Community’s worst season was a standout for all the wrong reasons, but it also made the show better in the long run. With every episode,the characters inCommunityface a hilarious new obstacle in their long journey to graduate from community college. These characters include the quirky TV and movie-obsessed Abed Nadir (Danny Pudi), his best friend and ex-high school quarterback Troy Barnes (Donald Glover), wannabe activist Britta Perry (Gillian Jacobs), teacher’s pet and former Adderall addict Annie Edison (Alison Brie), single mother Shirley Bennett (Yvette Nicole Brown), and lying lawyer Jeff Winger (Joel McHale).
Every season ofCommunityhad its high and low points, but certain installments of the show were notably lower than others. However, this didn’t necessarily mean they were hindrances in general. In fact, it’s likely some of these moments will be referred to inthe upcomingCommunitymovie.It was always apparent which season ofCommunitywas the very worst,but it still helped the show for the better.
Community Season 4 Was A Disaster – What Went Wrong
Everything Can Be Blamed On Greendale’s Gas Leak
Season 4, also known asCommunity’s gas leak year, is hands down the worst installment ofCommunity. There were several reasons for this, both on and off-screen. Behind the scenes,the production ofCommunityseason 4 was all over the place.A large part ofCommunity’s success can be attributed to creator Dan Harmon. But at the end of season 3,Harman was let go asCommunity’s showrunnerin an attempt to mix things up, and was replaced with David Guarascio and Moses Port.
While the stories of Community season 4 are ambitious and different from past episodes, the execution isn’t the greatest.
However, while Guarascio and Port are talented in their own ways, they weren’t the right fit forCommunity. Harman was rehired forCommunityseason 5, but sadly, the damage was already done. While the stories ofCommunityseason 4 are ambitious and different from past episodes, the execution isn’t the greatest, and some simply didn’t resonate with audiences.
For example, the return ofCommunity’s darkest timelineshould’ve been an exciting moment, but the storyline was dragged out. By the time season 4 was finished with the darkest timeline, it didn’t hold the same weight as it did before. While the original episode was a part of Abed’s story arc, by the end, it didn’t feel relevant to any of the characters. Otherattempts to replicateCommunity’s glory days in season 4also didn’t work out.
The musical puppet episode “Intro to Felt Surrogacy” sounds interesting on paper, but it makes little sense, and the implementation of puppets is more of a tired gimmick than anything else. “Advanced Documentary Filmmaking” is another episode that is told through Abed’s filmmaking, but unlike season 2’s “Intermediate Documentary Filmmaking,” one of thebestCommunityepisodes directed by the Russo brothers, it isn’t as funny or engaging.
Community Season 4’s Problems Led To Some Hilarious Backtracking In Season 5
Community Pushed The Gas Leak Year Events Under The Rug
It was no surprise thatCommunitymade a meta-joke about the gas leak in season 5,considering the impact season 4 had.Communityseason 5 sort of de-canonized season 4 but in an interesting way. Rather than retconning any of the events, it is explained that a gas leak in Greendale made everyone act strangely, implying that these past events should be taken with a pinch of salt.
However, some of season 4’s better moments were salvageable and somewhat fixed. For example, Britta and Troy acknowledge their relationship wasn’t a great fit, but remain good friends after the fact.Communityalso brought back Brie Larson as Rachelfrom season 4’s “Herstory of Dance,” and Abed finally got a proper romance storyline, rather than, as Britta put it, another “Intense burst of compatibility with a girl that [they’‘l] never see again.”
Sometimes, Things Have To Get Worse Before They Get Better
Some positives came out of the disaster that wasCommunity’s gas leak year. Season 4 failed to keep audiences engaged, and while a fewCommunityactors left the showin season 5, there is no doubt that Harmon’s return helped save things.Seasons 5 and 6 ofCommunityweren’t as popular as the show in its heyday,but they offered a sense of familiarity viewers were desperately missing in season 4.
John Oliver’s absence fromCommunitywas due to his commitments toThe Daily Show. While Ian Duncan was missing fromCommunityseason 6, his nameplate is still seen on his office door.
Communityseason 5 sees the return ofJohn Oliver as Ian Duncan, and also introduces new character Buzz Hickey (Jonathan Banks), who both join the original study group members as part of the Save Greendale Committee. The show’s stories also veer away from absurdity and return to a simpler time. Things felt more cheerful compared to season 4’s pessimism,and there was a much-needed resurgence of character development for everyone, too. AlthoughCommunityseason 4 was very much the worst of the bunch, thankfully, the mistakes made benefitted the show after.
