It was announced on Thursday night, following a particularly stellar episode of the series, that Community is being renewed for a fourth season on NBC. After a few celebratory rounds on the secret trampoline (no double bouncing), Greendale fans might have stumbled upon a particularly unsettling piece of news: creator and showrunner Dan Harmon might not be returning for Season 4. At this point, this is only speculation, reported originally by Deadline — Harmon's cryptic Tweet only adds to the mystery. But even the slightest hint at the creator's absence during Community's forthcoming season sparks dread in the hearts of fans. The simple fact is that Community cannot and should not continue on without Harmon at the wheel.
The man who came up with the Greendale universe, inspired by his own experiences forming unexpected friendships while attending community college in adulthood, is one of the few figures in show business who has vocalized such a profound, intricate and passionate love and appreciation for and knowledge of the very special, unique art form/family member that is television.
Those out there who have fallen in love with the show has recognized it as not only the best program on TV, but also the best program about TV. With its genre parodies and its deconstruction of sitcom staples, Community has served not just as a piece of unparalleled entertainment, but also as an invigorating academic lesson in the craft and history of the structure of the TV show. Without Harmon at the helm, these themes could not have existed so perfectly, nor could the fan favorite episodes that have embodied them.
"Investigative Journalism"
This might not be the best one to start with, as it is neither one of Community's most celebrated nor most memorable episodes, but it might well be one of the most important episodes in the history of the series. Best remembered as the Jack Black episode, this is the episode where Community went from being a show about seven misfits banding together, to a show about a show about seven misfits banding together. Black's character Buddy (around whom Spanish studyin' is allegedly better) represented the viewing public. Not the viewing public of Community, necessarily, but of all its codependency-themed sitcom predecessors.
This episode acknowledged the relationship that audiences have with shows like Friends — they're not just half-hours of entertainment, they're communities that fans wish to be apart of. But, just as Buddy couldn't be welcomed into the study group, fans can't be welcomed into the worlds of their favorite shows. These perfect worlds of perfect groups of people that you'd never find beyond the confines of your TV screen. This episode not only painted an articulate picture of television's relationship with its viewers, it also started the study group on their path towards, and then violently away from, that image of "the perfect group." All this must come from a close, personal relationship with TV. The kind of relationship that Harmon has expressed throughout his career.
"Cooperative Calligraphy"
On the audio commentary for Community's Season 2 DVD, Harmon makes mention that "Cooperative Calligraphy" might be the episode he would choose as a standalone representation of what Community is about. One of the first real gems of the second season, "Calligraphy" features an ostensibly simple plot surrounding seven people searching for a misplaced pen, which manifests as an examination of both interpersonal relationships as well as one of television's most prominent staples: the bottle episode.
This episode proved Harmon to be not only emotionally attached to television, but also imbued with a deep understanding of the way it works and is meant to work (two things that don't always go hand in hand). With Abed as the audience surrogate (as usual), understanding the televisual nature of the antics going on in the study room, the episode managed to illustrate the purpose and effectiveness of the bottle episode trope that has been used by television shows from The Honeymooners to Breaking Bad.