 I wanted to save a relationship with my then-girlfriend. She was going to take a dance class at the local community college, and I thought we should take Spanish together. Because we’ll have to drive there and drive back, and we’ll be in a class together where we’ll be underdogs together, and we’ll have things to study and learn. [Laughs.] It will force us to communicate and interact and have fun together. It didn’t work, but while I was there, I became part of a study group of people I normally wouldn’t hang out with, because I’m very agoraphobic and narcissistic and solipsistic. But I was in this group with these knuckleheads, and I started really liking them, even though they had nothing to do with the film industry and I had nothing to gain from them and nothing to offer them.
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| — Dan Harmon |
The first season of the television comedy series Community originally aired from September 17, 2009, on NBC to May 20, 2010, in the United States. The first three episodes aired at 9:30 pm ET before being moved to 8:00 pm ET. The show was picked up for 22 episodes in October 2009, and an additional 3 episodes were ordered when The Jay Leno Show was cancelled.
The show focuses on disbarred lawyer Jeff Winger and his attempt to get a bachelor's degree at community college.
Cast[]
Starring
- Joel McHale as Jeff Winger
- Gillian Jacobs as Britta Perry
- Danny Pudi as Abed Nadir
- Yvette Nicole Brown as Shirley Bennett
- Donald Glover as Troy Barnes
- Alison Brie as Annie Edison
- Ken Jeong as Señor Ben Chang
- Chevy Chase as Pierce Hawthorne
Recurring
- Jim Rash as Dean Craig Pelton (20 episodes)
- Dino Stamatopoulos as Alex "Star-Burns" Osbourne (14 episodes)
- Richard Erdman as Leonard Briggs (10 episodes)
- Erik Charles Nielsen as Garrett Lambert (6 episodes)
- John Oliver as Professor Ian Duncan (5 episodes)
- Lauren Stamile as Professor Michelle Slater (5 episodes)
- Eric Christian Olsen as Vaughn Miller (4 episodes)
- John Michael Higgins as Professor Eustice Whitman (3 episodes)
- Dominik Musiol as Pavel (6 episodes)
- Charley Koontz as Fat Neil (4 episodes)
- Iqbal Theba as Gubi Nadir (2 episodes)
Guest Stars
- Jack Black as Buddy Austin ("Investigative Journalism")
- Blake Clark as Coach Herbert Bogner ("Physical Education")
- Tony Hale as Professor Marion Holly ("Beginner Pottery")
- Sharon Lawrence as Doreen ("The Politics of Human Sexuality")
- Anthony Michael Hall as Mike Chilada ("Comparative Religion")
- Lee Majors as Admiral Lee Slaughter ("Beginner Pottery")
- Katharine McPhee as Amber ("Basic Genealogy")
- Patton Oswalt as Nurse Jackie ("Home Economics")
- Owen Wilson as Other Study Group's Leader ("Investigative Journalism", uncredited cameo)
Production[]
Casting
Dan Harmon emphasized the importance of the cast for making the premise of the comedy work. "Casting was 95 percent of putting the show together," he said in an interview. He had worked with several of the cast members earlier; Joel McHale, John Oliver, and Chevy Chase all had cameo roles in Episode 9 of Water and Power, the short film series produced by Harmon for Channel 101. Actor Chevy Chase had long been a favorite of Harmon. Though principally not very partial to sitcoms, Chase was persuaded to take the job by the quality of the show's writing. Harmon saw similarities between Chase and the character he plays on the show. Though Chase has often been ridiculed for his career choices, Harmon believed this role could be redeeming: "What makes Chevy and Pierce heroic is this refusal to stop." Harmon had to warn Chase against playing a "wise-ass" the way he often does in his roles, since the character of Pierce is a rather pathetic figure who is normally the butt of the joke himself. McHale, known from the E! comedy talk show The Soup, was also (like Chase) impressed by Harmon's writing. He commented that "Dan's script... was so head and shoulders above everything else that I was reading." McHale appealed to Harmon because of his likeable quality, which allowed the character to possess certain unsympathetic traits without turning the viewer against him. For the role of Annie, Harmon wanted someone who would resemble Tracy Flick, Reese Witherspoon's character from the 1999 movie Election. Originally, the producers were looking for a Latina or Asian Tracy Flick but could not find any. Instead, they ended up casting Alison Brie, known from her role as Trudy Campbell on Mad Men.
Development[]
The premise of Community was based on Harmon's real-life experiences. In an attempt to save his relationship with his then-girlfriend, he enrolled in Glendale Community College northeast of Los Angeles, where they would take Spanish together. Harmon got involved in a study group and, somewhat against his own instincts, became closely connected to the group of people with whom he had very little in common. "I was in this group with these knuckleheads and I started really liking them," he explains, "even though they had nothing to do with the film industry, and I had nothing to gain from them and nothing to offer them."[4] With this as the background, Harmon wrote the show with a main character largely based on himself. He had, like Jeff, been self-centered and independent to the extreme before he realized the value of connecting with other people. Regarding the creative process behind the writing, Harmon says that he had to write the show as if it were a movie, not a sitcom. Essentially, he says, the process was no different from the earlier work he had done, except for the length and the target demographic.
Reception[]
Critical Reception[]
The show's general reviews have been mostly positive, scoring a 69 out of 100 with critics on Metacritic. Notably, David Bushman (Curator, Television), of the Paley Center for Media , called it "the best new show of the fall season." Jonah Krakow of IGN gave the first season a 8.5, saying, "Given the way Community eventually ramped up and delivered some amazing stories in the second half of the season, I'm extremely excited about what's to come for Season 2."
Awards and Nominations[]
- The show received a nomination for "Favorite New TV Comedy" at the 36th People's Choice Awards.
- Justin Lin received a nomination for "Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series" at the Images Awards for "Introduction to Statistics".
- Nielsen Ratings: The first season averaged 5 million viewers with a 2.4 rating in the 18–49 demographic and ranked #97 for the season.
Gallery[]
Promotional photos[]
Episodes[]
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"Pilot" | September 17, 2009 | |
| Directed by: Anthony Russo and Joe Russo - Written by: Dan Harmon
A smarmy lawyer whose education is deemed void by the bar is forced to attend a local community college with an extremely eclectic staff and student body in order to get a legitimate degree. | |||
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"Spanish 101" | September 24, 2009 | |
| Directed by: Joe Russo - Written by: Dan Harmon
Jeff's efforts to win over Britta backfire, and he finds himself paired up with Pierce for their Spanish class project. | |||
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"Introduction to Film" | October 1, 2009 | |
| Directed by: Anthony Russo - Written by: Tim Hobert and Jon Pollack
Britta messes with Abed's relationship with his father, which potentially risks Abed having to leave Greendale. Meanwhile, Jeff might end up failing a class unless he "seizes the day". | |||
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"Social Psychology" | October 8, 2009 | |
| Directed by: Anthony Russo - Written by: Liz Cackowski
As Annie recruits Abed and Troy for a psychology class experiment, Jeff and Shirley bond over their mutual fondness for gossip. Meanwhile, Jeff tries to navigate the friend zone with Britta. | |||
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"Advanced Criminal Law" | October 15, 2009 | |
| Directed by: Joe Russo - Written by: Andrew Guest
When someone from the study group confesses to using a crib sheet on the last Spanish test and is about to be expelled for it, Jeff uses his lawyer skills to help defend the cheater. Meanwhile, Annie recruits Pierce to write a new school song. | |||
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"Football, Feminism and You" | October 22, 2009 | |
| Directed by: Joe Russo - Written by: Hilary Winston
Jeff is blackmailed by Dean Pelton to recruit Troy to Greendale's football team, upsetting Annie. Meanwhile, Pierce helps the Dean design a new school mascot, and Britta tries to become Shirley's bathroom buddy. | |||
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"Introduction to Statistics" | October 29, 2009 | |
| Directed by: Justin Lin - Written by: John Pollack and Tim Hobert
Jeff blows off Annie's Halloween party in order to have a chance to score with his sexy statistics professor. | |||
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"Home Economics" | November 5, 2009 | |
| Directed by: Anthony Russo - Written by: Lauren Pomerantz
After Jeff loses his home, he is forced to move in with Abed in his dorm room. When Troy has a date, he asks a jealous Annie to help him prepare, and Pierce becomes the keyboardist for Vaughn's band. | |||
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"Debate 109" | November 12, 2009 | |
| Directed by: Joe Russo - Written by: Tim Hobert
Jeff is convinced to join the debate team with Annie for a championship debate against Greendale's rival school City College. Meanwhile, Shirley gets spooked by the accuracy of Abed's short films about the study group, which seem to predict their future. | |||
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"Environmental Science" | November 19, 2009 | |
| Directed by: Seth Gordon - Written by: Zach Paez
Jeff hangs out with Señor Chang to get out of writing an essay, which angers the rest of the group. Meanwhile, Abed and Troy search for their missing lab mouse, and Pierce helps Shirley out with a presentation. | |||
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"The Politics of Human Sexuality" | December 3, 2009 | |
| Directed by: Anthony Russo - Written by: Hilary Winston
Annie helps the Dean put on a STD Fair but doesn't want to demonstrate how to put on a condom. Meanwhile, Jeff goes on a double date with Pierce, and Troy and Abed compete to see who is the better athlete. | |||
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"Comparative Religion" | December 10, 2009 | |
| Directed by: Adam Davidson - Written by: Liz Cackowski
Shirley throws a Christmas party, but to her surprise, the rest of the study group all come from different religious backgrounds. Meanwhile, Jeff is off to fight against the school bully. | |||
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"Investigative Journalism" | January 14, 2010 | |
| Directed by: Joe Russo - Written by: Jon Pollack and Tim Hobert
The study group decided to not let an obnoxious student from their Spanish class into their study group (guest star Jack Black). Jeff is appointed as the new editor of the school newspaper, while Annie is working on a case that could prove the Dean as being racist. | |||
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"Interpretive Dance" | January 21, 2010 | |
| Directed by: Justin Lin - Written by: Lauren Pomerantz
Britta and Troy hide a secret talent from the group while Jeff tries to hide his love life. | |||
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"Romantic Expressionism" | February 4, 2010 | |
| Directed by: Joe Russo - Written by: Andrew Guest
When Annie starts dating Britta's ex-boyfriend Vaughn, Britta and Jeff conspire to break them up. Meanwhile, Pierce joins Troy, Abed, Shirley, and Chang for movie night. | |||
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"Communication Studies" | February 11, 2010 | |
| Directed by: Adam Davidson - Written by: Chris McKenna
Jeff tries to fix his relationship with Britta when things get awkward after a drunken phone call. Meanwhile, Annie and Shirley set out to humiliate Señor Chang in order to protect the pride of Troy and Pierce. | |||
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"Physical Education" | March 4, 2010 | |
| Directed by: Anthony Russo - Written by: Jessie Miller
Jeff's refusal to wear gym shorts causes him to be kicked out of billiards class. The study group tries to get Abed to romance a girl. | |||
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"Basic Genealogy" | March 11, 2010 | |
| Directed by: Ken Whittingham - Written by: Karey Dornetto
It's Family Day at Greendale. Pierce tries to rebuild his relationship with his stepdaughter, but she only has eyes for Jeff. Britta gets in trouble with Troy's Nana, and Shirley's kids cause problems for Abed's father. | |||
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"Beginner Pottery" | March 18, 2010 | |
| Directed by: Anthony Russo - Written by: Hilary Winston
Jeff takes beginner pottery for an easy credit but winds up becoming jealous of another student. Meanwhile, Pierce's incompetence could ruin the study group's grade in boating class. | |||
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"The Science of Illusion" | March 25, 2010 | |
| Directed by: Adam Davidson - Written by: Zach Paez
Britta's April Fool's joke on Chang goes horribly wrong. Meanwhile, Annie and Shirley temporarily work as campus security guards, but they both want to be the "bad cop". | |||
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"Contemporary American Poultry" | April 22, 2010 | |
| Directed by: Tristram Shapeero - Written by: Emily Cutler and Karey Dornetto
Jeff's plan for getting school cafeteria chicken fingers for the study group quickly evolves into a mafia movie-style endeavor, thanks to Abed. | |||
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"The Art of Discourse" | April 29, 2010 | |
| Directed by: Adam Davidson - Written by: Chris McKenna
Pierce gets kicked out of the study group while Jeff and Britta plot revenge on a group of high-schoolers. Troy helps Abed complete his checklist of college clichés. | |||
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"Modern Warfare" | May 6, 2010 | |
| Directed by: Justin Lin - Written by: Emily Cutler
Greendale Community College becomes a war zone when a paintball competition spirals out of control. Meanwhile, the sexual tension flares up between Jeff and Britta. | |||
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"English as a Second Language" | May 13, 2010 | |
| Directed by: Gail Mancuso - Written by: Tim Hobert
The study group's preparation for their finals is made even more stressful when Señor Chang gets replaced by a tougher Spanish teacher. Meanwhile, Troy discovers that he has a hidden talent for plumbing. | |||
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"Pascal's Triangle Revisited" | May 20, 2010 | |
| Directed by: Joe Russo - Written by: Hilary Winston
As the school year ends, Jeff finds himself caught in the middle as Slater and Britta compete for his affection. Meanwhile, Troy can't understand Abed's refusal for them to move in together. | |||