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Thursday, February 7, 2013

TV Things Don't Look Good for Community

Posted by Paul Constant on Thu, Feb 7, 2013 at 3:29 PM

Community finally returns with new episodes tonight, but without series creator Dan Harmon on board, Mike Hale at the New York Times says it's a shadow of its former self. You should read the whole review, but here's the nut:

The show has been dumbed down, its humor broadened past recognition, and the two episodes provided for review — Thursday’s season premiere, “History 101,” and the Feb. 21 entry, “Conventions of Space and Time” — have fewer laughs between them than a single good scene from the old “Community.”

It sounds like everyone's worst Community nightmare has finally come true. But in cheerier Community news, the writing team did an Ask Me Anything on Reddit last night, and it had all sorts of neat little tidbits, including more slagging on Chevy Chase and this genius idea from a deleted scene:

Abed and Troy had an inflatable couch filled with helium in their apartment — you know, so it could float back up to the ceiling when not in use — and the bit got cut. (They lost the ottoman, but then it flew back in the window at the end of the scene.)

It's a shame that our planet's helium supply is rapidly depleting, because that couch idea is a winner.

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Posted by ArtBasketSara on February 7, 2013 at 3:41 PM

I think you would enjoy the halfbakery. Note the comment regarding a non-helium alternative: regular air furniture attached to the ceiling by elastic cord or pulleys.

Posted by Matt the Engineer on February 7, 2013 at 3:45 PM

Well hopefully it keeps it from getting cancelled

Posted by Seattle14 on February 7, 2013 at 3:56 PM

They "Britta'd" their own show? I'm just another step closer to doing something crazy drastic like going back to only reading books and newspapers as I did in my anachronistic youth. My future is bleak.

Posted by knobtheunicorn on February 7, 2013 at 4:37 PM

@3 hopefully this get's it canceled much like Ripley/Alien canceled all the freakish tetragenic versions of her in "Resurrection" with the flamethrower.

Posted by knobtheunicorn on February 7, 2013 at 4:41 PM

Petered out after the Levar Burton guest appearance. Funny when brand new.

Posted by Supreme Ruler Of The Universe

on February 7, 2013 at 6:57 PM

I miss 30 Rock even more now.

Posted by littlejilm on February 7, 2013 at 8:07 PM

Just watched it. It's ok. Still better than reality shows.

Posted by NotSean on February 7, 2013 at 8:33 PM

You can just fill your coach with Hydrogen, which is the definition of plentiful (you can make it from water) and has more lift per unit volume than Helium. It gets a bad rap because of the Hindenburg, but as long as you're not a smoker it's no big deal.

But yeah, in college some guys rigged a set of pulleys and cables attached to a a couple of pieces of plywood that carried their futons so they could winch them up the ceiling to "clear the decks" for party activities. In Japan they just roll the futons up and put them away in the morning, but 'murica likes to make things complicated.

Posted by Wandergeist on February 7, 2013 at 9:22 PM

Two words: Murphy Bed.

Posted by Catherwood on February 8, 2013 at 7:32 AM

So...we're heading into another couple of seasons of no good sitcoms? Probably overdue; we've been lucky to have a few good ones on and even on back to back. *sigh*

Posted by Cato the Younger Younger on February 8, 2013 at 7:36 AM