 at 5:55 PM on June 30, 2014 [3 favorites]
I would have been so happy with three seasons and a movie.
posted by mochapickle at 5:57 PM on June 30, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by mochapickle at 5:57 PM on June 30, 2014 [1 favorite]
Speaking of Gillian Jacobs - in the past month she's been announced for a lead role on a new Apatow series, and a guest run on 'Girls'. Wonder which project(s) get dropped...
posted by skammer at 6:01 PM on June 30, 2014
posted by skammer at 6:01 PM on June 30, 2014
Also "[X] is still better than 95% of anything else on television" needs to be banned from the Internet as it's nearly always untrue.
Except in cases like this where it's self-evident.
posted by signal at 6:05 PM on June 30, 2014 [2 favorites]
Except in cases like this where it's self-evident.
posted by signal at 6:05 PM on June 30, 2014 [2 favorites]
This is a good way for people who care about Community to be able to see it while people who think it would have been better off with a dignified burial can pretend this never happened.
posted by Linda_Holmes at 6:07 PM on June 30, 2014 [6 favorites]
posted by Linda_Holmes at 6:07 PM on June 30, 2014 [6 favorites]
No, I am quite willing to stand behind the better than 95 percent of TV. It's not hard, given how much of TV consists of things like Amish Mafia. In fact, nearly anything I am willing to watch is better than 95 percent of TV. Probably even Lost Girl. So Community is probably closer to 99th percentile.
posted by tavella at 6:13 PM on June 30, 2014 [3 favorites]
posted by tavella at 6:13 PM on June 30, 2014 [3 favorites]
Via Ars Technica:
“I look forward to bringing our beloved NBC sitcom to a larger audience by moving it online," Harmon said in a statement (assumedly joking, since over-the-air and cable viewership numbers still soundly beat streaming views on average). "I vow to dominate our new competition. Rest easy, Big Bang Theory. Look out, Bang Bus!"
posted by Strass at 6:14 PM on June 30, 2014 [2 favorites]
“I look forward to bringing our beloved NBC sitcom to a larger audience by moving it online," Harmon said in a statement (assumedly joking, since over-the-air and cable viewership numbers still soundly beat streaming views on average). "I vow to dominate our new competition. Rest easy, Big Bang Theory. Look out, Bang Bus!"
posted by Strass at 6:14 PM on June 30, 2014 [2 favorites]
yahoo screen is actually sort of a thing in japan. I forget how much yahoo japan is still associated with US yahoo, but they greenlit/aired quite a few shows like time of eve that are actually pretty cool in their own right. I think them suddenly jumping in the ring "A challenger approaches!" arcade game style in the US streaming video service arena is more interesting than them doing it with this show, though.
So now we have:
Netflix
Amazon prime
Hulu plus
Google play
Yahoo
Am i missing any other major ones, fronted by companies with a big warchest of funds to let them burn up for a while? I'm not talking about small, specific type of content only stuff like crunchyroll.
What i'm curious about is, what other "flagship" shows will yahoo bring to the table? As it is there's plenty of netflix/hulu/amazon licensing overlap, but each has a few shows the others don't. The fact that this even needs to exist is kind of ridiculous. But still, i can't deny i'm curious to see what else they show up with.
As it is, for a lot of people they're pretty much that guy who shows up after hours at a house party and somehow has two cases of beer. That's a compelling entrance stunt, but can they they follow it up?
Community was already a shell of its former self, just let it die.
Yea, really. I've been thinking that people are romanticizing something they remember it being rather than what it is ever since the "gas leak year".
Dan Harmon is brilliant. I want to see more new stuff from him like rick and morty. Just let the damn show retire in peace. This is like putting Michael Jordan back in the NBA.
posted by emptythought at 6:16 PM on June 30, 2014 [2 favorites]
So now we have:
Netflix
Amazon prime
Hulu plus
Google play
Yahoo
Am i missing any other major ones, fronted by companies with a big warchest of funds to let them burn up for a while? I'm not talking about small, specific type of content only stuff like crunchyroll.
What i'm curious about is, what other "flagship" shows will yahoo bring to the table? As it is there's plenty of netflix/hulu/amazon licensing overlap, but each has a few shows the others don't. The fact that this even needs to exist is kind of ridiculous. But still, i can't deny i'm curious to see what else they show up with.
As it is, for a lot of people they're pretty much that guy who shows up after hours at a house party and somehow has two cases of beer. That's a compelling entrance stunt, but can they they follow it up?
Community was already a shell of its former self, just let it die.
Yea, really. I've been thinking that people are romanticizing something they remember it being rather than what it is ever since the "gas leak year".
Dan Harmon is brilliant. I want to see more new stuff from him like rick and morty. Just let the damn show retire in peace. This is like putting Michael Jordan back in the NBA.
posted by emptythought at 6:16 PM on June 30, 2014 [2 favorites]
As someone who has been watching reruns of it (KOFY TV), I find it remarkably rewatchable, even substantial portions of the 'gas leak year'. So I am quite interested to see what Harmon comes up with. Could be good, could be bad, but no one is making you watch it if you don't want to, so y'all can chill out.
posted by tavella at 6:24 PM on June 30, 2014 [3 favorites]
posted by tavella at 6:24 PM on June 30, 2014 [3 favorites]
Here's an interview with Sony Pictures Television's president of programming and production about the Yahoo! deal. Apparently, deep in talks with Hulu, Yahoo called and came on really strong and Sony bit.
posted by Small Dollar at 6:38 PM on June 30, 2014 [3 favorites]
posted by Small Dollar at 6:38 PM on June 30, 2014 [3 favorites]
We should probably send a card or something to whoever it was that sacrificed their firstborn child.
posted by gauche at 6:51 PM on June 30, 2014 [5 favorites]
posted by gauche at 6:51 PM on June 30, 2014 [5 favorites]
So now we have:
Netflix
Amazon prime
Hulu plus
Google play
Yahoo
Or torrents. Which is one-stop shopping, so it's got that going for it.
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 6:54 PM on June 30, 2014
Netflix
Amazon prime
Hulu plus
Google play
Yahoo
Or torrents. Which is one-stop shopping, so it's got that going for it.
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 6:54 PM on June 30, 2014
So now we have:
Netflix
Amazon prime
Hulu plus
Google play
Yahoo
ONLY five competitors? Hardly better than the Broadcast TV Networks. I consider any Product Line with less major suppliers than that a quasi-monopoly, whether it's Internet Video or Jams and Jellies. And I tend to avoid the "#1" of anything, just to give #2-100 a fighting chance. (My only exception is Jams & Jellies - I've been eating Smuckers ever since a childhood trip to my uncle's farm, a hop-and-a-skip from the original factory in Orrville, Ohio - that farm smelled pretty sweet - and watched as Ol' Smuck has grown and acquired to dominate everything but Grape (Welch's) in the U.S. and even acquire two peanut butter brands. Now where was I?)
Episode 1:
To save money, Greendale ditches its scheduling system in favor of upcoming.org
...which Yahoo shut down and is now being revived by original founder and MeFi's Own Andy Baio. So I doubt they'll give it product placement unless Harmon does it as an "F-you Yahoo".
You have missed one obvious reason for Yahoo to do this. Community is one of several "cult tv" shows to have a significant presence on Tumblr. Anything to distract from "porny Tumblr" and "angry Tumblr" and "12-year-olds Tumblr" is good for Yahoo's branding. So this may be the first step leading to acquiring Doctor Who from the BBC (and the inevitable revival of and crossover with Inspector Spacetime). Never underestimate the weirdness of a corporate strategy.
posted by oneswellfoop at 7:20 PM on June 30, 2014
Netflix
Amazon prime
Hulu plus
Google play
Yahoo
ONLY five competitors? Hardly better than the Broadcast TV Networks. I consider any Product Line with less major suppliers than that a quasi-monopoly, whether it's Internet Video or Jams and Jellies. And I tend to avoid the "#1" of anything, just to give #2-100 a fighting chance. (My only exception is Jams & Jellies - I've been eating Smuckers ever since a childhood trip to my uncle's farm, a hop-and-a-skip from the original factory in Orrville, Ohio - that farm smelled pretty sweet - and watched as Ol' Smuck has grown and acquired to dominate everything but Grape (Welch's) in the U.S. and even acquire two peanut butter brands. Now where was I?)
Episode 1:
To save money, Greendale ditches its scheduling system in favor of upcoming.org
...which Yahoo shut down and is now being revived by original founder and MeFi's Own Andy Baio. So I doubt they'll give it product placement unless Harmon does it as an "F-you Yahoo".
You have missed one obvious reason for Yahoo to do this. Community is one of several "cult tv" shows to have a significant presence on Tumblr. Anything to distract from "porny Tumblr" and "angry Tumblr" and "12-year-olds Tumblr" is good for Yahoo's branding. So this may be the first step leading to acquiring Doctor Who from the BBC (and the inevitable revival of and crossover with Inspector Spacetime). Never underestimate the weirdness of a corporate strategy.
posted by oneswellfoop at 7:20 PM on June 30, 2014
I'm puzzled by people suggesting Community is played out - I saw the first six eps of Harmon's return season and they were solid to excellent - was there a catastrophic drop in quality towards the end?
posted by Sebmojo at 8:03 PM on June 30, 2014 [4 favorites]
posted by Sebmojo at 8:03 PM on June 30, 2014 [4 favorites]
ONLY five competitors? Hardly better than the Broadcast TV Networks.
In fairness, we're talking about a medium that's only really been viable for, what, five years? Netflix started offering streaming in 2007. Hulu came into being in 2007. Amazon started doing streaming as part of Prime (so for a membership fee, basically) in 2011. Yahoo Screen has been around since 2011--news to me, but good on them, I guess? Google has just started streaming music as a membership fee model; I assume that video isn't far behind.
So basically in seven years, we've gone from no one broadcasting like this to three really solid contenders, one that's a kinda wobbly contender (because if this is the first people are hearing of Stream, that's not really a strong position), and one that will probably enter the ring in the next year or two. Moreover, so far, we're seeing a pleasing amount of competition between these places--everyone's prices are relatively low, especially when compared to other viewing options, and every place has one or two things that differentiates it from the others. (Original programming, or the speed at which new episodes get added, or whatever.)
Which is really pretty remarkable to me. I strongly suspect that we'll see further growth in this sort of--can we call them networks? I'm gonna go with that. The big players have proved that it can be done, and I think that sooner or later, we're going to see smaller, niche companies step up--maybe you pay ten bucks a month, and in exchange, you get streaming to DIY shows, cooking shows, and travel shows, and they have Hannah Hart and Ana White hosting original shows. Maybe a bunch of YouTubers start a streaming network. Shit, maybe YouTube does. I feel like this is a new enough thing that there's still a ton of room for more players, competition, sweaty wrestling matches, blood feuds, and whatever--decrying lack of competition at this point seems a bit premature.
posted by MeghanC at 8:04 PM on June 30, 2014 [1 favorite]
In fairness, we're talking about a medium that's only really been viable for, what, five years? Netflix started offering streaming in 2007. Hulu came into being in 2007. Amazon started doing streaming as part of Prime (so for a membership fee, basically) in 2011. Yahoo Screen has been around since 2011--news to me, but good on them, I guess? Google has just started streaming music as a membership fee model; I assume that video isn't far behind.
So basically in seven years, we've gone from no one broadcasting like this to three really solid contenders, one that's a kinda wobbly contender (because if this is the first people are hearing of Stream, that's not really a strong position), and one that will probably enter the ring in the next year or two. Moreover, so far, we're seeing a pleasing amount of competition between these places--everyone's prices are relatively low, especially when compared to other viewing options, and every place has one or two things that differentiates it from the others. (Original programming, or the speed at which new episodes get added, or whatever.)
Which is really pretty remarkable to me. I strongly suspect that we'll see further growth in this sort of--can we call them networks? I'm gonna go with that. The big players have proved that it can be done, and I think that sooner or later, we're going to see smaller, niche companies step up--maybe you pay ten bucks a month, and in exchange, you get streaming to DIY shows, cooking shows, and travel shows, and they have Hannah Hart and Ana White hosting original shows. Maybe a bunch of YouTubers start a streaming network. Shit, maybe YouTube does. I feel like this is a new enough thing that there's still a ton of room for more players, competition, sweaty wrestling matches, blood feuds, and whatever--decrying lack of competition at this point seems a bit premature.
posted by MeghanC at 8:04 PM on June 30, 2014 [1 favorite]
I saw the first six eps of Harmon's return season and they were solid to excellent - was there a catastrophic drop in quality towards the end?
Personally, I think the quality is okay but we've already seen this story wrapped up Several Times, and I feel like it's overstayed it's welcome now. I want a new story.
posted by bleep at 8:14 PM on June 30, 2014 [3 favorites]
Personally, I think the quality is okay but we've already seen this story wrapped up Several Times, and I feel like it's overstayed it's welcome now. I want a new story.
posted by bleep at 8:14 PM on June 30, 2014 [3 favorites]
I just thought of an idea: the Friday Night Lights. Suddenly Greendale is nuked and the Five have to create a new school from scratch.
posted by jenfullmoon at 8:28 PM on June 30, 2014
posted by jenfullmoon at 8:28 PM on June 30, 2014
AltaVista is shut down, rendering Pierce incapable of browsing the web.
Pierce died man. He's gone.
posted by Bonzai at 8:39 PM on June 30, 2014
Pierce died man. He's gone.
posted by Bonzai at 8:39 PM on June 30, 2014
The end of last season (basically from the ending of GI Jeff on) felt disconcertingly sitcom-y to my wife and me. Couldn't really put our fingers on it but nor could we ignore it.
Still super pumped for this, though.
posted by DoctorFedora at 8:46 PM on June 30, 2014
Still super pumped for this, though.
posted by DoctorFedora at 8:46 PM on June 30, 2014
disconcertingly sitcom-y
It was going for a big meta-thing that fell a bit flat, so if it's any consolation it was SUPPOSED to feel "sitcom-y."
posted by gerryblog at 9:01 PM on June 30, 2014
It was going for a big meta-thing that fell a bit flat, so if it's any consolation it was SUPPOSED to feel "sitcom-y."
posted by gerryblog at 9:01 PM on June 30, 2014
we've gone from no one broadcasting like this to three really solid contenders
To be perfectly honest about this, we need to look at traffic numbers, and there -- it's not even a contest. Netflix is simply the only dominant player.
Amazon, Hulu, and in a very vaguely related sense YouTube (content being radically different), are all obviously well-known sites, but none of them has more than a fraction of the traffic that Netflix does right now. It's going to be a long game of catch-up and the only fight is for #2 bragging rights, but with such a gap, it's with a big asterisk leading to the footnote "such as they are".
(Of course, the really interesting part of this equation, from a non-biz-school view, is actually the types of content that do not conform to the television/movie model -- so YouTube, Twitch, Vine, and all that jazz. They're going to be an increasing wild card in the mix as younger people simply abandon the narrative formats we've been used to.)
Anyway, you can also turn this around and look at the money being thrown at a problem for clues, and Yahoo is clearly throwing money at Community, so that's something. Before this the only thing they really had been known for was grabbing away the SNL back-season rights and for me, that basically meant an end to watching it (I had been looking forward to a full, if lazy, run through and was right near the end of S2 when it all went poof from Netflix.) I'm a little skeptical of how the technical access issues will square with the currently weak mindshare of Yahoo Screen, but if they have a Roku app, and devices like Chromecast continue to proliferate, maybe that will become less of an obstacle.
posted by dhartung at 9:18 PM on June 30, 2014
To be perfectly honest about this, we need to look at traffic numbers, and there -- it's not even a contest. Netflix is simply the only dominant player.
Amazon, Hulu, and in a very vaguely related sense YouTube (content being radically different), are all obviously well-known sites, but none of them has more than a fraction of the traffic that Netflix does right now. It's going to be a long game of catch-up and the only fight is for #2 bragging rights, but with such a gap, it's with a big asterisk leading to the footnote "such as they are".
(Of course, the really interesting part of this equation, from a non-biz-school view, is actually the types of content that do not conform to the television/movie model -- so YouTube, Twitch, Vine, and all that jazz. They're going to be an increasing wild card in the mix as younger people simply abandon the narrative formats we've been used to.)
Anyway, you can also turn this around and look at the money being thrown at a problem for clues, and Yahoo is clearly throwing money at Community, so that's something. Before this the only thing they really had been known for was grabbing away the SNL back-season rights and for me, that basically meant an end to watching it (I had been looking forward to a full, if lazy, run through and was right near the end of S2 when it all went poof from Netflix.) I'm a little skeptical of how the technical access issues will square with the currently weak mindshare of Yahoo Screen, but if they have a Roku app, and devices like Chromecast continue to proliferate, maybe that will become less of an obstacle.
posted by dhartung at 9:18 PM on June 30, 2014
TheWhiteSkull: "They only torrented it."
Which could make this well worth it for a relatively unknown delivery channel if they either brand it such that the branding is subtle and difficult to obscure automatically or they have repeated (even unsubtle) references to the channel in the show. See for example the blatant car advertising embedded within "Bones".
posted by Mitheral at 9:27 PM on June 30, 2014
Which could make this well worth it for a relatively unknown delivery channel if they either brand it such that the branding is subtle and difficult to obscure automatically or they have repeated (even unsubtle) references to the channel in the show. See for example the blatant car advertising embedded within "Bones".
posted by Mitheral at 9:27 PM on June 30, 2014
Before this the only thing they really had been known for was grabbing away the SNL back-season rights and for me, that basically meant an end to watching it (I had been looking forward to a full, if lazy, run through and was right near the end of S2 when it all went poof from Netflix.)
Eureka! I knew there was something off about Netflix lately (more than just the new logo), but I couldn't put my finger on it. Turns out it's a sudden lack of SNL clogging up my recommendations.
posted by Sys Rq at 9:30 PM on June 30, 2014 [2 favorites]
Eureka! I knew there was something off about Netflix lately (more than just the new logo), but I couldn't put my finger on it. Turns out it's a sudden lack of SNL clogging up my recommendations.
posted by Sys Rq at 9:30 PM on June 30, 2014 [2 favorites]
Dan Harmon is brilliant. I want to see more new stuff from him like rick and morty. Just let the damn show retire in peace. This is like putting Michael Jordan back in the NBA.
You probably mean MJ playing for the Wizards rather than returning to the Bulls for a second threepeat. The announced S.2 of Rick and Morty won't suffer from the new Community, right?
I saw the first six eps of Harmon's return season and they were solid to excellent - was there a catastrophic drop in quality towards the end?
I found myself laughing at some point in that same season and I realised it took 6 episodes before I laughed for the first time.
posted by ersatz at 9:39 PM on June 30, 2014
You probably mean MJ playing for the Wizards rather than returning to the Bulls for a second threepeat. The announced S.2 of Rick and Morty won't suffer from the new Community, right?
I saw the first six eps of Harmon's return season and they were solid to excellent - was there a catastrophic drop in quality towards the end?
I found myself laughing at some point in that same season and I realised it took 6 episodes before I laughed for the first time.
posted by ersatz at 9:39 PM on June 30, 2014
If you're listing big-name streaming video services, don't forget Apple's iTunes. And Microsoft has Xbox Video (which is also pre-installed on Windows 8 PCs). Both of them are pay-per-view (like Google Play and Amazon Instant Video) rather than subscription (like Netflix, Hulu Plus, and Amazon Prime Video).
posted by mbrubeck at 10:09 PM on June 30, 2014
posted by mbrubeck at 10:09 PM on June 30, 2014
Came here to mention Burning Love. See someone did upthread. IMO you could do a lot worse than Yahoo Screen.
Burning Love is really funny. Check it out.
posted by hot_monster at 10:32 PM on June 30, 2014
Burning Love is really funny. Check it out.
posted by hot_monster at 10:32 PM on June 30, 2014
I found myself laughing at some point in that same season and I realised it took 6 episodes before I laughed for the first time.
You didn't laugh at the will-reading? That shit was hilarious.
posted by Sebmojo at 2:19 AM on July 1, 2014 [2 favorites]
You didn't laugh at the will-reading? That shit was hilarious.
posted by Sebmojo at 2:19 AM on July 1, 2014 [2 favorites]
If you're listing big-name streaming video services, don't forget Apple's iTunes. And Microsoft has Xbox Video (which is also pre-installed on Windows 8 PCs). Both of them are pay-per-view (like Google Play and Amazon Instant Video) rather than subscription (like Netflix, Hulu Plus, and Amazon Prime Video).
Amazon instant isn't entirely payperview, nor is google play(although it's murky what of the streaming is just them selling movies for $1.99 on youtube and such).
I left out iTunes because they're essentially the redbox of digital content. They're huge, don't get me wrong, but they're playing an entirely different game. It's like comparing airlines to car rental companies or something. They could overnight start doing some serious damage in this ring if they introduced the video equivalent of iTunes radio... but no one besides them knows when that's coming(and i don't really believe it's an if, but a when)
Xbox video is huge in the same way that bing is. It's the preloaded start page on a lot of devices. it's just sort of there. No one really actively seeks it out, even if it has decent use numbers.
While i'm thinking on it though, jesus christ, yahoo screen is a terrible name. whoever came up with that should be fired and laughed at all the way down the stairs.
posted by emptythought at 3:34 AM on July 1, 2014
Amazon instant isn't entirely payperview, nor is google play(although it's murky what of the streaming is just them selling movies for $1.99 on youtube and such).
I left out iTunes because they're essentially the redbox of digital content. They're huge, don't get me wrong, but they're playing an entirely different game. It's like comparing airlines to car rental companies or something. They could overnight start doing some serious damage in this ring if they introduced the video equivalent of iTunes radio... but no one besides them knows when that's coming(and i don't really believe it's an if, but a when)
Xbox video is huge in the same way that bing is. It's the preloaded start page on a lot of devices. it's just sort of there. No one really actively seeks it out, even if it has decent use numbers.
While i'm thinking on it though, jesus christ, yahoo screen is a terrible name. whoever came up with that should be fired and laughed at all the way down the stairs.
posted by emptythought at 3:34 AM on July 1, 2014
It's almost like they're not Yahoo Serious.
posted by rikschell at 4:37 AM on July 1, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by rikschell at 4:37 AM on July 1, 2014 [1 favorite]
This sounds a lot like a wish made on a monkey's paw.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 4:40 AM on July 1, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by robocop is bleeding at 4:40 AM on July 1, 2014 [1 favorite]
OMG, just let it die already
Not until we get our Community / Rick & Morty crossover episode
posted by Dr-Baa at 6:11 AM on July 1, 2014
Not until we get our Community / Rick & Morty crossover episode
posted by Dr-Baa at 6:11 AM on July 1, 2014
It'd all be worth it for a Rick & Annie episode.
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 6:23 AM on July 1, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 6:23 AM on July 1, 2014 [1 favorite]
Haters gonna hate, but man, this news makes me so very happy. So happy.
And the timing is interesting because Joel McHale was on Fresh Air yesterday, and they talked a fair amount about the possibility of the show being saved. And he mentioned that all of the actors would be in for it, because they're still under contract. Which is interesting because when that interview aired, they were under contract for what, 12 more hours?
posted by jbickers at 7:06 AM on July 1, 2014 [2 favorites]
And the timing is interesting because Joel McHale was on Fresh Air yesterday, and they talked a fair amount about the possibility of the show being saved. And he mentioned that all of the actors would be in for it, because they're still under contract. Which is interesting because when that interview aired, they were under contract for what, 12 more hours?
posted by jbickers at 7:06 AM on July 1, 2014 [2 favorites]
Yahoo Screen was the one who originally produced Burning Love,
Burning Love is really funny.
Burning Love is really great, in case hearing from a third fan helps sway anyone. Go watch it.
posted by solotoro at 8:32 AM on July 1, 2014
Burning Love is really funny.
Burning Love is really great, in case hearing from a third fan helps sway anyone. Go watch it.
posted by solotoro at 8:32 AM on July 1, 2014
I have never seen so much anti-Community vitriol in a Metafilter thread until now. Dang. I suppose I shouldn't call it anti-Community, so much as a surprisingly large number of people who are ready to drop the flags of excessive happy fandom for a show in its worse hour (Harmon hours, mind you) is still significantly more fun and creative than a lot of current shows out there. It's six seasons and a movie, dang it, the prophecy MUST BE FULFILLED.
I, for one, am delighted.
posted by Atreides at 8:49 AM on July 1, 2014 [1 favorite]
I, for one, am delighted.
posted by Atreides at 8:49 AM on July 1, 2014 [1 favorite]
Burning Love is really great, in case hearing from a third fan helps sway anyone. Go watch it.
Burning Love was wonderful! It feels like it takes place in the same universe as The Onion's Sex House. Both were a delightful, head-scratching, hilariously novel uh-hey-wait-what-did-they-just-do experience.
And no, I don't meant to hate on Community. The first three seasons were a joy to watch and the fourth and fifth had their moments. There was just something that happened during the fourth and fifth season: no one seemed like they were having fun anymore. The whole fifth season when Harmon returned had this angry, stubborn texture to it, like the actors were only there because Harmon had a point to prove and they felt like they owed him.
But the thing is, he'd proved his point through his absence in S4. He'd already won. When he returned, he had the air time and the viewers, but he wasted it. No one loves a sore winner.
posted by mochapickle at 9:08 AM on July 1, 2014
Burning Love was wonderful! It feels like it takes place in the same universe as The Onion's Sex House. Both were a delightful, head-scratching, hilariously novel uh-hey-wait-what-did-they-just-do experience.
And no, I don't meant to hate on Community. The first three seasons were a joy to watch and the fourth and fifth had their moments. There was just something that happened during the fourth and fifth season: no one seemed like they were having fun anymore. The whole fifth season when Harmon returned had this angry, stubborn texture to it, like the actors were only there because Harmon had a point to prove and they felt like they owed him.
But the thing is, he'd proved his point through his absence in S4. He'd already won. When he returned, he had the air time and the viewers, but he wasted it. No one loves a sore winner.
posted by mochapickle at 9:08 AM on July 1, 2014
Cooperative Polygraphy? Geothermal Escapism? Bondage and Beta Male Sexuality? Advanced Advanced Dungeons and Dragons? Buzz Hickey? Britta no longer being written as an idiot?
You have a goddamn odd notion of notion of "wasted".
posted by tavella at 9:23 AM on July 1, 2014 [2 favorites]
You have a goddamn odd notion of notion of "wasted".
posted by tavella at 9:23 AM on July 1, 2014 [2 favorites]
Harmon, is that you?
posted by mochapickle at 10:18 AM on July 1, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by mochapickle at 10:18 AM on July 1, 2014 [2 favorites]
Next week's Harmontown should be interesting.
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 10:42 AM on July 1, 2014
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 10:42 AM on July 1, 2014
It's six seasons and a movie, dang it, the prophecy MUST BE FULFILLED.
And lo, Sony Pictures Television President of Programming and Production Zack Van Amburg said unto the Hollywood Reporter: "There's no way we're not making the movie now! I think once we make the movie, let's look up and decide how much more Community the world wants. We promised six seasons and a movie, how much more do you want?!"
Then did the TV Exec Suit laugh and spake, saying: "I'd be lying if I told you that we have not had some very early and preliminary conversations that are very exciting about what a potential movie could be and who might direct it. It's early but it's completely in our thought process."
And there was much rejoicing upon the Tumblrs and the Interwebs.
posted by Doktor Zed at 10:48 AM on July 1, 2014 [3 favorites]
And lo, Sony Pictures Television President of Programming and Production Zack Van Amburg said unto the Hollywood Reporter: "There's no way we're not making the movie now! I think once we make the movie, let's look up and decide how much more Community the world wants. We promised six seasons and a movie, how much more do you want?!"
Then did the TV Exec Suit laugh and spake, saying: "I'd be lying if I told you that we have not had some very early and preliminary conversations that are very exciting about what a potential movie could be and who might direct it. It's early but it's completely in our thought process."
And there was much rejoicing upon the Tumblrs and the Interwebs.
posted by Doktor Zed at 10:48 AM on July 1, 2014 [3 favorites]
The movie should be a movie of The Cape.
posted by Sys Rq at 11:04 AM on July 1, 2014 [5 favorites]
posted by Sys Rq at 11:04 AM on July 1, 2014 [5 favorites]
The movie should be a movie of The Cape.
No. NO. Nuh-uh. Bringing together Community and Summer Glau would, uh, would cause….cause a geek singularity that would devour, uh, much or most of the Internet. /goldblumming
posted by kewb at 11:38 AM on July 1, 2014
No. NO. Nuh-uh. Bringing together Community and Summer Glau would, uh, would cause….cause a geek singularity that would devour, uh, much or most of the Internet. /goldblumming
posted by kewb at 11:38 AM on July 1, 2014
Summer Glau is the new Ted McGinley, patron saint of shark jumping. She's perfect for a show that jumped the shark two and a half seasons in and has been dragging on ever since.
posted by Yowser at 1:38 PM on July 1, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by Yowser at 1:38 PM on July 1, 2014 [1 favorite]
Yeah, I don't understand the meh either. This is such a wonderfully talented group of people, who do fabulous work separately but have done particularly fabulous work together, that I can only be excited at the prospect of more collaborative work from them.
These kinds of situations in creative fields really are like catching lightning in a bottle. In collaborative creative work, the most unpredictable, least controllable, and hugely exciting aspect is the chemistry among those collaborating, how their ideas and skills will bounce off of each others', making a whole much greater than the sum of the parts. (...and now that I think about, that's probably true for all human collaborative work...)
This show has been so great, if inconsistent over its total length, that I find it hard to imagine not being excited at the promise of more. If it all is terrible, well, so it goes, and I'll rewatch the parts I love. If it's up and down, great, I'll keep the cream. And if it's all superb, well, I told you so.
posted by LooseFilter at 2:10 PM on July 1, 2014 [1 favorite]
These kinds of situations in creative fields really are like catching lightning in a bottle. In collaborative creative work, the most unpredictable, least controllable, and hugely exciting aspect is the chemistry among those collaborating, how their ideas and skills will bounce off of each others', making a whole much greater than the sum of the parts. (...and now that I think about, that's probably true for all human collaborative work...)
This show has been so great, if inconsistent over its total length, that I find it hard to imagine not being excited at the promise of more. If it all is terrible, well, so it goes, and I'll rewatch the parts I love. If it's up and down, great, I'll keep the cream. And if it's all superb, well, I told you so.
posted by LooseFilter at 2:10 PM on July 1, 2014 [1 favorite]
I don't understand the vitriol, either. Community is smart and funny and it's pretty much the only show I watch - besides L&O reruns.
I hope they are able to do more without the constraints of required commercial interruptions and and hard and fast 22 minute limit.
posted by Pogo_Fuzzybutt at 2:25 PM on July 1, 2014 [1 favorite]
I hope they are able to do more without the constraints of required commercial interruptions and and hard and fast 22 minute limit.
posted by Pogo_Fuzzybutt at 2:25 PM on July 1, 2014 [1 favorite]
While Community has certainly fallen from the heights of its Seasons 2 and 3 greatness, I'm still really pleased to be getting another season. I wouldn't classify some of the lukewarm to cold response as vitriol per se, but it still surprises me that people are ready to write the show off completely to the point of not wanting any more of it made. A few missteps and a dip in quality aren't enough to make me give up on a show.
I'm excited to see what Harmon has in store, and I'm really hoping he brings Community to a good ending point. I would have been okay with last season's finale as the series finale, but after spending so long with these characters and Greendale, I want an ending that feels more meaningful.
Though I will say, six seasons is about my limit for a show. After six seasons, there's rarely anything left that makes me want to stick around, barring a premise that relies on some sort of renewal or big change (i.e. Doctor Who).
posted by yasaman at 4:40 PM on July 1, 2014 [1 favorite]
I'm excited to see what Harmon has in store, and I'm really hoping he brings Community to a good ending point. I would have been okay with last season's finale as the series finale, but after spending so long with these characters and Greendale, I want an ending that feels more meaningful.
Though I will say, six seasons is about my limit for a show. After six seasons, there's rarely anything left that makes me want to stick around, barring a premise that relies on some sort of renewal or big change (i.e. Doctor Who).
posted by yasaman at 4:40 PM on July 1, 2014 [1 favorite]
This news gets 5 meowmeowbeenz.
posted by spinifex23 at 4:46 PM on July 1, 2014 [6 favorites]
posted by spinifex23 at 4:46 PM on July 1, 2014 [6 favorites]
Hey, is this the thread where we can display our discriminating taste by saying that a cult show that dropped maybe 5% in quality should be "allowed to die", rather than allowing an unique enterprise that a lot of people enjoy and employs creative people to continue?
posted by spaltavian at 8:23 PM on July 1, 2014 [5 favorites]
posted by spaltavian at 8:23 PM on July 1, 2014 [5 favorites]
Some (including, I'd wager, the creative people in question) would prefer those creative people could move on to bigger and/or better things. Not everything needs to be run into the ground like that twenty-foot-deep trench the people at Fox have still somehow got the gall to call The Simpsons.
This is just Sony wringing the last drops of revenue out of their property.
posted by Sys Rq at 9:50 PM on July 1, 2014
This is just Sony wringing the last drops of revenue out of their property.
posted by Sys Rq at 9:50 PM on July 1, 2014
Sys Rq: This is just Sony wringing the last drops of revenue out of their property.
I'm sure that's exactly what it is, rather than, say, being something that there are people out there, including in this thread, actually would want to see.
Actually, Sony is in it for the money, that's pretty undisputed. Doesn't mean there won't be something worth watching at the other end of it.
mochapickle: The whole fifth season when Harmon returned had this angry, stubborn texture to it ... when he returned, he had the air time and the viewers, but he wasted it. No one loves a sore winner.
Guess you had a different opinion of that last season than I did. Actually having enjoyed it and not gotten whatever bitterness you were sensing does not make someone actually Dan Harmon, or even just a shill for the show.
This isn't some Glee, where if it had been cancelled after the first half-year or year it would be regarded as a promising show cut down before its time, but instead limped on in an ever-increasingly dire condition. I very much enjoyed the fifth season, and look forward to what potential there is in the next.
It's OK to not like things but don't be a dick about it.
posted by gadge emeritus at 12:05 AM on July 2, 2014 [2 favorites]
I'm sure that's exactly what it is, rather than, say, being something that there are people out there, including in this thread, actually would want to see.
Actually, Sony is in it for the money, that's pretty undisputed. Doesn't mean there won't be something worth watching at the other end of it.
mochapickle: The whole fifth season when Harmon returned had this angry, stubborn texture to it ... when he returned, he had the air time and the viewers, but he wasted it. No one loves a sore winner.
Guess you had a different opinion of that last season than I did. Actually having enjoyed it and not gotten whatever bitterness you were sensing does not make someone actually Dan Harmon, or even just a shill for the show.
This isn't some Glee, where if it had been cancelled after the first half-year or year it would be regarded as a promising show cut down before its time, but instead limped on in an ever-increasingly dire condition. I very much enjoyed the fifth season, and look forward to what potential there is in the next.
It's OK to not like things but don't be a dick about it.
posted by gadge emeritus at 12:05 AM on July 2, 2014 [2 favorites]
There's no need for personal attacks here -- I'm glad you liked the last seasons, and it looks like we both enjoyed and were invested in the series, though to different points. Heck, I even named my pup after one of the characters because I'd liked the show so much in the beginning. And I'm still glad I did.
But dude, your link was really uncalled for. Relax.
posted by mochapickle at 12:26 AM on July 2, 2014
But dude, your link was really uncalled for. Relax.
posted by mochapickle at 12:26 AM on July 2, 2014
Sys Rq: Some (including, I'd wager, the creative people in question) would prefer those creative people could move on to bigger and/or better things.
Well, I'm definitely against whomever is forcing those creative people to work on a show they don't want to be a part of.
Not everything needs to be run into the ground like that twenty-foot-deep trench the people at Fox have still somehow got the gall to call The Simpsons.
Except nothing is being run into the ground here, and saying that a non-mainstream show that's only at six seasons, several of them half-seasons, should not be given a new lease on life for some weird musing on purity is cooler-than-thou hipsterism of the most annoying sort. Comparing a show that's closing on three decades, and already had it's cultural heyday to a show that's never surfaced makes absolutely no sense.
Calling for Community to end when Harmon was fired made some sense, in that it may no longer represent the creator's vision, but Harmon's back willingly.
This is just Sony wringing the last drops of revenue out of their property.
The show was always about Sony making money. All shows are about making their production companies, studios, networks and ultimately, advertisers, money. Community is also about Harmon and cast and crew making money.
posted by spaltavian at 6:00 AM on July 2, 2014 [1 favorite]
Well, I'm definitely against whomever is forcing those creative people to work on a show they don't want to be a part of.
Not everything needs to be run into the ground like that twenty-foot-deep trench the people at Fox have still somehow got the gall to call The Simpsons.
Except nothing is being run into the ground here, and saying that a non-mainstream show that's only at six seasons, several of them half-seasons, should not be given a new lease on life for some weird musing on purity is cooler-than-thou hipsterism of the most annoying sort. Comparing a show that's closing on three decades, and already had it's cultural heyday to a show that's never surfaced makes absolutely no sense.
Calling for Community to end when Harmon was fired made some sense, in that it may no longer represent the creator's vision, but Harmon's back willingly.
This is just Sony wringing the last drops of revenue out of their property.
The show was always about Sony making money. All shows are about making their production companies, studios, networks and ultimately, advertisers, money. Community is also about Harmon and cast and crew making money.
posted by spaltavian at 6:00 AM on July 2, 2014 [1 favorite]
It's OK to not like things but don't be a dick about it.
You could try applying that to not liking others' opinions.
And, like, the thing is, I DO LIKE IT. As is. I am satisfied with what has been presented. I just don't see any need to go back for seconds.
posted by Sys Rq at 6:45 AM on July 2, 2014 [1 favorite]
You could try applying that to not liking others' opinions.
And, like, the thing is, I DO LIKE IT. As is. I am satisfied with what has been presented. I just don't see any need to go back for seconds.
posted by Sys Rq at 6:45 AM on July 2, 2014 [1 favorite]
That'd be more impressive if you weren't claiming that the creatives agreed with you and were being forced into more by evil Sony. Or mochapickle's assertion that the entire last season was awful and wasted. Or ersatz's belief that there wasn't a single laugh to be had in the entire first six episodes of the last season. That kind of hipster competition to announce just how over it you are and how you are far too cool to be into it now tends to make people roll their eyes.
Community always was kind of up and down; it didn't hit its stride until well into first season, and even the 2nd season, probably the most consistent, could disappear up its own ass sometimes, especially when focusing on Abed. But it was usually interesting even in its flawed state, and I figure a new environment and new freedoms and limitations may make for some fun and innovative episodes. And if not, well, glad there was the opportunity.
posted by tavella at 7:06 AM on July 2, 2014 [1 favorite]
Community always was kind of up and down; it didn't hit its stride until well into first season, and even the 2nd season, probably the most consistent, could disappear up its own ass sometimes, especially when focusing on Abed. But it was usually interesting even in its flawed state, and I figure a new environment and new freedoms and limitations may make for some fun and innovative episodes. And if not, well, glad there was the opportunity.
posted by tavella at 7:06 AM on July 2, 2014 [1 favorite]
That kind of hipster competition to announce just how over it you are and how you are far too cool to be into it now tends to make people roll their eyes.
Rest assured we are all rolling our eyes even harder at being repeatedly referred to as "hipsters" for merely expressing opinions you don't agree with.
Except nothing is being run into the ground here, and saying that a non-mainstream show that's only at six seasons, several of them half-seasons, should not be given a new lease on life for some weird musing on purity is cooler-than-thou hipsterism of the most annoying sort.
The suggestion that a prime time network sitcom is "non-mainstream" is so laughably, desperately that-thing-you're-accusing-others-of that, frankly, I might have to consult an ophthalmologist to have my eyes un-rolled.
posted by Sys Rq at 7:40 AM on July 2, 2014 [2 favorites]
Rest assured we are all rolling our eyes even harder at being repeatedly referred to as "hipsters" for merely expressing opinions you don't agree with.
Except nothing is being run into the ground here, and saying that a non-mainstream show that's only at six seasons, several of them half-seasons, should not be given a new lease on life for some weird musing on purity is cooler-than-thou hipsterism of the most annoying sort.
The suggestion that a prime time network sitcom is "non-mainstream" is so laughably, desperately that-thing-you're-accusing-others-of that, frankly, I might have to consult an ophthalmologist to have my eyes un-rolled.
posted by Sys Rq at 7:40 AM on July 2, 2014 [2 favorites]
I never said the entire last season was wasted. I never said it was awful. I even said there were some moments I truly enjoyed. For example, Troy's departure episode was particularly funny and touching.
My point was that Harmon had an opportunity to bring back the show to what it had been or even make it even more sublime, but in my opinion (because really, all we have are opinions and this is all subjective) the season overall fell short of the promise it had. Some agree. Some don't. And that's cool. I genuinely think Harmon and the cast are fantastically talented, and I'm eager to see what they can bring to other projects. Community is not the only available vehicle for these talents.
Weirdly enough, this is a thread on Community, a show about random people coming together despite their differences. Mefi is also a community of random people coming together and there's some genuinely, surprisingly mean and reactionary behavior in this thread. It's unnecessary. Especially here, since it's all subjective and everyone in this thread is a Community fan to some degree. How does namecalling invite discourse? How does that foster community?
posted by mochapickle at 9:01 AM on July 2, 2014 [2 favorites]
My point was that Harmon had an opportunity to bring back the show to what it had been or even make it even more sublime, but in my opinion (because really, all we have are opinions and this is all subjective) the season overall fell short of the promise it had. Some agree. Some don't. And that's cool. I genuinely think Harmon and the cast are fantastically talented, and I'm eager to see what they can bring to other projects. Community is not the only available vehicle for these talents.
Weirdly enough, this is a thread on Community, a show about random people coming together despite their differences. Mefi is also a community of random people coming together and there's some genuinely, surprisingly mean and reactionary behavior in this thread. It's unnecessary. Especially here, since it's all subjective and everyone in this thread is a Community fan to some degree. How does namecalling invite discourse? How does that foster community?
posted by mochapickle at 9:01 AM on July 2, 2014 [2 favorites]
And oh man, I'm not a hipster. Really, if we ever happen to meet in person you would just laugh and laugh at how dorky I am.
There's zero social or intellectual stake or status in saying I didn't necessarily grok with a television show's specific season, storyline, or thrust.
posted by mochapickle at 9:10 AM on July 2, 2014
There's zero social or intellectual stake or status in saying I didn't necessarily grok with a television show's specific season, storyline, or thrust.
posted by mochapickle at 9:10 AM on July 2, 2014
Sorry mochapickle, this behavior has totally earned you one meowmeowbeenz.
posted by Atreides at 12:19 PM on July 2, 2014
posted by Atreides at 12:19 PM on July 2, 2014
/waves cheerfully from the Outlands :)
posted by mochapickle at 12:26 PM on July 2, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by mochapickle at 12:26 PM on July 2, 2014 [1 favorite]
Oh, yes! Here is Annie, aka Annie Edison Oakley Savoy: 1, 2, 3.
posted by mochapickle at 10:30 AM on July 3, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by mochapickle at 10:30 AM on July 3, 2014 [1 favorite]
(She's a shelter mix, but I'm positive she's part Muppet.)
posted by mochapickle at 10:37 AM on July 3, 2014
posted by mochapickle at 10:37 AM on July 3, 2014
I genuinely think Harmon and the cast are fantastically talented, and I'm eager to see what they can bring to other projects. Community is not the only available vehicle for these talents.
True, but it seems like the people involved still want to be making Community. In terms of the season falling short, don't forget it was actually a very short season compared to all the other seasons, which may or may not have had something to do with it not feeling more inspired to you. Maybe that's a reason to be concerned about the sixth season having only 13 episodes also, but I'm looking forward to seeing what else they have in mind.
I didn't love every episode of season 5 - in fact I thought the whole two-part finale was kind of bad, and it made me sad to think of that as the series finale - but the good episodes still made it my favorite new show on TV.
Also, that is a fine looking dog.
posted by wondermouse at 1:08 PM on July 3, 2014
True, but it seems like the people involved still want to be making Community. In terms of the season falling short, don't forget it was actually a very short season compared to all the other seasons, which may or may not have had something to do with it not feeling more inspired to you. Maybe that's a reason to be concerned about the sixth season having only 13 episodes also, but I'm looking forward to seeing what else they have in mind.
I didn't love every episode of season 5 - in fact I thought the whole two-part finale was kind of bad, and it made me sad to think of that as the series finale - but the good episodes still made it my favorite new show on TV.
Also, that is a fine looking dog.
posted by wondermouse at 1:08 PM on July 3, 2014
That's a wonderful dog. Henceforth, Annie Edison Oakley Savoy shall be an honorary MeFi Community Dog Rep!
posted by Atreides at 2:16 PM on July 3, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by Atreides at 2:16 PM on July 3, 2014 [1 favorite]
Wondermouse, I think you're on to something. The last two episodes did feel pretty off, and perhaps that soured me unfairly to the rest of the season. (Kind of like how the BSG finale turned a show I'd adored and cheerfully rewatched between new episodes into something I couldn't watch again for ages.)
That's a wonderful dog. Henceforth, Annie Edison Oakley Savoy shall be an honorary MeFi Community Dog Rep!
Aww. She wags her little tail.
posted by mochapickle at 2:56 PM on July 3, 2014
That's a wonderful dog. Henceforth, Annie Edison Oakley Savoy shall be an honorary MeFi Community Dog Rep!
Aww. She wags her little tail.
posted by mochapickle at 2:56 PM on July 3, 2014
Or ersatz's belief that there wasn't a single laugh to be had in the entire first six episodes of the last season. That kind of hipster competition to announce just how over it you are and how you are far too cool to be into it now tends to make people roll their eyes.
You are misreading me. I said that's when I laughed (which is not belief, but fact). That doesn't mean other viewers may not have laughed or, indeed, that a show cannot do other interesting things without making me laugh - if I were over it I wouldn't have kept on watching. Accusations of hipsterism are usually self-defeating anyway.
posted by ersatz at 5:46 PM on July 3, 2014
You are misreading me. I said that's when I laughed (which is not belief, but fact). That doesn't mean other viewers may not have laughed or, indeed, that a show cannot do other interesting things without making me laugh - if I were over it I wouldn't have kept on watching. Accusations of hipsterism are usually self-defeating anyway.
posted by ersatz at 5:46 PM on July 3, 2014
For those interested in the down-to-the-wire behind-the-scenes negotiations, TV Guide goes inside the last-minute scramble to save Community. Intriguingly, while NBC suits were always sending notes to Dan Harmon in an attempt to make his unclassifiable sitcom more mainstream, one Yahoo exec has gone on record to state that the company wants Yahoo Screen to provide "a true creative laboratory for Dan" and "to give him the support and promotion he needs to build on his audience and also expand on his canvas to tell his story". We'll see how things go at Community's annual appearance at San Diego Comic Con later this month...
As for Season 5's ups and downs, Dan Harmon & co. came back to not only the fallout of the "gas leak year" under the interim showrunners and the acrimonious sacking of Chevy Chase but also the unexpected departure of Donald Glover. The first presented them with a creative challenge since Jeff's graduation was the logical end point the series established in its pilot, but "Re-pilot" rose to it with an episode critics and fans both agreed was a satisfying return to the show's previous level of quality. It was certainly much better than Abed emerging from his cardboard Dreamatorium and saying "That was weird" would have been. On the other hand, while Harmon sufficiently repaired his relationship with Chase, his character was gone and would not be coming back. Killing off Pierce after banning him from campus was an expedient solution that also established the framework for Jeff dealing with where he had wound up in life and eventually confronting his mortality (for what it's worth, reviewers/viewers liked the execution of this theme in the episode "G.I. Jeff" more than I did).
What really hobbled Season 5, however, was Glover's quitting after Harmon and Chris McKenna had signed on to return and begun plotting out its overall arc. While Harmon would later explain in an interivew although he "begged" him to stay on, he wasn't mad at him and they "have never exchanged a single negative word and have only ever supported and admired each other". Still, he did feel "bummed out" about the situation in a way he did not in Chase's case. Troy's departure and then his absence turned out to weigh down the episodes much more than either Pierce's exile from Greendale or his death. By midway through the season, the writing team was without one of their funniest, most popular performers, the show without a versatile character who could play off all the rest of the cast, and Danny Pudi's Abed without the other half of a double act that was Community's breakout surprise. "Geothermal Escapism" could have provided a terrific season finale, with the hilarious "Cooperative Polygraphy" as a mid-point, rather than the vaguely unsatisfying "Basic Story"/"Basic Sandwich" two-parter.
Season 6 won't have the unavailable John Oliver or Jonathan Banks back as regulars, but Harmon & co. have time to consider their options. Of course, it wouldn't be Community without something unexpected happening between now and the air date, so stay tuned, Human Beings.
posted by Doktor Zed at 3:20 PM on July 8, 2014 [5 favorites]
As for Season 5's ups and downs, Dan Harmon & co. came back to not only the fallout of the "gas leak year" under the interim showrunners and the acrimonious sacking of Chevy Chase but also the unexpected departure of Donald Glover. The first presented them with a creative challenge since Jeff's graduation was the logical end point the series established in its pilot, but "Re-pilot" rose to it with an episode critics and fans both agreed was a satisfying return to the show's previous level of quality. It was certainly much better than Abed emerging from his cardboard Dreamatorium and saying "That was weird" would have been. On the other hand, while Harmon sufficiently repaired his relationship with Chase, his character was gone and would not be coming back. Killing off Pierce after banning him from campus was an expedient solution that also established the framework for Jeff dealing with where he had wound up in life and eventually confronting his mortality (for what it's worth, reviewers/viewers liked the execution of this theme in the episode "G.I. Jeff" more than I did).
What really hobbled Season 5, however, was Glover's quitting after Harmon and Chris McKenna had signed on to return and begun plotting out its overall arc. While Harmon would later explain in an interivew although he "begged" him to stay on, he wasn't mad at him and they "have never exchanged a single negative word and have only ever supported and admired each other". Still, he did feel "bummed out" about the situation in a way he did not in Chase's case. Troy's departure and then his absence turned out to weigh down the episodes much more than either Pierce's exile from Greendale or his death. By midway through the season, the writing team was without one of their funniest, most popular performers, the show without a versatile character who could play off all the rest of the cast, and Danny Pudi's Abed without the other half of a double act that was Community's breakout surprise. "Geothermal Escapism" could have provided a terrific season finale, with the hilarious "Cooperative Polygraphy" as a mid-point, rather than the vaguely unsatisfying "Basic Story"/"Basic Sandwich" two-parter.
Season 6 won't have the unavailable John Oliver or Jonathan Banks back as regulars, but Harmon & co. have time to consider their options. Of course, it wouldn't be Community without something unexpected happening between now and the air date, so stay tuned, Human Beings.
posted by Doktor Zed at 3:20 PM on July 8, 2014 [5 favorites]
Sorry to hear about Jonathan Banks, I thought he was a great addition. But it will be interesting to see what they do without the network breathing down their necks.
posted by tavella at 3:28 PM on July 8, 2014
posted by tavella at 3:28 PM on July 8, 2014
A second here for a Community free of what network executives may or may not have managed to at least rein in from Harmon. I suppose we'll see how much of a leash was on Harmon's way of creating for the show or if there was as much a leash to start with. I rued the departure of Donald Glover, but with a degree of honesty, I think the show adapted fairly well to his absence. By the end, I didn't really reflect on Troy not being there.
posted by Atreides at 7:03 AM on July 9, 2014
posted by Atreides at 7:03 AM on July 9, 2014
Well, if you want to see Harmon unleashed, take a look at Rick and Morty, especially if you enjoy seeing characters bury their alternate universe doppelgangers' exploded bodies in their backyard and take over their lives after turning everybody in their own universe into 'Cronenbergs' while trying to turn everybody back from being giant mantis-like beings because they were exposed to the underage character's date-rape potion.
posted by signal at 7:56 PM on July 9, 2014
posted by signal at 7:56 PM on July 9, 2014
You make it sound like *brrraaap* a bad thing, signal.
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 9:01 PM on July 9, 2014
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 9:01 PM on July 9, 2014
I watched part of the first episode once, the fact that I didn't finish it had more to do with being exhausted and forgetting to go back to it later. It appears promising, but I guess my original thought was is Harmon contained within the premise of Community, how much so by the requirements of network tv vs how much has already been established. I think about it, and generally, I guess, when Harmon wants to go to town, he just whips up a new medium to shoot the show in.
posted by Atreides at 9:45 AM on July 10, 2014
posted by Atreides at 9:45 AM on July 10, 2014
You can get a good sense of what Dan Harmon is like unleashed by listening to his podcast, Harmontown. He's really great at riffing. I laugh a lot more at his crazy rants on Harmontown than I do at most episodes of Community. (Like a couple of episodes ago, when he went off on a long segment trying to convince the other hosts that his bizarre fear of doctors was justified. "The only thing that separates a doctor from a serial killer is that one of them had parents rich enough to pay for medical school and the other has to stalk the streets of Buffalo. They both start out by looking at a cat and wondering what's inside.) That's why I was hoping to see him use Community as a stepping stone to new projects. Once you've heard Harmon in his element, in front of an audience, Community feels like it was filtrated through a network system from the get-go. You can see a lot of Harmon it, but it's compromised in its core. Rick and Morty feels a lot more true to his natural style of humor to me.
Especially because it's clear that Rick's way of speaking is entirely based on his. I was surprised to learn that he didn't do Rick's voice, in fact. He does a pitch-perfect Morty impression too. I hope he voices an alternate-universe Rick and alternate-universe Morty next season.
posted by painquale at 10:22 AM on July 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
Especially because it's clear that Rick's way of speaking is entirely based on his. I was surprised to learn that he didn't do Rick's voice, in fact. He does a pitch-perfect Morty impression too. I hope he voices an alternate-universe Rick and alternate-universe Morty next season.
posted by painquale at 10:22 AM on July 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
Harmon bullshitting his way through World Cup coverage was a thing of genius.
And yeah, I was shocked to realize that while he voices characters on R&M, he does neither Rick nor Morty.
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 11:17 AM on July 10, 2014
And yeah, I was shocked to realize that while he voices characters on R&M, he does neither Rick nor Morty.
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 11:17 AM on July 10, 2014
Someone asked me on Twitter, “Do you love your kids equally like parents say you do or do you love one of your kids more than the other like parents really do?” And I said I love “Rick and Morty” like a newborn child who smiles at everything I do. And I love “Community” like my beautiful teenage daughter that recently tried to lock me out of my own house.
posted by signal at 1:00 PM on July 10, 2014 [5 favorites]
posted by signal at 1:00 PM on July 10, 2014 [5 favorites]
That's a good interview. I like how in response to a simple 17 word prompt he rambles on for a huge 9 paragraph block of text totaling over 2100 words.
posted by painquale at 2:11 PM on July 11, 2014
posted by painquale at 2:11 PM on July 11, 2014
Especially because it's clear that Rick's way of speaking is entirely based on his. I was surprised to learn that he didn't do Rick's voice, in fact. He does a pitch-perfect Morty impression too. I hope he voices an alternate-universe Rick and alternate-universe Morty next season.
You get the sense that as much as the show really is written (clearly it must be), that a lot of it is just someone taping Harmon ranting for a few hours after half a bottle of Ketel One and then editing it somewhat. I mean that in the best way possible.
You also get a sense of what it must be like to be in a room with both Harmon and Justin Roiland bouncing off one another. I'm actually kinda sad that Roiland has yet to show up on Harmontown.
posted by sparkletone at 11:19 PM on July 12, 2014
You get the sense that as much as the show really is written (clearly it must be), that a lot of it is just someone taping Harmon ranting for a few hours after half a bottle of Ketel One and then editing it somewhat. I mean that in the best way possible.
You also get a sense of what it must be like to be in a room with both Harmon and Justin Roiland bouncing off one another. I'm actually kinda sad that Roiland has yet to show up on Harmontown.
posted by sparkletone at 11:19 PM on July 12, 2014
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What are you doing
Harmon
STAHP
posted by bleep at 3:13 PM on June 30, 2014 [7 favorites]