Community, the tv show

interested to see what they do with Pierce as they've gone all out to make most of us (no?) dislike him and for believability's sake you'd think they'd all just cut him loose. different situation with Chang where he's more just bizarre and creepy rather than actively intentionally mean to them. maybe they will both find some way to genuinely endear themselves to the others thru a heroic deed and normalise thereafter, but yeah that could suck.

I have a strong feeling that Pierce won't be around by the time Season 3 starts. I kinda feel like he was only included at the start because NBC wanted a "name" attached to the project and now that the show is (at least semi-) successful on its own terms, they are preparing him to dump him (from what I hear, he is a complete ass on the set).

this is pure conjecture but chase is known to be a total dick IRL and I wonder if the writers/show producers are taking revenge on him with what they're doing to pierce

― congratulations (n/a), Friday, December 3, 2010 8:07 AM (2 months ago) Bookmark

apparently during filming Chase was saying some lines and then paused for a few seconds then "heeeeey, I see what this is" and stormed off set.

http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/b54978_Chevy_Chase_Mom_and_Stepdad_Abused_Me.html

watching the chevy chase roast on youtube, so brutal

Blimey. xp

From what I hear, he is a complete ass on the set

Are you hearing this from mates or from a source you could provide a link to? I'm not arguing with you, I'd just be curious to read about it if there's material available. Basically I just like reading about Community.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-wRyezZEdE

Are you hearing this from mates or from a source you could provide a link to? I'm not arguing with you, I'd just be curious to read about it if there's material available. Basically I just like reading about Community.

The thing I read was something a friend sent me from one of the second-tier gossip sites, but I'll be damned if I can find it now. There was nothing concrete, but given his history, seemed pretty valid.

you're really reading a lot into max's post, and my agreement with it, about simply wanting an episode free of a framing device. constant self-aware avoidance of ruts can itself become a rut y'know.

― am0n, Monday, February 21, 2011 1:10 PM (59 minutes ago) Bookmark

I hear ya, and I actually agree with you in the abstract -- a show that relies too heavily on such devices is probably going to run out of gas soon. I guess I feel that wrt Community, the framing-device and no-framing-device episodes kind of feed off of each other, and inform each other. And I definitely see your point in the danger of lopsidedness.

that roast is too sad

i want to read chevy's autobio

Community's Chevy Chase Problem

I tend to prefer the high concept episodes. every time I watch a 'standard' episode, I still laugh a ton and love it, and yet because of how good their high concept episodes are, I keep going "man I can't wish until their next one".

With that said, they do need a 'standard episode' sorbet every few episodes to keep them fresh.

favourite episode so far this season is the animated one - much better than i expected (guess i do like the abed-heavy ones the most). least favourite is the drugs one.

Community doesn't have a Chevy Chase problem. the whole chevy chase/pierce thing is one of the most compelling things to watch in the show right now and it speaks really poorly of television criticism that they're unable to say "this is very uncomfortable and compelling" without also saying, "that must mean the show is doing something wrong." the "group" has never really wanted Pierce around and that hasn't changed. he just keeps showing up. it's not like they can get rid of him at this point. he snuck into the DnD game, wasn't hanging out with them in "Early 21st Century Romanticism," etc. He really hasn't been a part of the group since the drug play episode.

The other thing tho is that Pierce isn't totally unredeemable either. Though he acts like a dick, he often plays an important role in getting people to overcome problems and face up to themselves. The narrator in the DnD episode explicitly credits Pierce with having saved Neil's life, and as of last episode he has given Jeff the opportunity to have some closure with his father. he's obviously a terrible person and bitter and all that, but it's a mistake to not acknowledge the things he has brought to the group. If anything, I don't think we'll see him redeemed (assuming he even stays on the show). If anything I think we'll see a shift where the good things about him are put more front and center.

Community doesn't have a Chevy Chase problem. the whole chevy chase/pierce thing is one of the most compelling things to watch in the show right now and it speaks really poorly of television criticism that they're unable to say "this is very uncomfortable and compelling" without also saying, "that must mean the show is doing something wrong."

cosign

yea it's not like they've turned Pearce into a completely one dimensional character. with every act of dickery they always give a little window into his own anguish.

I have known plenty of Pearces in my own life.

xxp Mordy totally OTM

and I agree with your prediction in the last sentence (if only for one episode)

+ “She's actually just my favorite” is downright classic. He has some of the best lines

mordy otm

the whole chevy chase/pierce thing is one of the most compelling things to watch in the show right now and it speaks really poorly of television criticism

absolutely

it's funny though cuz it is true. like it is true that basic cable programming has gotten more graphic over the years, usually it has been in your more dramatic/cop procedural shows. With comedies, most of the advances in graphic content have been on the sexual side. sitcoms, whether they were the standard formula comedies, or the 30-Rocky type 'quirk' comedies, most all of them would avoid sensitive topics like suicide, or if they did step near them, they'd make comedic situations out of them.

same with the pill addiction. I'm not saying nobody's done it before, but the writers aren't shying away from a lot of basic-cable shows haven't wanted to touch.

(note that doens't apply at all to premium cable shows).

Though he acts like a dick, he often plays an important role in getting people to overcome problems and face up to themselves.

for the most part this is the unwitting collateral of his dickishness ... still think he's pretty irredeemable and not expecting any redemption. agree with your broad point

the troy-crazy-staring parts of this last ep were not funny

it was an okay ep, but these were not

troy freaking out was funny, but the staring bits were not

i also d quite g troy now. wasn't he a jock? but now he is actually a massive star trek fan aka geek. not saying there isn't an overlap but.

the troy-crazy-staring parts of this last ep were not funny

I stopped reading here...

agreed about pierce. i also like chevy chase and don't really care if he's been irl shitty to a bunch of ppl in hollywood

also Troy was a 'jock' in the sense that he is athletic but he never liked making that the core of him, that's why he intentionally injured himself playing football.

but now he is actually a massive star trek fan aka geek.

uh did u miss every single ref to reading rainbow or ??

http://coltmonday.files.wordpress.com/2009/08/reading-rainbow.jpg?w=271&h=412

or the episode where he had no clue what Dungeons and Dragons was

think it was pretty clear that Troy's Lavar appreciation hierarchy went

1. Reading Rainbow
2. Roots
78. Star Trek

also g the f out, the staring parts were funny

Do you remember when he had a backpack with only a pillow in it?

That was the best.

alien costume in halloween ep

propose history mayne's criticism stricken from thread

seconded

i think Troy represents the New Gen Jock, which is the one that digs geeky stuff like comic books, sci-fi and video games even though they're not that smart so i think Community is accurately reflecting interesting trends in youth culture

also duh Troy's inherent enthusiasm and joie de vivre has been stoked for nerdy things by his friendship with Abed, the most fulfilling relationship in his life thus far

when he was a jock he was never excited ABOUT anything

ok

i don't know what reading rainbow is, but it doesn't seem that jock-troy would have been moved to tears about it...?

either way, staring still unfunny

the d&d ep was great

jocks and non-jocks alike grew up loving Reading Rainbow.

aight. guess it must be a 'funny for americans' thing, like john oliver.

yeah, classic american kids show

i think even the people who make the show have been pretty upfront about the fact that they started with an idea of troy the character as he was written in the pilot and from there have tailored it more to glover's personality/talents, but i think they've done a good job of making it a gradual development of the character and not a total retcon.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6j8EiWIVZs

xp

The fact that Reading Rainbow is now relegated to nostalgia kinda pisses me off. There should be new episodes forever, man.

Former executive producer LeVar Burton announced on his Twitter feed on March 19, 2010, that "Reading Rainbow 2.0 is in the works."

Oh cool. THANKS WIKI!

A few years ago I was home during the day and had the tv on PBS. "Reading Rainbow" came on, and I'm like, "I didn't know they still did this! How cool!" But as the show started, I discovered it was a rerun from the late 80s about "Night Stories" w/a vinyl spinning overnight lady DJ starring w/Lavar in the framing intros.

i don't know what reading rainbow is, but it doesn't seem that jock-troy would have been moved to tears about it...?

Troy was a jock in late high school, 10 years after he would have been a sensitive kid into a storybook TV show. He didn't like being a jock, but it gave him a sense of belonging and self-esteem that he found supportive at the time. ergo still sensitive kid inside.

ha Big Bang Theory is running an ad about how this week's episode might feature LeVar Burton (but probably won't)