Community: Great show? Or the greatest show?

Season 1 of NBC's new sitcom Community has delivered big time and has exceeded my expectations. Regardless of the ratings (which don't really mean much anymore because people watch Hulu so much) Community has failed to disappoint me in every episode this season. Ever since the pilot episode, this show has gotten progressively better with each successive installment. Each week, the writers and performers seem to one-up their previously set standard of excellence and hilarity and has bolstered an already strong and intelligent Thursday night lineup of NBC which includes The Office, 30 Rock, and Parks and Recreation.

Some people I have talked to dismissed the show after its pilot episode because it was "insulting to community college students", but I have to disagree on this one. Community may be a comedy, but community college is not the joke. That is like saying that The Office is insulting to people who have desk jobs or that Cheers is insulting to people who go to bars or that Everybody Loves Raymond (or any other family sitcom for that matter) is insulting to families. Community is really about how students interact and how friendships are made. This show could just as easily take place in a high school or a four year college but the community college allows for a wider range of characters who come from more walks of life than just a bunch of kids from the same town or in the same age group.

The key to the success of any television sitcom or drama is the development of characters. Midway through the first season, I already feel like I now the characters and I am a part of their community.

There is the selfish arrogant ex-lawyer Jeff Winger (Joel McHale) who become more caring and empathetic as the season goes on once he finally makes real friends. There is Britta Perry (Gillian Jacobs), a twenty-something looking for direction in her life after dropping out of high school to "impress Radiohead" and serving in the Peace Corps. Britta and Jeff become one of the closer friendships within the study group and are looked up to by the others for being more sophisticated.

My personal favorite character on the show is Abed Nadir (Danny Pudi). Abed appears to be quiet and socially awkward but also has profound insight into human behavior and interaction patterns. An aspiring filmmaker, Abed makes movies about his friends at Greendale Community College that predict the future base on his observations of them. Abed compares nearly every situation in the show to references to pop-culture. Abed's best friend in the group is Troy Barnes (Donald Glover). Troy was a high school jock who lost his football scholarship when he dislocated both his shoulders doing a keg flip. He and Abed first became friends when they paired up on a Spanish project. Now they film videos together at the end of every episode often remaking famous pop culture duos like Ernie and Bert. Troy refers to Abed as his "other half".

Another character, Annie "Adderall" Edison (Alison Brie), had a crush on Troy in high school but has not been able to get him to notice her. She lost her college scholarship when she overdosed on pills and had to go to rehab. Annie is innocent and naive compared to the other characters. She also seems to be the most book smart of them all.

Shirley Bennett (Nicole Yvette Brown) and Pierce Hawthorne (Chevy Chase) are the two oldest members of the study group. Shirley is a recently divorced mother who is taking business classes. She is a devout Christian and tends to judge others based on her religious convictions. Although she seems caring and sweet most of the time, she has fits of rage and is a habitual gossiper. Pierce is a successful businessman in his sixties who has been married and divorced seven times. He started his own moist towelette company and is at Greendale to make friends and pursue popularity. He has difficulty achieving this because of his confusion towards youth culture and his clumsiness. This role basically sums up Chevy Chase's acting career and brilliantly puts the other characters into perspective.

To top it all off, perhaps the craziest character on the show is the eccentric Spanish teacher Senor Ben Chang (Ken Jeong). Chang, a self-proclaimed "Spanish genius" and refers to himself as "El Tigre" (The Tiger). He often belittles his students and pulls outrageous stunts to prove his points. On one occasion he goes out partying with Jeff to get over a bad breakup and in another episode, he joins Abed, Troy, Shirley and Pierce for "bad movie night" in Abed's dorm. Arrogant, angry, and egotistical, Chang often makes fun of other faculty to their faces, especially the Dean.

I hope this overview encourages you to watch what is currently the funniest show on television. Community is on Thursdays at 8 PM Eastern Time on NBC or anytime the next day on Hulu.com. I do not work for NBC or the General Electric Corporation, I am just suggesting a show that I thoroughly enjoy without any sort of business agenda of financial motive. Enjoy!