Yeah, Mahaloth is definitely losing some MeowMeowBeenz for that.
So your entire apartment was that the actors were cast to play a role.
You do understand that Joel McHale was never a lawyer? And that none of the actors actually were attending a Community college during the run of the show? Why aren’t you objecting to that?
The actors were cast because they were good in the role. There is nothing strange about that.
Every season had its share of duds, as far as I’m concerned. In season 3, I had little interest in Shirley’s wedding, Pierce’s father, and Chang’s stupid plans, for instance.
I will shock you further by noting that I thought most of the high-concept episodes (like paintball and blanket forts) were much less funny the second time I watched them.
I’m still trying to make sense of this statement in the Community Wiki quote:
Jeff's age in the Season Five episode "G.I. Jeff" is revealed to be forty. This information contradicts established canon that his age at the start of the show was around 35.
If he was 35 at the beginning of the show, how is it contradictory for him to be 40 five years later? (Each season was more or less a year in real time.)
Hey, everyone, I actually asked for this post to be locked after 1 or 2 responses since my point was never properly or clearly made. My wife told me, “You do realize that people will just say ‘That’s Hollywood!’ if you ask.”
They didn’t lock it because the conversation was lively, but I don’t know that I did a good job making my point or now looking at it if even I understand.
I can only say my point was not:
- Why does Hollywood cast older actors as young people?
- How come actors aren’t really the people they play? Like, I was never asking is Joel Mchale really a failed lawyer?
I think the closest person to get my point was the Doper who pointed out that Jean-Luc Picard kept his French background and name when they cast a British actor in the role. Once they had Patrick Stewart, it might have made sense to slightly adjust the character history to fit the person they cast.
As long as we are going on tangents, its interesting to note that, for House, MD, after being cast Jesse Spencer was able to get the producers to change his character from English to Australian.
Welcome to my world.
To try to properly answer the OP, I don’t think it was weird to have a 19 year old character in the group. Yes, it’s a community college, which often has older people continuing their education, but at least some of the students will be normal college age. Annie was the ‘young one’ of the group, and there were several plot points that made reference to her youth. It made for a nice range of ages from her age to early 60s(?) for Pierce.
As mentioned, the creepiness of the attraction between Annie and Joel was kind of the point, and it was never actually followed up on, except for one kiss. And there were references to her youth at many times-- at one point a tangential character makes a sexual joke or reference about Annie and Joel says “Annie’s young, so we try not to sexualize her”.
Joel was a scammy lawyer before ending up at Greendale. Not too surprising that he would lie about his age. And he actually showed restraint with Annie, who had an active crush on him and at least one point asked Joel “how come we never…?”. Why is it so surprising that a 19-20 year old and a 40 year old would have a mutual attraction? College students and professors have been having affairs since colleges have existed, both in real life and fiction, and that’s a more creepy and exploitive relationship than two students.
Now I feel like I’ve way over-analyzed a TV show that basically existed to lampoon fiction tropes 
I never watched this show when it was on TV - I started watching it about a year ago. I really enjoyed it in the beginning but after the first few seasons (I’m not sure which season it started in) it really went off the rails. I skipped over many episodes because they were just ridiculous. I never finished the series and have no interest in going back in.
But there was no need to for Community, because it worked as-is. Brie works as the age they say Annie is, McHale works as the age they say Jeff is. The only one who thinks there’s a “weird issue” is you, it seems, not other viewers.
But part if what gives a community College it’s flavor is exactly that: you suddenly have 19 year Olds and 45 year Olds and 70 year Olds are all peers and it’s weird. It would be bizarre to have a show about a CC with no 19 year olds.
So, just to note this offhand, Community is my favorite show of all time (though based on the day, Seinfeld or Arrested Development may take the top slot).
I don’t think the casting choices of Annie & Jeff were jarring at all. Annie and Troy were supposed to be young coming into Greendale - for both it was a last ditch school as their bigger college dreams fell apart. And it didn’t seem too strange for Annie & Troy to be 19 and 20 (and Brie and Glover did not see too ‘off’ for the role). Jeff as well was fine for a 35 year old in TV land.
Jeff being attracted to Annie with that age difference is the point of that whole plot point.
[raises hand] I just got done with three decades of teaching at a Community College. And the diverse ages thrown together is unique, and would make a good sitcom (and did!).
One class, I kept threatening to paint a line down the middle of the room. All the 19 year old “13th Graders” were on one side, with the “Returning Students” (a dozen 30-50 year olds) on the other.
(It was a ‘remedial computer basics’ class. Omigod, the stories … but it was great how the different ages and backgrounds had to work together.)
.
Just this week I went out to a dinner at a bar with the students from one of my last in-person classes, and the ages ranged from teenager (wannabe hippie: “So, I’m rehabbing a van to take to ALL the music festivals”), to Millennial engaged career couple, to 40ish teacher mom with her newborn, an older dad on his fourth career…
I was thinking of Community the whole time.
Oh, and I for one thought the OP was very clear.
(We just took it off in as many directions as there are respondents… as is mandatory here).
Just to make one thing clear here that I don’t see brought up yet. The whole “Jeff and Annie” plot didn’t really happen until Season 2. It was clear from the pilot that the main couple was supposed to be Jeff and Britta. I don’t think they were even planning anything between Jeff and Annie until they realized the characters had chemistry.
BTW, for a more general discussion, there is this:
In CC classes I’ve taken, the youngs and olds sat intermixed, and socilized amiably.
Solidarity!
Thanks. I really like Joel McHale and watched the Soup the entire time he was on it. I like Allison Brie on the show.
Does this show think Joel McHale is super hot? Or is that just something Jeff Winger thinks about himself? Or…wait…is Joel McHale super hot? I only seem him as an average looking guy who super works out.
Then again, I remember him from Almost Live before he got hair plugs. I can’t think of a celebrity who benefited from fixing his balding issue more than Joel.
Joel McHale is super hot. Also Jeff Winger is super hot and believes himself to be super hot.
And, of course, Allison Brie is ridiculously hot.