Update: Hulu's Attempt To Bring Back "Community" Fails

[JamesG]

Hulu Eyes New Season of "Community"
by NELLIE ANDREEVA
May 28, 2014


There is a glimmer of hope that there could be a sixth season of cult comedy series "Community". I have learned that Hulu is in talks with "Community" producer Sony Pictures TV for more original installments of the show, which was cancelled by NBC earlier this month.

Sources stress that conversations are preliminary and it is unclear whether they would lead to a deal, but I hear there is will on both sides. That includes "Community" creator Dan Harmon, who confessed on his blog that he had warmed up to the possibility of continuing the show elsewhere, changing his stance from “eh” when Sony TV called him with the news of the series’ cancellation by NBC to “sure, let’s talk” two days later.

Said Harmon, “I’m not going to be the guy that re-cancels cancelled Community.”





With its devoted following by a core group of passionate fans, "Community" is the type of show digital platforms crave. Complicating the series’ options is the fact that it has a digital syndication deal in place with Hulu, in addition to a cable off-network pact with Comedy Central.

That makes Hulu a perfect home for the comedy as it is the kind of streaming service where a show like "Community" would do best and because it already carries the series’ library via an existing agreement with Sony.





A high-profile acquisition like a new season of "Community" would make a statement for Hulu, which signaled an aggressive expansion into original programming at its upfront last month, with new CEO Mike Hopkins vowing to quadruple the streaming service’s investment in original content over the next year.

Additionally, Hulu’s audience reach — Hulu Plus has more than 6 million subscribers — could sustain a network-level comedy.





Probably reassuring for "Community" fans is Sony TV’s strong track record in bringing cancelled series back. In addition to getting bubble comedies "Community" and "Rules of Engagement" renewed season after season on NBC and CBS, respectively, the studio brokered a deal to move acclaimed drama "Damages" to DirecTV after it was cancelled by FX.

It also found a way to bring back on their original networks such cancelled shows as "Drop Dead Diva" on Lifetime and "Unforgettable" on CBS. All three series have gone to air multiple seasons post-cancellation.

http://www.deadline.com/2014/05/comm...-6-dan-harmon/

[TMC]

http://www.thewire.com/entertainment...munity/371796/

A 6th season would be nothing but pandering to fans, especially since the canceled NBC comedy exhausted all its storylines.
Read more at http://www.hitfix.com/tv-tattle#1VUWe2Qsm530PgYC.99

[JamesG]

"Community" Resurrection Hopes Dim as Hulu Talks Collapse
by Michael Ausiello
June 24, 2014


It’s looking less likely that "Community’s" six-seasons-and-a-movie destiny will be fulfilled.

TVLine has learned that Hulu has abandoned talks to acquire the cult comedy, which was cancelled by NBC last month after five death-defying seasons.



The streaming video service was reportedly the only viable suitor courting the Greendale Gang, but Sony Pictures Television — the studio behind "Community" — nonetheless remains determined to find a new home for the show before the June 30 deadline (which is when the actors’ deals expire).

“Sony does not give up easily,” maintains a source close to the show, who hints that another player is still in the mix. “A lot can happen in one week.”

http://tvline.com/2014/06/24/communi...alks-collapse/

[robyrob]

i am happy with the way the show ended - I don't think it needs any more, and it went on a lot longer than most fans expected it to.