How Community’s Worst Season Surprisingly Improved the Show’s Legacy

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The most disappointing season for the TV show “Community” stood out for all the wrong reasons, yet it ultimately enhanced the series in a positive way. With each episode, the characters navigated a fresh, side-splitting challenge on their path to earn degrees from community college. Characters like Abed Nadir, the eccentric TV and film enthusiast (portrayed by Danny Pudi), his buddy Troy Barnes, the former high school quarterback (Donald Glover), activist Britta Perry (Gillian Jacobs), Annie Edison, a studious type who once struggled with Adderall addiction (Alison Brie), Shirley Bennett, a mother of one (Yvette Nicole Brown), and Jeff Winger, a deceitful lawyer (Joel McHale) were all part of this intriguing group.

It was clear which season of “Community” was the most disappointing, yet even those less-than-stellar episodes didn’t drag down the series overall. Intriguingly, some of these moments may be revisited in the upcoming “Community” movie.

Community Season 4 Was A Disaster – What Went Wrong

Everything Can Be Blamed On Greendale’s Gas Leak

The fourth season of “Community,” often referred to as its “gas leak” year, is universally considered the weakest of the series. This was due to a combination of factors, both on-screen and behind the scenes. The production of “Community” season 4 was particularly chaotic. A significant contributor to the show’s success has been creator Dan Harmon. However, at the end of season 3, Harmon was removed as the showrunner in an effort to shake things up, and he was replaced by David Guarascio and Moses Port.

Even though Guarascio and Port have their unique skills, they weren’t suitable for the show Community. Regrettably, Harman was brought back for season 5 of Community , but by then, the impact had already taken its toll. The stories presented in Community season 4 were daring and distinct from previous episodes, yet the execution left much to be desired, and some failed to connect with viewers.

Instead of saying “For example, the return of Community’s darkest timeline should’ve been an exciting moment, but the storyline was dragged out,” you could rephrase it as “The resurrection of Community’s most ominous timeline had great potential for excitement, but the narrative became protracted.”

In the second part, instead of saying “By the time season 4 was finished with the darkest timeline, it didn’t hold the same weight as it did before,” you could rephrase it as “After season 4 concluded its exploration of the darkest timeline, it failed to carry the same impact as initially.”

For “While the original episode was a part of Abed’s story arc, by the end, it didn’t feel relevant to any of the characters,” you could rephrase it as “Although the initial episode played a role in Abed’s narrative, by the finale, it seemed disconnected from the other characters.”

Finally, instead of saying “attempts to replicate Community‘s glory days in season 4 also didn’t work out. “, you could rephrase it as “Further efforts to emulate Community’s golden age during season 4 also fell flat.”

“The resurrection of Community’s most ominous timeline had great potential for excitement, but the narrative became protracted after season 4 concluded its exploration of the darkest timeline, failing to carry the same impact as initially. Although the initial episode played a role in Abed’s narrative, by the finale, it seemed disconnected from the other characters. Further efforts to emulate Community’s golden age during season 4 also fell flat.

The episode titled “Intro to Felt Surrogacy” about a musical puppet seems intriguing theoretically, but in reality, it lacks coherence, and using puppets feels more like an overused trick than a fresh idea. On the other hand, the episode named “Advanced Documentary Filmmaking,” which is presented through Abed’s filmmaking, does not live up to the hilarity and captivation of the Russo brothers-directed “Intermediate Documentary Filmmaking” from season 2.

The puppet episode, titled “Intro to Felt Surrogacy,” seems cool on paper but doesn’t make much sense, and using puppets feels repetitive instead of innovative. Another episode called “Advanced Documentary Filmmaking” is presented through Abed’s filmmaking style, but unlike the hilarious and engaging “Intermediate Documentary Filmmaking” directed by the Russo brothers in season 2, it isn’t as amusing or captivating.

Community Season 4’s Problems Led To Some Hilarious Backtracking In Season 5

Community Pushed The Gas Leak Year Events Under The Rug

In light of how significantly season 4 affected us all, it came as no shock when we, within the community, slipped in a meta-joke about the gas leak in season 5. Instead of invalidating or rewriting any of the events from season 4, the series opted to create an intriguing narrative where a gas leak at Greendale University served as an explanation for the unusual behavior exhibited by all characters. This implied that we should view those past occurrences with a grain of salt.

In my humble opinion, while some aspects of Community’s fourth season left me slightly underwhelmed, there were certainly moments worth appreciating. For instance, Britta and Troy, who realized their relationship wasn’t meant to be, have managed to maintain a strong friendship post-breakup.

Moreover, the show made a comeback by inviting Brie Larson back as Rachel from “Herstory of Dance,” and most delightfully, Abed found himself in a more substantial romantic storyline, as opposed to his usual fleeting bursts of compatibility with unseen women, as Britta so aptly put it.

Community Season 4 Was So Bad, It Forced The Show To Reinvent Itself

Sometimes, Things Have To Get Worse Before They Get Better

Despite the setback caused by the gas leak incident in the fourth season, there were some silver linings for the TV series “Community.” The following season saw a drop in audience interest, and several actors departed from the show during season five. However, Dan Harmon’s return proved instrumental in salvaging the situation. Although seasons 5 and 6 didn’t enjoy the same popularity as the show’s peak period, they provided a comforting sense of continuity that was conspicuously absent in season 4.

In Community’s fifth season, John Oliver reappears as Ian Duncan and Jonathan Banks debuts as Buzz Hickey, joining the main cast as part of the Greendale Committee. The narrative strays from the absurdity of previous seasons and returns to a more straightforward era. The overall mood is lighter compared to the pessimism in season 4, and there’s a welcome focus on character development for all members. Despite Community’s fourth season being less favorable, it seems the missteps made ultimately improved the show moving forward.

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2025-05-25 18:28