Saturday, May 7, 2011

I Stopped Believin'... (Or "How NBC's 'Community' Replaced 'Glee' as My Favorite Television Show")

Let me start off by saying: "Hello. Welcome to the world of a post-grad English major."

Having recently (and by recent, I mean yesterday) graduated from college, I thought that it was about time that I actually produced some original ramblings and musings via the Internet. It's nothing extremely new for me - I had a blog when I was in high school - but it's something that I've lost throughout the years. And now, I feel like there are often so many thoughts within my head that need to be put into words and published, despite how miniscule they may seem to everyone else. Because honestly, every little musing or rambling that you find in here is a piece of me and a part of my thought process. And someday, I'd like to look back and read through them.

And now, onto my first post. Glee versus Community.

I'll begin by explaining that up until recently (about a semester or so ago), Glee was my favorite show on television. I had followed what I dubbed the "little show that could" from its humble origins. In the pilot episode, I had no idea who any of the cast members were (save the obvious Jane Lynch and Lea Michele, whom I had seen in Spring Awakening). And I thought it was an amazing concept for a show and one that would either a) take off like nobody's business (see: present), or b) flop like nobody's business.

Evidently, we know what happened - Glee became a mega-hit, followed up by concert tours and - from what I hear as of recently - 3D movies. People gravitated to it, and show follwers dubbed themselves "Gleeks." (I still consider myself a Gleek, folks. Don't be dismayed).

And inherently, there's nothing extremely wrong with Glee as a television show. It's quirky and funny and feel-good and sad (and that's all in the same episode). But I've come to realize that - despite its numerous awards - there's something missing. And I think that Ryan Murphy is a brilliant producer and creator, but it is insanely obvious that he projected himself into the character of Kurt. And, you know, as a writer that kind of irks me a bit. As much as I want to make myself into a character, and give her all of the experiences and loves and adventures I never got to have, I just couldn't do it. As a writer, I just can't bring myself to do that.

Now, obviously fans of the show either a) have no knowledge of the fact that Kurt is really Ryan 2.0, or b) simply don't care. I love Kurt as a character. I adore Chris Colfer. But I've picked up on that fact. Murphy's other issue - the one that I've noticed at least, and I know shows of the fandom have quipped about - is that he plays extremely to the fans. There's a difference between knowing what your fanbase wants (sometimes giving it to them and sometimes not - see: Dan Harmon), and catering to what your fanbase wants. Catering causes erraticisms (if that's not a word, I just made it up!) within the context of the show. That's why in Glee you have characters who jump from boyfriend to girlfriend faster than you can sing the chorus of a Journey song. The characters themselves become erratic also: their wants and developments are overshadowed by the fans' wants. That produces a character like Quinn who is on-and-off redemptive from week to week.

Like I said earlier though, there's nothing inherently wrong with Glee - I still adore the show. I think that I've just realized that other brilliant shows (see: Community) are being overshadowed.

So let's talk about my favorite show on television, then. Community is what people have branded as a "sleeper" hit - it truly is the "little show that can." Headed by a brilliant ensemble cast that includes the oh-so handsome and talented Joel McHale (who everyone should know from E!'s "The Soup") and the legendary Chevy Chase, this comedy revolves around the fictional Greendale Community College, where disbarred ex-lawyer Jeff Winger (McHale) has to attend in order to get his Bachelor's degree...or one that isn't from Colombia, at least.

When I tell people about this show, the first thing I say is "it's about a study group who attends a community college...but it is so much more than that!" Indeed, the show really is. With every other episode being an homage to a movie ("Basic Rocket Science": "Apollo 13") or a genre of movie ("A Fistful of Painballs": spaghetti Western), Community is easily the most entertaining 20-some minutes of television. What is so brilliant about this show is that producer Dan Harmon, and his amazing team of writers, knows what works and what doesn't work with the fans. Unlike Glee, which I feel over-caters to fans, Community silently applauds and thanks the fans for their involvement in the sitcom. This is the only show on television, folks, who would slip in Easter eggs (like the ticker in "Intro to Political Science," or the background Abed storyline in "The Pyschology of Letting Go"), or even personalized thank-you notes (the replicated Jeff/Annie fanvid in "Paradigms of the Human Memory"). Community is aware of its small-but-mighty fanbase, and it is genuinely appreciative of it. And for that, Dan Harmon, we appreciate you.

The wit and humor in Community is insanely impressive to me - there will literally be episodes that I live-tweet (@notajenny, in case you were curious) where I simply cannot tweet jokes fast enough (this is a lot of the times due to the hilarious delivery of Donald Glover and his ad-libs). But aside from wit and strong, consistent writing (these writers really pay attention to consistency in characters and also in general), this show has heart. Episodes like their claymation Christmas special ("Abed's Uncontrollable Christmas") are evidence of this.

And even beyond that, I dare anyone to find a stronger ensemble cast on television. Each actor and actress brings so much to their characters. I like that, for a show about a community college, each character is more than merely a shell or caricature of someone you  might see. Even the background characters (Fat Neil, Leonard, Starburns, Vicki, Garrett, etc.) are developed! Personally, my favorite character on this show is the sometimes-neurotic, youngest member of the study group, Annie Edison. And perhaps the reason I adore Annie so much is because I can relate to her the most out of the study group. And while I unashamedly ship Jeff/Annie, I think that people automatically assume "Oh, you like Jeff/Annie? That must mean you hate Britta." But that's simply not true. I love Britta and I think that Gillian Jacobs does such a brilliant job at portraying her. Episodes like "The Science of Illusion" and "Applied Anthropology and Culinary Arts" just solidify my love for her. She's so contradictory in what she believes and why she believes it, and I think that a lot of the times she's jaded to the point that she becomes a bit hardened and embittered, but she has so much heart that it's hard to not love her. And Annie, to me, is just the group's moral center (and definitely Jeff's, as evidenced in "A Fistful of Paintballs" and "Basic Geneology.")

And, well, I'll just save a post for Jeff/Annie and why I love them together another day.

But basically, if you're not watching NBC's Community, you truly should. It's a brilliant, smart, witty comedy full of heart and wonderful writing. Each episode, I sit and watch with my bff Jaime (who actually lives in New York, so we watch together in spirit), and we constantly wonder how the show could top itself. Yet, every week, every episode, it manages to exceed our expectations by miles.

And that, my friends, is the trait of a genius show.

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