TMC
04-28-2026, 04:30 AM
https://jacksonupperco.com/2026/04/28/the-five-best-community-episodes-of-season-five/
Season Five tweaks Community‘s situation to justify its continued existence. Not only does Jeff return to Greendale as a teacher, he also helps convince his former study group — minus the departed Pierce — to re-enroll. And from there they continue to gather as part of a Student-Teacher committee. It’s a logical bit of self-preservation, and the show treats it like a fresh start — especially because it comes from someone eager to clean the slate: Dan Harmon. The show’s beloved creator returned after a disappointing fourth year from which he was publicly excluded, and I admit, his presence is even more obvious than his absence. Episodes are back to looking like movies, with less traditional sitcom ideas. There are more committed genre parodies and metatheatrical underpinnings, along with a better command on how to support those conceptual gimmicks with character stakes. It’s, simply, an improvement, for the show feels more like itself again. However, that improvement only goes so far, for this is a show dependent on having fresh things to spoof. And by this point in the run, it doesn’t offer much that’s novel and therefore creatively satisfying.
Season Five tweaks Community‘s situation to justify its continued existence. Not only does Jeff return to Greendale as a teacher, he also helps convince his former study group — minus the departed Pierce — to re-enroll. And from there they continue to gather as part of a Student-Teacher committee. It’s a logical bit of self-preservation, and the show treats it like a fresh start — especially because it comes from someone eager to clean the slate: Dan Harmon. The show’s beloved creator returned after a disappointing fourth year from which he was publicly excluded, and I admit, his presence is even more obvious than his absence. Episodes are back to looking like movies, with less traditional sitcom ideas. There are more committed genre parodies and metatheatrical underpinnings, along with a better command on how to support those conceptual gimmicks with character stakes. It’s, simply, an improvement, for the show feels more like itself again. However, that improvement only goes so far, for this is a show dependent on having fresh things to spoof. And by this point in the run, it doesn’t offer much that’s novel and therefore creatively satisfying.