Community ran for an initial 5 seasons on NBC, before being cancelled and subsequently revived for a final sixth season on Yahoo! Screen. The sitcom is the brainchild of Dan Harmon, who is also responsible for Rick and Morty and it’s continued success.

Featuring an ensemble cast of characters from different backgrounds and origins, Community serves as a look into the world of community colleges and the weirdos that one can find there. Jeff Winger is a disbarred and disgraced attorney who has been forced to return to college in hopes of graduating with a bachelors degree to get his old job back. Along the way he meets and befriends a small study group of students. The group includes Annie – a former drug addict and goody two shoes, Troy – the former high school jock, Abed – the socially awkward but lovable oddball, Britta – the social deviant and protestor, Shirley – a single mother who is returning to school so she can provide a better life for her kids, and Pierce – the non traditional student who hangs around the school to create the family he never got to have. There is also the eccentric and complex Dean Pelton, Prof. Kevin Chang and Prof. Ian Duncan. This study group wreaks havoc across campus with the best of intentions in many hilarious and complex misadventures.

I never watched Community when it was on air, just as the studios suspected. I had heard of it but the thought of it being a “Yahoo! Original series” kinda grossed me out. This was back when every single online and media company was trying to get into the original online content streaming game to varying degrees of success. I found the characters to be perfectly casted. Joel McHale lives and breathes the douchey character that is Jeff Winger. Alison Brie plays a perfect clueless but hopeful young student. Donald Glover and Danny Pudi have some of the most amazing on screen chemistry that I’ve ever seen. Yvette Nicole Brown is an old favorite of mine from when she was on Drake & Josh as Helen from the Premiere theater. Gillian Jacobs and Chevy Chase are also wonderful additions, with Jacobs playing Britta with all the annoying traits that come with being a social deviant and Chevy Chase bringing his experienced improve skills to the table. The rotating cast of side characters with the likes of Ken Jeong, Jim Rash and John Oliver were amazing and just worked in a way that few shows are able to replicate.

While there are six seasons (and no movie as of yet) of Community, the show doesn’t maintain the same level of interest or laughs all the way through. After Donald Glover’s Troy Barnes character departs, the show kinda falls flat for the remaining seasons. Several other characters leave the show as well, but I don’t want to spoil it for those that haven’t seen it. I can’t blame Glover for leaving the show either. He went on to star in Marvel and Star Wars movies as well as release several incredibly popular albums and singles. The guy is doing just fine without those final seasons of Community. However, don’t let that dissuade you from watching the show. There are plenty of laughs to be had and with the short run time for each episode, there is no excuse to put this on in the background between classes or between meetings if you’re working from home.

Community is currently streaming on Netflix.