Abed’s ramblings of ‘six seasons and a movie’ served as a long-running meta-commentary on the expectations of Dan Harmon’s award-winning sitcom Community. A sort of precursor to the brand of meta-humor that would become a staple of Harmon’s work with his pop culture phenomenon Rick and Morty.
By hook or crook, the series eventually managed to stretch itself out to six seasons. According to one of the show’s stars Joel McHale, the realization of a movie is closer than ever, with confirmation that a few studios are apparently considering picking up the project.
The show hit numerous behind-the-scenes bumps along the way, not least of which was the departure and return of Harmon, which also led to notable cast member Chevy Chase leaving the project following on-set disputes. Chase was initially arguably the biggest name in the cast, given his pedigree throughout the 80s’.
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The show went on to help establish several rising stars from the recurring cast, including Alison Brie, Ken Jeong, Gillian Jacobs, Brie Larson, John Oliver and Donald Glover. Still, Chase’s departure followed a fairly public dispute with Harmon and off-set troubles seemed to follow the project for its remaining two seasons.
Jonathan Banks and Keith David both tried a hand at playing the group’s resident oldie, but the lack of coherent screen time hurt both actors’ chances of making a real impression on the ensemble cast. NBC then dropped the series after the fifth season, with both Netflix and Hulu passing on a revival.
Community eventually found its sixth and final outing on the lesser-known Yahoo! Screen, although it was still positively received by fans. After seven years, it looked unlikely to ever achieve its final goal of hitting the silver screen, but given the show’s sometimes back-to-the-wall production and a dedicated fan base, it seems the prophecy could still be fulfilled.
Possibility of a Community Movie?
The show’s cult following will likely have only fueled their desire to see the project realized with the success of Rick and Morty generating appetite but also drawing focus. As mentioned, much of the main cast have also gone on to successful careers with shows like Atlanta and Last Week Tonight with John Oliver still going strong.
This could make scheduling difficult, not to mention increasing the casting budget for a film adaptation of a series that really went out with a whimper seven years ago. It’s also worth noting that, like a lot of comedies of the time, some of the material hasn’t exactly aged well in a more progressive 2022.
Shock value gags based on race, gender, sexuality and religion are prevalent throughout the six seasons. Still, Joel McHale is apparently more optimistic than ever about the prospect, telling Comic Book:
Harmon has apparently never given up hope despite having the film in the works since 2014. As recently as last year, he revealed that he had begun writing a script following interest in the project.
“I’m setting aside all the money to make [the movie] happen. Before when I’d answer the question, I’d be like, ‘Maybe, I have no idea.’ But now, with its success on the streamers during the pandemic, the interest has returned. I would say it’s more likely than it was before, definitely, but it’s like building an aircraft carrier.
You go, ‘We’re gonna do this, right? Yeah, okay, everybody’s here, we got the money.’ Now, this thing has to actually get built. There’s a lot more than just ‘Hey, let’s make a movie now, great.’ It’s a lot of moving parts. So I’m more positive than I was, definitely, but we’ll see. That’s a terrible answer, but definitely better than my answer two years ago."
The original series also found its way to Netflix two years ago, and it has constantly drawn a good viewership since arriving on the platform. A Community movie certainly seems to be gaining the most headwind since the series’ cancellation. However, there are still plenty of obstacles to overcome, not least of which will be modernizing the humor without alienating the core fanbase.
