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Hercules Calls COMMUNITY The Funniest New Network Sitcom Of Autumn!! What Say The Critics??
I am – Hercules!!
NBC’s “Community,” which centers on a community-college study group, is fall’s funniest new network sitcom.
It’s from writer-producer Dan Harmon, a key creative force behind the hit movie “Monster House” and Comedy Central’s superb “The Sarah Silverman Program.”
“The Soup” host Joel McHale contributes a strong comedic presence as he tackles a role likely modeled on the kind of persona Bill Murray got rich with decades ago. McHale’s character’s name is “Jeff Winger,” which is almost the name of the Murray character in “Stripes.”
McHale’s co-stars include former Murray co-star Chevy Chase (“Chuck”) as well as Gillian Jacobs (“The Book of Daniel”), Alison Brie (Trudy on “Mad Men”), Danny Pudi (“Gilmore Girls,” “Greek,” ubiquitous cell phone and fast food commercials), John Oliver (“The Daily Show”), Yvette Nicole Brown (“(500) Days of Summer”), “30 Rock” writer Donald Glover and Ken Jeong (“The Hangover,” “The Goods,” “All About Steve”). While the pilot is solid, one suspects some of these supporting characters could wear thin by Thanksgiving break.
USA Today says:
… not as funny as 30 Rock nor as distinctive as The Office … unlike its night-mates, which all lean toward the cold and ironic, there's a warm undertone to Community that makes this show about a group of community college misfits more engaging than it otherwise might be. …
The New York Times says:
… a bracingly funny NBC comedy that purports to send up community college, but mostly skewers the more egregious clichés of movies and television. … mercilessly snarky and also surprisingly charming, which is not easy to pull off. …
The Los Angeles Times says:
… the jokes consistently work, even when they don't add up to much …
The Washington Post says:
… The dialogue, while quick, has all the calculated bite of a smirky cellphone commercial, veering into jokes about Ben Affleck and "The Breakfast Club." The grading scale here is strictly Pass/Fail. Its preseason hype aside, "Community" needs to buckle down to survive the semester. …
The San Francisco Chronicle says:
There's a double dose of good news for NBC on Thursday night this fall and it's hard to tell which part is better for viewers. A new sitcom, "Community," looks quite promising and the comedic bust that was "Parks and Recreation" has found new life. … The pilot is strong, with McHale both likable in his sarcastic indifference about anyone but himself and the various one-liners by the rest of the community college "losers." What may be harder for "Community" to pull off going forward is the feel-good notion of outcasts coming together. As long as the jokes stay barbed, fast and witty - as they are in the pilot - there's more than enough reason to keep following the band of misfits.
The Newark Star Ledger says:
… the best, and funniest, new show of the season … "Community" is going to fit in seamlessly as part of NBC's Thursday comedy lineup, alongside "The Office," "Parks and Recreation" (which figured out how to write Amy Poehler's character in last season's finale and continues to improve in the first few episodes this year) and, eventually, "30 Rock." … It's laugh-out-loud funny, early and often (Pudi is the early breakout star as Abed, who has no internal censor), yet there's also an undercurrent of gentle emotion to the pilot that took a show like "The Office" a while to incorporate into the jokes. …
The Boston Herald says:
… McHale isn’t doing heavy lifting here. In some scenes, he seems bored with his lines and ready to check out. He and Jacobs share as much chemistry as a three-ring binder and a brick. The supporting roles are barely sketched, although Chase makes the most of his onscreen time as a small man lost in a big world of his own creation. You hope a comedy about higher ed to be, well, a little smarter than this. The writers seem to have skipped even watching other sitcoms. …
The Boston Globe says:
… This fall, along with “30 Rock’’ and an improved “Parks and Recreation,’’ NBC is introducing a promising new Thursday night sitcom called “Community.’’ … cynical, mocking, self-mocking, and likable. Created by Dan Harmon of “The Sarah Silverman Program,’’ the show is overstuffed with political and pop culture jokes about everything from 9/11 to “The Breakfast Club,’’ but they’re always secondary to the warm ensemble character comedy. The free-floating irony isn’t terminal. …
Variety says:
… “If I wanted to learn something, I wouldn’t have come to community college,” Jeff snaps at Oliver’s character. Similarly, those merely seeking a more reliable stream of laughs might be inclined to enroll somewhere else as well. …
The Hollywood Reporter says:
… if creator/writer Dan Harmon earns only a "C" for the framework of his show, he gets higher grades for its brisk pace and clever writing. And some extra credit is in order for casting, as well. …
9:30 p.m. Thursday. NBC.
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The stuff with the teacher was pretty funny. They need to get read of Chevy Chase. When did he forget how to be funny?
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come on even the most soulless bastard in the universe has to be warmed just a bit by the promise of weekly chevy. sure he's not quite as good anymore but he still makes me laugh just by looking at him remembering the old times.
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has forever obliged me to watch anything written by dan harmon. i also think monster house is probably the best of the non-pixar cgi cartoons. i'll check community out tonight.
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Community wasn't bad but it's more in the ballpark of Earl or Parks and Recreations than The Office. Roger Ebert would call it pretty meh. If it doesn't get a lot better in the next episodes I guess all new ABC comedies except Hank are better than this.
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And I don't think 30 Rock gets enough credit for how clever they use music as well.
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That is all.
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Watched it yesterday via Amazon-On-Demand for free. Abed was funnier than anyone else, and even that wasn't much. Chevy Chase is barely there. Didn't hate it, but it's nowhere near the hype...yet. I hope it improves a LOT and in a hurry.
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Silverman is just obnoxious now, like a female Andy Dick, and the toilet humor found in her lame-ass show was excessive even by Comedy Central standards. That said, Community looks promising.
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is even more funny during his talk show appearances than he is on The Soup, where he slaughters celebrities and his personal favorite Ryan Seacrest with no mercy. Can he transition from snarky to warm and fuzzy in the same episode?? I have a hard time buying that.But what does all that matter when the season premiere of Its Always Sunny is tonight? Much to the ignoring of AICN.
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Sep 17, 2009 9:48:03 AM CDT
I'll watch it online, Supernatural is on at the same time
by soylentmean
It's the friggin' apocalypse on Supernatural, that trumps comedy any day.
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i'm not a TV surfer, i have my select shows that i tune in for, i think i'll pass on this one
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He pretty much ignored The Shield until the last season, Damages has only gotten a few passing mentions, and Sons of Anarchy, which in my opinion is one of the best things on TV right now, doesn't even get a premiere talkback. The season finale of Rescue ME also deserved some love, but that's just not going to happen here at AICN.
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Actually Herc did have a TB for the Sons second season premiere, but followed that up w/nada. It does amaze me that Sunny, that has such an active cult following, with live shows selling out and the you tube singalongs to "Nightman", that it doesn't get more notice.
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on his face all the time?
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with an arched eybrow?
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I wish they would set up weekly talkbacks for these shows or at least a dedicated forum. There really is an amazing amount of quality TV right now, even among popular shit like IDOL.
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Didn't Merrick do them for Coax the last 2 seasons?
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Good to see him back in action though...
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Because I don't understand that one at all.
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My absolute favorite posts at AICN are Herc's new comedy reviews because we almost always disagree :). Amazingly, we agree on most dramas, as Herc loves shows like "The Wire" and "The Shield", but when it comes to comedy, his funny bone is located in a completely different part of the body than mine. The last time we did this dance, it got kinda of ugly around Andy Barker, PI. I have seen both "Community" and "Cougar Town", and the later is infinately more humorous, and dare I say, stands a much greater chance for critical success. I think Community could potentially be better given time, but in my opinion, the best parts of that first episode are when Joel is away from the rest of the students, who are fairly one dimensional and witless, and when he is interacting with the comedic genius of John Oliver. These scenes, both in Oliver's office and in the car stand out for the deftness or the writing and the play off one another that the two have, but they almost make the rest of the show awkward because of how notable the difference is in the comedy between Joel and John and Joel and everyone else. If anything, this show identifies the clear need for more John Oliver in our comedic television viewing universe. That being said, "Cougar Town" is very funny and maintains that same familiar level of Bill Lawrence wit throughout. That's just my opinion, but I'm curious to see what the concensus is after both these shows have aired their pilots. I do wonder though, had AICN been around in the 80s and 90s, would Herc and I disagree about the Cosby Show, Cheers, and Seinfeld in the same way we do about Community?
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After watching the pilot a while back, I would agree it's the funniest new show in a while. After seeing the non-stop barrage of ads for it, I am starting to hate it.
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follow the path of Greg Kinnear, or the path of John Henson & Hal Sparks...
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seriously, its not THAT bad....
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a pale imitator of jim carrey in his prime
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Community is good. Modern Family is better. Cougar Town is terrible. So on the nose an obvious.... so it will prob be an enormous hit and both Community and Modern Family will prob fail.... I hate everyone.... especially myself
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the best host of the Soup since Henson (where the fuck is he, btw?) Too bad this show will fail because of douche Chevy.
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I'm pretty sure a real documentary about a small town parks and rec department would be more interesting and funny than that show.
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Don't forget Aisha Tyler....yummy.
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Sep 17, 2009 7:45:10 PM CDT
The Sarah silver program was godawful
by supercowbell5thecowbellhasspoken
Jesus Christ that show was complete garbage
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isn't funny...it's just annoying.
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You clearly havent seen Modern Family yet
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Henson co-hosts WIPEOUT.
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The fast paced dialogue is wonderful. Makes me miss Pushing Daisies though.
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...and thus his character is utterly unlikable.
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It's boring me big time.
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I was looking forward to the pilot, not just because of Joel McHale and teh quirky premise but also because I wanted to see some (or ANY) new spark of life from Chevy that might lead to a comeback for the poor guy. Alas, the show was boring and unfunny for the most part. It's trying way too hard to be like The Office. I just don't see it lasting a full season.
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Nice John Hughes coda. That was pretty amazing. So many pop culture references, good timing between actors, great set-ups; I could watch a hour of this show easy.
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The laughs come and go quickly, but this pilot showed great promise. Very rarely are pilots any good (look at 30 Rock's pilot, pretty crappy) but this one was above average. I think Chevy's character could potentially be very funny, if NBC gives this show a fair shake.
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Loved it--NBC needs to let this one grow...it gave the ho-hum Parks and Recreation another season...let's hope they do the same for Community...
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I could see myself watching this weekly. Let's hope NBC moves Parks to 8, community at 8:30 then Office and 30 rock at 9 and 9:30, that would be the perfect comedy block, SNL thursdays can fuck off after its few week run and the night would be perfect...well except for Leno but by 10 i've tuned out anyway
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Not so good... Still the pilot was funnier than tonight's Office which has begun to lose some of its edge over the past couple seasons...
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I seriously felt a dick in my ass watching this show
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I watched the entire comedy block tonight and laughed the most at COMMUNITY, and most of that was (like someone above me said) at John Oliver and Joel McHaleto TheLastCleric, there is a forum for every show out there, it's right here at AICN and it's called THE ZONE
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Crowd of people: "Happy 95th birthday, Chevy!"
Chevy Chase: "Whaaat??? I'm only 66!" -
Has anybody involved ever GONE to a community college or known anyone who has gone (except the people they observed while researching this thing? The pseudo-Bill Murray angle isn't going to work in the long haul. McHale plays a lawyer? Chase is like a billionaire or something? Chase would be great as a a deranged teacher who has tenure and can't be fired whom his students and colleagues have to tolerate to get what they want ... but they actually have those at community colleges.
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Not only was there not one funny moment, but it spent half the time belittling affordable community colleges that are the only option for people of lesser means. another step down our societal plunge.
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The show was pretty funny also.
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Now you're more like Michael Douglas in all of his movies. I laughed at that one for two minutes straight.
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Maybe because all the jokes were in the commercials for it.
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Sep 18, 2009 1:58:31 PM CDT
Not funny. Not well acted. Not well written. Badly scored.
by blackmantis
In other words, it sucked. I give it 10 episodes before its gone.
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The pilot implies he's some kind of rich successful businessman? Well.. why the hell is he going to a community college then?! What does he need the degree for at that age if he's already rich. Unless he's doing it "just for fun" which itself is ridiculous. When I first saw promos for this series, I was expecting him to be some over the hill professor at the school, not one of the students in this group study. Weird....
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One of the smarmy types.Not every show has to be the office, but we've all worked with Michael, Dwight, Angela, Stanley, Kelly, etc.
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...Amy should play an annoying neighborhood activist, not a council person.
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Not well written? That boggles me. What didn't you think was well written about it?
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a lot of the things that make community colleges funny. where the hell is the group of rowdy black dudes hollering at white girls on their way to class? (not racist, just true). this show focused way too much on the study group and the main guy, and didn't display enough rebelliousness in terms of writing. by that i mean it didn't show any quirky teachers, actually in class. not really any classroom scenes at all in fact. so much silent humor is happening in a community college class that can subtlety reveal character, and this didn't take the time to let the environment of the school unfold naturally. it forces the characters on you with these frenetic group dialogue scenes and typical sitcom traps (going back and forth to talk to john oliver and the study group, come on). It could have been much more. i was hoping it would be, because i go to such a school and i happen to write comedy from time to time... so this show was a disappointment. they should have gotten people who go to city college to help write it. and whoever thought the office wasn't well written, write something funnier and paste it in your talkback. i want to know what you think is funnier.
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Mchale is hilarious in the soup, although it's gone down a bit in the last couple of weeks ( perhaps because of his commitment to community)
i knew it'd b funny form watching the commericals ( unfortunately it seems most of the good jokes were in the commericals!)
i do want this to succeed for joel,it has a solid cast, but i hate the fact its on nbc
good luck joel! hope its a success!
FUCK YOU NBC! -
I agree with Herc. Community is a funny show. It was a pleasant surprise.
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A lecture on what should be scripted from a guy who doesn't know how to capitalize.
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I saw the show a month ago, and I still have the score stuck in my head ... I think the original music is one of the best parts, and thats not easy to do in sitcoms.
Personally I thought the best parts were with chevy -- in the opening when they show him while describing old people keeping their minds active and staving off death or something... And although it was in the ads, when I saw the pilot a month ago, I hadnt seen that line about bears feet, and that was also pretty funny.
As far as Im concerned they just need to steer Mchale away from saying lines like "alrighty then" and other obvious jim carrey-isms -
See? Why choose the most minuscule aspect of my post to criticize? Because you can't find anything else wrong about what I said.
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