# Community - Season 4 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 7, 2013, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/community-season-4/649613 "2013-02-07T18:34:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Wolverine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ba9def/32.png) [@Wolverine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolverine)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2013, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/community-season-4/649613/1 "2013-02-07T18:34:14Z")
Happy October 19 everybody! Tonight is finally the return of new episodes of Community. [The other thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=651708)has covered all of the offseason stuff (there was a lot) so I thought we should have a thread devoted to the actual episodes. Tonight is “History 101”. From the NBC episode preview/recap/description: On the first day of senior year, Jeff reveals some news that threatens to tear apart the study group. Meanwhile, Dean Pelton holds an elaborate competition dubbed “The Hunger Deans.” #sixseasonsandamovie ---
**Author:** ![Oredigger77](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oredigger77/32/3181_2.png) [@Oredigger77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oredigger77)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2013, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/community-season-4/649613/2 "2013-02-07T19:27:18Z")
I just read Grantland’s [take](http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/8919980/andy-greenwald-return-nbc-community) on the new season yesterday and I can’t watch it tonight either way but i’m going to wait on some more reviews before I watch it. ---
**Author:** ![CyclopticXander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@CyclopticXander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CyclopticXander)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2013, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/community-season-4/649613/3 "2013-02-07T21:46:41Z")
> [@Oredigger77](#): > > I just read Grantland’s [take](http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/8919980/andy-greenwald-return-nbc-community) on the new season yesterday and I can’t watch it tonight either way but i’m going to wait on some more reviews before I watch it. Wow that was a depressing read. I really don’t want to watch my favorite comedy of all time become of shell of its former self, but it’s not like I’ll ever to refuse to watch it as long as they keep making it. I’m eager to see these episodes for myself and see how they measure up. ---
**Author:** ![Monkey\_Chews](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/65b543/32.png) [@Monkey\_Chews](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monkey_Chews)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2013, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/community-season-4/649613/4 "2013-02-07T21:55:38Z")
I really hope they don’t Britta it. ---
**Author:** ![CyclopticXander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@CyclopticXander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CyclopticXander)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2013, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/community-season-4/649613/5 "2013-02-07T22:14:40Z")
> [@Monkey\_Chews](#): > > I really hope they don’t Britta it. Are you using Britta to mean make a small mistake? ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2013, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/community-season-4/649613/6 "2013-02-08T01:38:51Z")
I saw it. It’s definitely a step backward. They’re going through the formula, but it’s flat. Not terrible, but far from brilliant. In a way, it reminded me of Woody Allen’s **Everything You Wanted to Know About Sex But Were Afraid to Ask** – more funny in concept than execution. If you summarized the script, it sounds better than what was on the screen. It also seemed to be trying too hard and the packed too much into the episode; some of the subplots should have been left out. Not a dismal beginning, but they need to improve. ---
**Author:** ![Tarwater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9de0a6/32.png) [@Tarwater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tarwater)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2013, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/community-season-4/649613/7 "2013-02-08T02:08:10Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > I saw it. It’s definitely a step backward. They’re going through the formula, but it’s flat. Not terrible, but far from brilliant. Flat is probably the best way to describe it. Maybe they’ll find their sea-legs in the upcoming episodes (with Harmon fired, and having sat through this premiere, I’m doubtful), but tonight it feel like the soul has gone out of the show. There was no momentum, no development. Sad. ---
**Author:** ![Uncle\_Jocko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uncle_jocko/32/2932_2.png) [@Uncle\_Jocko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncle_Jocko)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2013, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/community-season-4/649613/8 "2013-02-08T02:11:59Z")
I sort of agree with **RealityChuck**. It was still funny - but you can tell it’s not the Dan Harmon _Community_ that I enjoyed so much the past three seasons. Just a little bit off … the characters weren’t exactly right, especially the whole Troy/Britta scene at the fountain. However, the notion of Abed’s “happy place” being a typical sitcom featuring his friends (complete with laugh track!) was a good idea. And putting the pop-up promos for other shows was brilliant. I would totally watch _American Sword Chefs_ and the _blonde/blind_ marathon. Changnesia. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2013, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/community-season-4/649613/9 "2013-02-08T02:15:36Z")
All the reviews keep talking about how it was missing “something”. I didn’t get that. I enjoyed it a lot. Very funny and clever. ---
**Author:** ![drm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e57/32.png) [@drm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drm)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2013, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/community-season-4/649613/10 "2013-02-08T04:06:34Z")
I loved the first three seasons and just finished this episode. I hated it. The stepford quality that the article refers to just about nails it. The two new showrunners are clearly out of their comfort zone here. I’m incredibly disappointed but not particularly surprised. The show is not their vision, it was Dan Harmons. Because of the nature of the show, he is the only one capable of making it the way it was. It’s seems as though they sat in a writers room and tried to reverse engineer the first three seasons in order to figure out how to make the final one. You can’t make Community this way, it’s not possible. It’s as close to random as a sitcom has been. There are recurring themes and a distinct story telling method and sure there are recurring jokes, but the very fact that they exist were part of the joke. It’s entirely possible the new showrunners will write some perfectly amusing episodes of tv this season but it won’t ever be the same. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2013, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/community-season-4/649613/11 "2013-02-08T04:34:26Z")
I’ll watch it again to make sure, but my first reaction was “This sucks”. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2013, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/community-season-4/649613/12 "2013-02-08T04:35:18Z")
Hmmm…I thought these episodes airing this spring had been shot before Harmon left the show. Is that not the case? ---
**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:** [February 8, 2013, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/community-season-4/649613/13 "2013-02-08T04:57:09Z")
I didn’t hate it, but it wasn’t great. But then again, there are plenty of just ok episodes of Community, especially at the beginning of each season. If Harmon was still in charge and put out this episode, we wouldn’t be freaking out like its the end of Community as we know it. But I especially don’t like it when shows do parodies of “traditional” sitcoms, so that really rub me the wrong way. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_the\_Immortal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Max\_the\_Immortal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_the_Immortal)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2013, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/community-season-4/649613/14 "2013-02-08T05:17:22Z")
I’m getting the vibe that a lot of you had decided you were going to hate this episode no matter what, long before you watched it. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2013, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/community-season-4/649613/15 "2013-02-08T05:58:34Z")
I think it’s being over-analysed and it’s way too early to tell. I laughed a lot throughout, so I have hope I’ll enjoy the season even if it does end up subtly different, which is inevitable anyway. ---
**Author:** ![drm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e57/32.png) [@drm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drm)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2013, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/community-season-4/649613/16 "2013-02-08T06:10:06Z")
> [@Max\_the\_Immortal](#): > > I’m getting the vibe that a lot of you had decided you were going to hate this episode no matter what, long before you watched it. I’d honestly forgotten Dan Harmon was no longer involved until after I was finished. I quite literally didn’t laugh once. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2013, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/community-season-4/649613/17 "2013-02-08T06:14:51Z")
Watched it again. Still didn’t like it. Don’t know or care who Don Harmon is. Expected it to be good, I was looking for a laugh tonight. ---
**Author:** ![pricciar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@pricciar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pricciar)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2013, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/community-season-4/649613/18 "2013-02-08T06:17:58Z")
I enjoyed it. Not the greatest, but not terrible, either. Looking forward to seeing where this season goes. Glad to have the show back! ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2013, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/community-season-4/649613/19 "2013-02-08T06:19:23Z")
I’ll echo the feeling that something was off. Though the inception like Abed TV was pretty amusing. The Hunger Deans could have been just so much more (as could Troy and Britta at the fountain - in previous seasons that would have lasted throughout the ep and gotten progressively funnier). ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2013, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/community-season-4/649613/20 "2013-02-08T11:10:43Z")
I really hated the sitcom parody cold open. The whole time I’m thinking of all the people who spent time trying to convince their friends to watch this show, or people who just wanted to give it a chance - it opens to a minute of painfully bad sitcom cliches. A new viewer wouldn’t get it, and would’ve turned the channel about 8 seconds in. Ugh. Seriously, any new viewers to the show would’ve been turned off incredibly fast. Just an awful choice. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/community-season-4/649613.md?page=2)