Milena De Souza
Professor Payson
English 101
09/25/2022
Why Should You Watch Community?
Community is a show that first aired in 2009. The show teaches you about many
significant life lessons, all while pushing the boundaries of what a sitcom should look like.
The show kicks off its pilot episode with characters Jeff and Abed on their first day at
Greendale Community College. Their encounter leads to a study group, consisting of Spanish
class students Jeff Winger, Britta Perry, Abed Nadir, Shirley Bennett, Pierce Hawthorne, Troy
Barnes and Annie Edison, being formed by Jeff as an attempt to sleep with Britta. Even though
the group is created with shallow intentions, they go on to become a very tight-knit clique, or as
Jeff declared, a “community.” The show is full to the brim with parallels, long-running bits, and
foreshadowing, making it worthy of being watched multiple times even though it has six
seasons. Community is commonly described as one of the most inventive shows that have aired
yet. The show’s distinctive style consistently jeopardized its place on the air due to many critics
claiming it was “too far out of the ordinary.” TV was more restrictive when the show aired from
September 17, 2009, to April 17, 2014, but the show took off and developed a cult following
when it became available on Netflix in April 2020. It manages to be quite consistent while still
providing very unique entertainment. The character Abed Nadir was used as a clever way to
break the fourth wall using his special interest in film. With many sitcoms failing as a result of
taking themselves too seriously, Community provided a comical take on stereotypical sitcom
tropes while still managing to navigate many hard-hitting life lessons. While watching the show,
viewers learn important skills alongside the characters such as working through abandonment
issues, strengthening friendships, and adapting to change all while watching clever action-
packed episodes composed of things like campus-wide paintball, run-away RVs, and Christmas
fist fights.
Since the show was already hanging on by a thread from its eccentric writing, it wasn’t
much of a risk to provide awareness and representation that wasn’t as common in that era of
television. Community college has been looked down upon for centuries in American culture, yet
the show portrays it as a valid educational experience while still making jokes nearly any
community college student can relate to. It is also widely recognized as one of the first shows to
have an autistic character that doesn’t portray autism as a flaw or something to be fixed. Abed
Nadir gave many members of the autistic community a character to truly resonate with. It is also
one of the first sitcoms of its time to make racism the butt of the joke and not rely on dark humor
for laughs. Everytime a character did something controversial, usually Pierce Hawthorne or Ben
Chang, they would face repercussions for it. Community talked about many controversial topics,
but managed to do it in a way that wasn’t just sensitive, but informative and impactful.
As an avid fan myself, I can personally note that watching Community genuinely made a
positive impact in my life. It destigmatized community college and has given me a different point
of view on many significant life lessons. If it doesn’t make you rethink your life, you can still
enjoy it for its clever writing and entertaining episodes. The world may not have been ready for
this show in 2009, but anyone who watches it now will agree that it is definitely ingenious, or as
the characters would say it, “streets ahead.”