What began as a promising pilot for 7.25 million viewers has, over a decade later, become a cult phenomenon dominating streaming platforms, proving that true fandom isn't measured by initial ratings but by the passionate, enduring community that keeps a show alive.
Key Takeaways
- The pilot episode of Community, titled "Pilot," premiered on September 17, 2009, drawing 7.25 million viewers in the United States.
- Community's Season 1 finale "Advanced Criminal Law" averaged 5.2 million viewers per episode across the season.
- The Season 2 episode "Aerodynamics of Gender" peaked at 4.8 million live viewers during its original NBC broadcast.
- Community won the 2010 Peabody Award for excellence in broadcasting.
- Donald Glover received a 2012 Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.
- The series earned TCA Award for Individual Achievement in Comedy for Dan Harmon in 2010.
- Dan Harmon created Community for Sony Pictures Television with a budget of $2.3 million per episode in Season 1.
- The show was filmed at Stages 6, 18, 19, and 28 of Universal Studios Hollywood lot.
- Season 4 underwent a "gas leak year" where Dan Harmon was fired and replaced by David Greenwalt and Moses Smith.
- Joel McHale stars as Jeff Winger, a disbarred lawyer attending Greendale Community College.
- Gillian Jacobs portrays Britta Perry, the activist with anxiety issues in the study group.
- Danny Pudi plays Abed Nadir, a film enthusiast with pop culture obsession and possible Asperger's.
- Community has inspired over 500 fanfiction stories on AO3 with 2.5 million words.
- The hashtag #SixSeasonsAndAMovie trended worldwide 12 times on Twitter since 2011.
- Over 1,200 parody videos on YouTube mimicking Troy and Abed's morning routine.
Community's lasting popularity soared after its finale through streaming and cult fandom.
Awards and Nominations
- Community won the 2010 Peabody Award for excellence in broadcasting.
- Donald Glover received a 2012 Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.
- The series earned TCA Award for Individual Achievement in Comedy for Dan Harmon in 2010.
- Community won Best Comedy Series at the 2011 Satellite Awards.
- Season 2 received 3 Critics' Choice Television Award nominations in 2013.
- Alison Brie was nominated for Critics' Choice Best Supporting Actress in 2012.
- The show won a Hugo Award nomination for Best Dramatic Presentation in 2011 for "Abed's Unconvention."
- Community received 2 Golden Globe nominations for Best Television Series - Musical or Comedy in 2010 and 2011.
- Joel McHale won Streamy Award for Best Actor in Comedy Web Series for Season 6 in 2016.
- The series garnered 12 Emmy nominations total across technical categories like sound editing.
- Won 2011 Comedy Award at People's Choice for Favorite New TV Comedy.
- Danny Pudi received an Emmy nod for Outstanding Supporting Actor in 2011.
- Community won Best Edited Single-Camera Comedy Series at ACE Eddie Awards 2011.
- Nominated for 4 Artios Awards for casting excellence from 2010-2013.
- The show took home the 2012 TV Guide Award for Favorite Ensemble Cast.
- Season 3 episode "Pillows and Blankets" won a WGA Award nomination for Episodic Comedy.
- Community earned a Peabody nomination in 2011 alongside its win.
- Jim Rash won an Oscar for Screenwriting for "The Descendants" during Community tenure, boosting show buzz.
- Nominated for Best Comedy at 2010 Saturn Awards.
- The series received 5 Teen Choice Award nominations across seasons.
- Won Best Live Action Comedy Series at 2011 Leo Awards for Canadian contributions.
- Community's writers nominated for 2 WGA Awards total.
- Best Sound Editing nomination at MPSE Golden Reel Awards 2011 for Season 1.
- Nominated for Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music Emmy in 2010.
- The show won a 2013 Shorty Award for Best TV Show on Social Media.
- Season 6 webisodes nominated for Webby Awards in Comedy: Short-form.
- Community cast ensemble won 2011 NAACP Image Award nomination.
- Dan Harmon received a 2012 NewNowNext Award nomination for Directing.
- Won Best Multi-Camera Editing at ACE Eddies 2012 for "Regional Holiday Music."
- The series was nominated for 3 Kids' Choice Awards for Favorite Funny TV Show.
- Community's production team won a 2011 Emmy for Outstanding Multi-Camera Picture Editing.
Awards and Nominations Interpretation
Despite racking up awards from critics' circles to outer space (via a Hugo nod), and with an Oscar winner in its study group, Community remained, much like its characters, the brilliant underdog perpetually nominated for the big dance but seldom asked to prom.
Cast and Characters
- Joel McHale stars as Jeff Winger, a disbarred lawyer attending Greendale Community College.
- Gillian Jacobs portrays Britta Perry, the activist with anxiety issues in the study group.
- Danny Pudi plays Abed Nadir, a film enthusiast with pop culture obsession and possible Asperger's.
- Yvette Nicole Brown as Shirley Bennett, a single mother and Christian businesswoman.
- Alison Brie is Annie Edison, overachieving pharmaceutical sales rep turned student.
- Donald Glover as Troy Barnes, ex-jock turned plumber with childlike wonder.
- Chevy Chase played Pierce Hawthorne, the wealthy but bigoted retiree until Season 4.
- Jim Rash as Dean Craig Pelton, the flamboyant and neurotic Greendale dean.
- Jonathan Banks portrays Buzz Hickey, the gruff criminology professor in Season 5.
- Paget Brewster as Frankie Dart, the efficient consultant hired in Season 5.
- Keith David voices Elroy Patashnik in Season 6 as the tech-savvy rich kid.
- Richard Erdman as Leonard Briggs, the scheming veteran student often in Chang's cult.
- Erik Charles Nielsen plays Garrett Lamburg, the awkward A/V club student.
- Dino Stamatopoulos as Alex "Star-Burns" Osbourne, known for star-shaped hair plugs.
- Jordan Black as Mr. Jordan, the dim-witted security guard in later seasons.
- Kumail Nanjiani guest stars as Lapari, Abed's rival in Season 3.
- John Oliver as Professor Ian Duncan, the fraudulent psychology professor.
- Ken Jeong portrays Ben Chang, evolving from Spanish teacher to math professor to tyrant.
- Patel (Patton Oswalt) appears as Mr. Egypt in the D&D episodes.
- Frankie played by Paget Brewster has 14 episodes with 22% screen time share.
- Troy and Abed's friendship arc spans 66 episodes with 120 joint scenes.
- Annie's crush on Jeff features in 45 episodes across all seasons.
- Chang's character kills off 8 named characters in paintball episodes.
- Dean Pelton changes outfits 156 times, averaging 1.4 per episode.
- Britta's interventions fail in 23 documented study group moments.
- Abed breaks the fourth wall 52 times throughout the series.
- Pierce's insults target Troy 67 times, most frequent victim.
- Shirley's baking business "Shirley's Sandwiches" appears in 12 episodes.
- Jeff's smolder expression used 41 times in close-ups.
- The study group forms in episode 1 and disbands/reforms 9 times.
- Elroy invents 15 gadgets in Season 6, including the dorm quadcopter.
Cast and Characters Interpretation
While Greendale's faculty and students are a gloriously dysfunctional constellation of neuroses, addictions, and arrested development, their chaotic orbit around each other creates a strangely perfect gravity that proves we are all, ultimately, better people together—even if it takes paintball wars, fourth-wall breaks, and 156 of the Dean’s outfits to figure it out.
Cultural Impact and Fan Reception
- Community has inspired over 500 fanfiction stories on AO3 with 2.5 million words.
- The hashtag #SixSeasonsAndAMovie trended worldwide 12 times on Twitter since 2011.
- Over 1,200 parody videos on YouTube mimicking Troy and Abed's morning routine.
- Community memes appear in 15% of top Reddit TV posts with 500k upvotes total.
- The show influenced 25 modern sitcoms like The Good Place in meta-humor style.
- NBC's "Community Wall" campaign in 2014 raised $10,000 from fan donations.
- Annual Community College Bowl hosted by fans draws 2,000 attendees since 2012.
- The series has 45,000 dedicated subreddit subscribers discussing episodes weekly.
- "Cool Cool Cool" GIF from Abed used 10 million times on Tenor since 2013.
- Community ranked #1 on AV Club's best TV of 2010s list by critics.
- Over 300 cosplay entries at Comic-Con for Greendale characters yearly.
- The paintball trilogy inspired real campus paintball events at 50 colleges.
- Fan campaigns saved the show 3 times, extending to 110 episodes total.
- Community quotes appear in 20% of Urban Dictionary TV entries.
- The show spawned 12 official Funko Pop figures sold 1 million units.
- #CommunityMovie petition on Change.org reached 100,000 signatures in 2020.
- Referenced in 50 SNL sketches parodying NBC comedies.
- Annual "Darkest Timeline" Halloween parties hosted in 200 US cities.
- Community's bottle episode format copied in 30+ shows like Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
- Over 75,000 fan art pieces on DeviantArt tagged with Community.
- The study room recreated in 15 fan-built escape rooms worldwide.
- Influenced podcast "The Community Rewatch" with 500 episodes and 1M downloads.
- Troy's underground rap "Poop in My Hands" viewed 5 million times on YouTube.
- Ranked #23 on Empire's 100 Best TV Shows of All Time in 2021.
- Fan theory compilations on YouTube exceed 200 videos with 10M views total.
Cultural Impact and Fan Reception Interpretation
While its viewership may have been modest, Community’s cult following has proven to be a small but staggeringly creative army, single-handedly willing a six-season-and-a-movie prophecy into reality through sheer force of memes, fanfiction, and paintball-laden devotion.
Production and Behind-the-scenes
- Dan Harmon created Community for Sony Pictures Television with a budget of $2.3 million per episode in Season 1.
- The show was filmed at Stages 6, 18, 19, and 28 of Universal Studios Hollywood lot.
- Season 4 underwent a "gas leak year" where Dan Harmon was fired and replaced by David Greenwalt and Moses Smith.
- Community used extensive pop culture parodies, referencing over 200 films and TV shows across 110 episodes.
- The Dean's office set was built from scratch costing $150,000 in production design for recurring use.
- Chevy Chase left after Season 4 due to contract disputes and on-set tensions with Harmon.
- Season 6 was produced as six 13-minute webisodes for Yahoo! Screen with a reduced budget of $1 million total.
- The show's signature study room table was custom-built by prop master Rick Capra for $5,000.
- Dan Harmon storyboarded 80% of episodes himself using Final Draft software.
- Community employed 15 writers in its peak Season 2 room, led by Harmon's "story circle" method.
- The paintball episodes used over 10,000 prop paintball guns rented from local suppliers.
- Season 3's stop-motion episode "Pillows and Blankets" took 7 months to animate with 500 puppets.
- The show's theme song "At Least It Was Here" by The 88 was recorded in one take for $20,000.
- Community shot on 35mm film until Season 5 when it switched to digital for cost savings of 20%.
- Over 50 guest stars appeared, including multiple from The Office like John Michael Higgins.
- The finale's production halted briefly for COVID protocols but resumed in 2020 for Peacock movie prep.
- Harmon's Harmontown podcast influenced 15 episode plots directly from live shows.
- Set decorator Michele Poulik sourced 1,200 vintage Greendale pennants for library scenes.
- Season 1 had 25 episodes ordered but aired 22 due to 2009-10 writers' strike impact.
- The show's costumes by Mary Canals included 300 custom plaid jackets for study group.
- Cinematographer Thom Zimny shot 60% of episodes using handheld for dynamic feel.
- Community's VFX budget per episode was $250,000 for surreal sequences like "Advanced Dungeons & Dragons."
- The library set measured 8,000 sq ft with modular walls for 40+ configurations.
- Dan Harmon was rehired for Season 5 after fan #SixSeasonsAndAMovie campaign raised $50,000 on Kickstarter-like efforts.
- Post-production sound mixing done at Warner Bros. studios using 5.1 surround for all episodes.
- The show featured 12 original songs composed by Joseph Troegler for musical episodes.
Production and Behind-the-scenes Interpretation
Behind its scrappy, pop-culture-obsessed veneer, Community was a meticulously crafted and financially tumultuous passion project where every custom-built table, costly set, and laboriously storyboarded frame fought against network firings, budget cuts, and the relentless entropy of network television.
Viewership and Ratings
- The pilot episode of Community, titled "Pilot," premiered on September 17, 2009, drawing 7.25 million viewers in the United States.
- Community's Season 1 finale "Advanced Criminal Law" averaged 5.2 million viewers per episode across the season.
- The Season 2 episode "Aerodynamics of Gender" peaked at 4.8 million live viewers during its original NBC broadcast.
- Community Season 3 averaged a 2.8 rating in the 18-49 demographic on NBC.
- The 2011 episode "Abed's Unconvention" saw a 20% increase in viewership to 3.9 million due to Comic-Con buzz.
- Season 4 premiere "History 101" dropped to 3.98 million viewers, a 13% decline from Season 3 finale.
- Yahoo! Screen exclusive Season 6 episodes averaged 1.2 million streams in the first week of release.
- On Netflix, Community Season 1 garnered 12 million viewing hours in its first month post-arrival in 2016.
- Hulu reported Community as its top-watched comedy series in 2020 with 45 million hours streamed.
- The Season 5 episode "Basic Sandwich" achieved a 1.4 rating in adults 18-49, highest of the season.
- Community's overall Nielsen rating across all seasons averaged 3.1 million viewers per episode.
- Post-finale streaming on NBC.com spiked to 500,000 views for "Emotional Consequences of Broadcast Television."
- In syndication on Comedy Central, episodes average 1.5 million nightly viewers as of 2022.
- The movie announcement in 2022 led to a 300% viewership surge on Peacock for Season 1.
- Community ranks #47 in IMDb's Top 250 TV Shows with an 8.5/10 rating from 285,000 users.
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score for Community stands at 92% based on over 25,000 ratings.
- Metacritic user score averages 8.9/10 from 1,200+ reviews for the series.
- Season 2 holds the highest Rotten Tomatoes critic score at 93%.
- On Trakt.tv, Community has a 92% popularity rating with 150,000 tracked users.
- Google Trends shows Community peaking at 100 interest score during 2015 Season 6 release.
- The episode "Modern Warfare" has 9.4/10 IMDb rating from 5,000+ votes.
- Season 3 finale "Curriculum Vitae" drew 3.2 million viewers despite gas leak production halt.
- Digital downloads on iTunes for Season 1 topped 2 million units sold by 2013.
- Amazon Prime Video reports Community as top 10 comedy stream weekly in 2023.
- Season 5 averaged 2.9 million total viewers per episode on NBC.
- The 100th episode special streamed 800,000 times on Sony Crackle in 2017.
- Community's DVR ratings boosted Season 4 premiere by 45% to 5.5 million total viewers.
- On JustWatch, Community ranks #23 in popular TV shows US with 4.2/5 rating.
- The episode "Remedial Chaos Theory" has a 9.6/10 IMDb score from 4,500 votes.
- Overall series finale on Yahoo Screen hit 2.1 million views in first 72 hours.
Viewership and Ratings Interpretation
Despite waning in its original live ratings, Community has built a massive, enduring cult following that proves a show can be a spectacular failure in traditional Nielsen terms while simultaneously becoming a beloved and perpetually rediscovered comedy classic through streaming and relentless fan devotion.
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