Dan Harmon’sCommunityis a clever and complex sitcom, with many episodes that prove to be worth rewatching again and again. Set at Greendale Community College,Communityfollows a study group of unlikely friends who get into various film-inspired hijinks.Community’s charactersare compelling and well-defined, especially in its middle seasons. With each episode tackling such a different movie trope and genre,Communityis incredibly rewatchable. As someone who has rewatched the show many times, I find certain episodes to stand out even after multiple viewings.
I’m excited about theupcomingCommunitymovie, though I wonder if it will be able to live up to the prime seasons of the original show. Though the show was formulaic at times, with most episodes ending with a “Winger wrap-up,“each episode has a distinct personality and tone. I found thatCommunity’s quality declined after its fourth season, as the premise to get the study group back together after graduation is a little loose. Therefore, the top ten episodes I keep returning to are from theCommunity’s peak first four seasons.
10Cooperative Calligraphy
Season 2, Episode 8
In this bottle episode, as Abed so irritatedly points out, the group locks themselves in the study room to find out who has stolen Annie’s pen.It’s a great exploration of group paranoia and the unstruck nervesthat have the potential to break the group’s bonds. Each character takes turns spiraling out in the face of group confrontation, accused of stealing the pen.
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Compared to the rest of the season, a bottle episode is usually cheaply produced and uses as few sets, actors, and effects as possible.
Making one setting so compelling for an episode is challenging, so “Cooperative Calligraphy” is full of nuance and gags. This attention to detail makes the episode so rewatchable, as there is more to pick up on each time, from the little jokes to the important plot points. Plus, anyCommunityfan knows thatthe real pen thief is actually visible in the first scenewhen you know where to look. Small touches like this make a rewatch all too necessary.
9A Fistful Of Paintballs
Season 2, Episode 23
Communityis famous for its incredibly dramatic and epic paintball episodes, where a game of paintball is played throughout the school, exposing everyone’s survival instincts. Though there are manypaintball episodes inCommunity, I think the first part of the season two finale battle is the best. Initially, the paintball battles were spoofs of action movies likeDie HardandPredator, but the battle in season two takes a twist. It brings even more references and humor to the fight,now having established its iconic tone by this point in the second season.
TheCommunityepisode was directed by Joe Russo, who is now best known for his and his brother’s involvement in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The fight is broken into two parts, the first making fun of spaghetti westerns (the title is a play on Clint Eastwood’sA Fistful of Dollars) and the second being aStar Wars-style satire. TheCommunityepisode was directed by Joe Russo, who is now best known for his and his brother’s involvement in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.The Russos were first hired to directCaptain America: The Winter Soldierdirectly due to their success with “A Fistful of Paintballs”, further proving the episode’s strengths.
8Regional Holiday Music
Season 3, Episode 10
InCommunity’s take onGlee, the Christmas spirit slowly overtakes the study group members. Each of them, minus Britta and Jeff, gets to do a fun musical take on the significance of Christmas. For Shirley, it’s a lack of religious education; Pierce appreciates that Santa is a fellow baby boomer; and Troy is convinced to spy on Christmas traditions as an undercover Jehovah’s Witness.The songs are short and rather catchy, launching into fun musical interludes a laGlee.
The biggest reference to the source material is their constant referencing of “regionals,” whichGleefans know comes up often. To make fun of this, Pierce constantly questions what “regionals” are.
What makes this episode so good is the variety in their songs and the cleverness of the lyrics. EachCommunityChristmas songis memorable in its own way and takes on a different genre. Plus, it’s an excellent place to see the rapping excellence of Donald Glover, who later went on to become a significant artist under the name Childish Gambino.The episode stars formerSNLstar Taran Killamas Mr. Radison, a parody of Glee’s overbearing club director.
7Contemporary American Poultry
Season 1, Episode 22
Narrated by Abed, “Contemporary American Poultry” isCommunity’s take on mafia movies. However,the drama, money, and drugs of those movies are boiled down to something rather absurd: chicken tenders.Everyone at Greendale loves chicken tenders, and when the group gets control of the supply chain, with Abed as their head chef, they begin to rule the school. However, they quickly become too confident in their power, becoming nothing more than spoiled brats who need to be stopped.
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The episode is Abed-centric, though Jeff becomes a major component in trying to stop Abed’s rise as he realizes he misses the power he used to have over the group.Since we look through Abed’s perspective, we understand more about the way he sees the worldand what he finds important. I find that these minor details in the episode make it so rewatchable, such as pausing and further examining Abed’s whiteboard of the study group members' notable traits. In the end, Abed’s narration nicely wraps up the episode and his choice to help Jeff sabotage their entire operation.
6Abed’s Uncontrollable Christmas
Season 2, Episode 11
What makesCommunityso great is its bravery in experimenting with different art forms. In an homage to the Christmas classics of Rankin and Bass, likeRudolphandSanta Claus is Coming to Town, thisCommunityChristmas episode is told entirely through clay figures.It draws excellent parallels between what’s happening in real life and the endless possibilities of claymation. The audience soon comes to realize this is happening through Abed’s eyes, and the rest of the study group tries to figure out what is causing Abed’s breakdown.
“Abed’s Uncontrollable Christmas” is the firstCommunityepisode title that isn’t arguably a spoof on a community college course name.
Each study group member takes the form of a different toy, which Abed explains reflects their personality. With less singing than in other episodes, “Abed’s Uncontrollable Christmas” uses little musical themes to summarize the lessons each character learns.The episode is wildly creative and touching as Abed’s real issues are unveiled. I’ve added this episode to my holiday movie circuit and rewatch it yearly.
5Intro To Felt Surrogacy
Season 4, Episode 9
In this episode, the study group takes puppet form to unpack their trauma from a shared weekend in the woods. The characters begin to share some of their more shameful secrets to help relieve the building tension in the group. I find the moral of this episode to be rather important, especially in the context of a show where all the characters are flawed:don’t judge others when you are just as bad. The writing is particularly strong, as each character’s secret fits their personality well.
The season 4 DVD featured behind-the-scenes footage of how the episode was made and is now available online.
The real rewatchability comes from seeing the beloved characters translated to felt. The puppets are eerily accurate to the actors, mimicking them down to their minor movements. Their songs are appropriately Muppet-y and well contrast the stoic and embarrassed in-person parts of the episode. “Intro to Felt Surrogacy” alsoguest stars the familiar faces and voices ofSeinfeld’s Jason Alexander and singer Sara Bareilles.
4Digital Estate Planning
Season 3, Episode 20
In another unusual format, “Digital Estate Planning” is set outside Greendale and created in an 8-bit video game style. The episode centers around Pierce’s father’s estate, which will be inherited by whoever can win a video game he created. It is incredible that the episode is told through animation in this pixelated style, with the avatars jumping and running in video game terrain.It’s a great example ofCommunity’s creativity and the potential of sitcoms.
What’s super fun about this episode is Abed’s romantic arc with Hilda, an in-game villager who falls in love with him.
What’s super fun about this episode is Abed’s romantic arc with Hilda, an in-game villager who falls in love with him. Putting his video game experience to use, Abed jailbreaks the game, altering the code to help the gang get to the end. He even sweetly comes back with a flash drive to rescue Hilda after promising to return for her.The episode also features Giancarlo Espositoas Pierce’s secret half-brother, Gilbert, who is also determined to get the inheritance.
3Pillows And Blankets
Season 3, Episode 14
In aKen Burns-style documentary, Troy and Abed go to war for Greendale in a Civil War-style battle between the pillow-faction, Pillowtown, and blanket-faction, Blanketsburg. The battle is an extension of the previous episode, where Troy and Abed decide to build the blanket fort as one. But “Pillows and Blankets” outlines the division of the fort and the new sides' emerging battle tactics. The two friends battle long after everyone else has gone home until they decide to make up.
Specifically, the episode spoofs Ken Burns' Civil War documentary, though it mimics much of his typical style.
The episode stands out because ittakes a serious and often intense style of storytelling and reduces it to being about something incredibly juvenile. The episode is narrated by the dramatic voice of actor Keith David, who outlines how each character assists in the battle. Some of my favorite additions to the episode are the maps and diagrams of the encampments, which are illustrated in a real war documentary style. “Pillows and Blankets” is an excellent exploration of friendship and unspoken resentments, set in a rather unusual format for a sitcom.
2Basic Human Anatomy
Season 4, Episode 11
In “Basic Human Anatomy”,Troy and Abed swap bodieson the day of Troy and Britta’s one-year anniversary because Troy can’t handle the pressure of being in a relationship anymore. The boys quickly fall into their roles as each other, with Abed later remarking that being told he’s in a body swap is the best way he’s ever been woken up. Most touchingly, Jeff’s annoyance turns into sympathy as he realizes Troy’s fears about relationships, resulting in a vulnerable pep talk.
TheFreaky Fridayinspiration for the episode is referenced many times, offering specific movie names.
Though Troy and Abed deal with the serious implications of ending a relationship with a friend,Annie and Shirley’s subplot provides some humor.Concurrently, the Dean believes he has body swapped with Jeff, taking on his tough guy persona. Interestingly, Annie starts flirting with the Dean, suggesting she just likes Jeff’s terseness and not necessarily him. Luckily, Shirley is there to point out how creepy this behavior is.
The episode was the only one written by Jim Rash, who is most recognizable as Greendale’s Dean.
Troy and Abed sell the body swap so well that on my first watch,it almost seems that it really happened. In the often fantastical world ofCommunityand Abed’s imagination, that doesn’t seem out of the question. They insist on not breaking character, even when the other isn’t there. But after rewatching, their lines begin to mean different things as the original interpretation wears off and the character’s true nature emerges.
1Remedial Chaos Theory
Season 3, Episode 4
“Remedial Chaos Theory” is my favorite episode ofCommunity. It explores the seven different potential timelines after the outcome of a die roll. Each line in the episode is incredibly clever and well-thought-out, playing out slightly differently in each timeline.After each dice roll, a different character goes downstairs to receive the pizza delivery, and various outcomes ensue with the rest of the characters upstairs.Each character has goals and distinct interests in the episode, creating clear drama and motives in each timeline.
This was also the beginning ofCommunity’s Darkest Timelineplot point, which Abed references throughout the show, though no one else quite understands what he is talking about. It is also the beginning of a much-maligned budding romance between Brita and Troy and Annie’s roommate journey with Troy and Abed. The episode is jam-packed with jokes and gags, with some of my favorite bits in the series from Troy. “Remedial Chaos Theory” is widely thought to be one ofCommunity’s most creative high-concept episodes, and makes excellent use of The Police’s hit song “Roxanne.”
Community
Communityis a comedy franchise that began as a TV series created by Dan Harmon. The show is set in the quirky Greendale Community College and follows a diverse study group navigating the ups and downs of community college life. Known for its meta-humor, pop culture references, and inventive storytelling,Communityhas garnered a dedicated fanbase. The franchise is expanding with a new movie, fulfilling the long-standing “six seasons and a movie” mantra that became a fan rallying cry.
