# "Community" (new NBC show) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 18, 2009, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/community-new-nbc-show/510596 "2009-09-18T15:26:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2009, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/community-new-nbc-show/510596/101 "2009-10-02T18:51:12Z")
Yeah, this week wasn’t bad. Still good enough for me to watch. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2009, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/community-new-nbc-show/510596/102 "2009-10-02T20:47:18Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > I think it’s holding up after three episodes, and Abed has the potential to become a breakout character. I’m not nuts about Abed, maybe because he talks so fast, and it doesn’t sound natural at all. Is he supposed to remind us of Sheldon from _Big Bang Theory_? But I’ve only seen one and a half episodes. Maybe he’ll grow on me. I liked the carpe diem teacher. ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2009, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/community-new-nbc-show/510596/103 "2009-10-02T21:13:55Z")
> [@AuntiePam](#): > > I liked the carpe diem teacher. I thought he was hillarious too. It was great how not only McHale’s character compared his class to Dead Poets Society but the professor called out McHale on trying to cruise through an easy class. Of course somehow there was going to be a way that McHale wasn’t going to flunk the class; I thought it was going to be that sweater he was wearing though. ---
**Author:** ![PetW](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d2c977/32.png) [@PetW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PetW)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2009, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/community-new-nbc-show/510596/104 "2009-10-02T22:02:38Z")
I loved the way the teacher, after seeing them kiss at the end, immediately ran off and started climbing a tree. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2009, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/community-new-nbc-show/510596/105 "2009-10-02T22:23:52Z")
> [@AuntiePam](#): > > I’m not nuts about Abed, maybe because he talks so fast, and it doesn’t sound natural at all. Is he supposed to remind us of Sheldon from _Big Bang Theory_? I doubt they’d deliberately be trying to remind viewers of a character on a popular sitcom on a competing network. However, it’s been pretty bluntly suggested that Abed has Asperger’s Syndrome. Although this apparently was not intended by the show’s creators, Sheldon on _Big Bang Theory_ has been identified by many viewers and critics as being a person with Asperger’s Syndrome ([see this piece in Slate](http://www.slate.com/id/2210635/pagenum/all/)). One of the most obvious features of Asperger’s Syndrome is awkward and “unnatural” seeming social behavior and speech patterns. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2009, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/community-new-nbc-show/510596/106 "2009-10-03T00:30:14Z")
My favorite moment was when someone (the professor?) told McHale to go back to hosting American Idol. Of course, Seacrest is one of McHale’s biggest targets on The Soup. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2009, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/community-new-nbc-show/510596/107 "2009-10-03T01:16:36Z")
What I meant about Abed’s too-fast speech not sounding natural was that the actor isn’t doing a good job with it. It doesn’t flow, not like other fast talkers. Like Sheldon. Sheldon doesn’t always talk fast but when he does, it sounds natural, comfortable. But maybe it’s the accent. Or my hearing. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2009, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/community-new-nbc-show/510596/108 "2009-10-03T01:24:15Z")
Good episode but am I the only one that thought the Abed documentary storyline was a direct ripoff of “Down & Out in Beverly Hills?” ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2009, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/community-new-nbc-show/510596/109 "2009-10-03T02:47:46Z")
> [@PetW](#): > > I loved the way the teacher, after seeing them kiss at the end, immediately ran off and started climbing a tree. Noticed that as well. That was great stuff. I love how the teacher made everyone stand on their desks and while he was saying no one has told them to do that before, one of the desks breaks and the woman gets hurt. I do like Abed as a character, but they have to be careful not to overuse him. I think, as of now, we are getting a good amount of time with all of the characters except for Annie. Right now she’s seeming like just a throw in. But it seems she has a thing for Troy, so maybe that’ll go somewhere. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2009, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/community-new-nbc-show/510596/110 "2009-10-03T03:11:21Z")
> [@Lamia](#): > > Although this apparently was not intended by the show’s creators, Sheldon on _Big Bang Theory_ has been identified by many viewers and critics as being a person with Asperger’s Syndrome ([see this piece in Slate](http://www.slate.com/id/2210635/pagenum/all/)). > [@Slate](#): > > Sheldon is an exaggerated sitcom characterization, granted, and yet how else does one describe a string theorist who … refers to engineers as “semi-skilled labor”… Yeah, I’ve known these guys. Still don’t watch the show. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2009, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/community-new-nbc-show/510596/111 "2009-10-03T03:28:06Z")
Thanks for letting me know. Otherwise I might have sat up all night wondering “Does **dropzone** watch _The Big Bang Theory_?” ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2009, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/community-new-nbc-show/510596/112 "2009-10-03T03:45:42Z")
You’ll thank me in the morning. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2009, 11:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/community-new-nbc-show/510596/113 "2009-10-03T11:24:38Z")
> [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > My favorite moment was when someone (the professor?) told McHale to go back to hosting American Idol. Of course, Seacrest is one of McHale’s biggest targets on The Soup. Yes, that was a great throw away line. I also liked all the references to Robin Williams, including his suspenders and McHale say Shazbot! ---
**Author:** ![Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/bc8723/32.png) [@Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unauthorized_Cinnamon)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2009, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/community-new-nbc-show/510596/114 "2009-10-03T12:40:54Z")
Yeah, I liked the Robin Williams suspenders, as well as Abed’s assessment of Williams’ films. BTW, I realized yesterday that the guy who plays Abed is the husband in the T-Mobile “no more butt dialing” commercial: “My butt just hung up on you - sorry.” ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2009, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/community-new-nbc-show/510596/115 "2009-10-03T14:27:38Z")
> [@AuntiePam](#): > > I liked the carpe diem teacher. [John Michael Higgins](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0383422/), he’s a regular in the various Christopher Guest mockumentaries. I liked how he was a complete whackjob but still 100% right about McHale at the same time. I also like how Chevy had little to do in the last ep–not that I mind him at all, but I would think that there’d be a huge temptation to exploit the Biggest Name as much as possible, instead of treating him as one of a larger ensemble. I feel good about how they’re calibrating his character’s time irregardless of the actor’s celebrity. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2009, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/community-new-nbc-show/510596/116 "2009-10-03T14:30:11Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > As a bit of a hijack, I have to stick up for the Community College a bit here. FWIW, IME, Community Colleges get a lot more respect these days than they did a decade or more ago. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2009, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/community-new-nbc-show/510596/117 "2009-10-03T15:44:40Z")
Nice episode. Abed is of course the next [del]Erkel[/del], [del]Mimi[/del], err. What’s a good secondary character that doesn’t ruin a show? Maybe Kenneth? A nice kiss-that-isn’t-really-a-kiss. ---
**Author:** ![Campion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@Campion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Campion)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2009, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/community-new-nbc-show/510596/118 "2009-10-03T17:54:04Z")
> [@ArchiveGuy](#): > > [John Michael Higgins](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0383422/), he’s a regular in the various Christopher Guest mockumentaries. I liked how he was a complete whackjob but still 100% right about McHale at the same time. He also plays a judge on Raising the Bar (and a bit of a nutty judge, too). > [@](#): > > I also like how Chevy had little to do in the last ep–not that I mind him at all, but I would think that there’d be a huge temptation to exploit the Biggest Name as much as possible, instead of treating him as one of a larger ensemble. I feel good about how they’re calibrating his character’s time irregardless of the actor’s celebrity. I agree; I think building this as an ensemble is great, and I’m pleased so far with how they’re using Chevy Chase. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2009, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/community-new-nbc-show/510596/119 "2009-10-03T18:07:40Z")
> [@Campion](#): > > He also plays a judge on Raising the Bar (and a bit of a nutty judge, too). > > I agree; I think building this as an ensemble is great, and I’m pleased so far with how they’re using Chevy Chase. Also, I didn’t think Chevy Chase was funny, at least not anymore. But it turns out he is! ---
**Author:** ![TheTerribleTako](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba8739/32.png) [@TheTerribleTako](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheTerribleTako)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/community-new-nbc-show/510596/120 "2009-10-05T00:46:57Z")
Regarding Sampiro’s question about cheap classes, if this show is being set in California, that price is actually pretty realistic for a 3-4 unit class. Community college credits were $20/unit for in-state students for the longest time and it was only raised this past summer to $26/unit. I finally caught up with the latest episode and I’m loving this show. The Office has been making me so tense lately with its story lines and this is a nice, light contrast. I’m also not ashamed to admit that Abed’s film made me a little sniffy. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/community-new-nbc-show/510596.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/community-new-nbc-show/510596.md?page=7)