I think this show has the sitcom formula for success; creative writing, character development, consistent humor and wraps it all together in a ziplock bag to keep it fresh. The situation, a group of community college students from all walks of life, brought together each week for a study session of sorts. Each character brings out a different flavor to this comedy stew; Troy and Abed's unusual bromance, Jeff's too good for this place quips, Britta's overly-abrasive feminism, Annie's unstoppable goody two shoes, Shirly's turn the other cheekiness and Pierces out of touch socialism. And it doesn't stop with the main characters, the recurring characters blend right in with the cast and turn the funnies up a notch. From Dean Pelton and Star-Burns to Leonard and Chang, every one of them ups the ante.
No matter how many memorable characters you cram into any show, none of it matters without the writing to back it, and that's where this show truly shines. The ideas sometimes are completely far fetched, but in the end, it still works. There have been entire episodes devoted to paintball, dungeons and dragons, an episode shot documentary style and even one in claymation. Although each episodes creative inputs draw humor from all angles, they still tie a consistency to the events as if an actual school year is playing out before us. Which is excellent because the tv calendar is almost identical to a school's calendar. They even tie obscure happenings together and make you say "oh yeah, i remember that happening". Whether it's a fling between characters from several episodes ago or the movie "kick-puncher" (a cyborg cop who's punches have the power of kicks) that's comes up now and again, you'll be glued to it all. Every character will have a simple one-liner that makes you want to rewind your dvr and watch it again, that's writing at it's finest.
I could probably go on and on, because there's so much that this show brings to the table that's been missing from traditional sitcoms for a while. Being that we live in the A-D-D generation and good/award winning shows don't last long, hopefully shows like "Community" will recast that mold. At the time of this writing, the big-wig TV execs picked up the show for a 3rd season, so far, it's on the right track.
Replay Value: DVD worthy
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