Community Star Explains Why NBC Hit Comedy Is Still So Popular Almost a Decade After It Ended

Community is still one of the most re-watched and beloved sitcoms of the 21st Century, and actor Jim Rash (who plays the eccentric Dean Pelton) believes he knows why. Created by Dan Harmon, Community first aired on NBC in 2009. The show ran for 6 seasons, changing networks several times, before wrapping after its sixth season, which aired on Yahoo! Screen.

Community has an incredibly dedicated fan base, who are constantly re-watching the show to pick out new details. Jim Rash recently sat down with Collider and discussed what he believes made the show so popular, and why fans still love it. Rash praised the show’s creator, Dan Harmon (also known for his work on Rick & Morty), who frequently pushed the boundaries and limits of a network sit-com. The actor also credits part of the show’s longevity to the COVID pandemic, which gave new audiences an excuse to binge and fall in love with the show. Rash said:

“I have to say, it’s both the original people and the people who discovered it during our pandemic time when it came back out again. It’s just the amazing writing and the fact that we were breaking the mold in the sense that the world could become a genre like that, Dan Harmon’s mind of loving pop culture and movies, and to be able to have a set and then have the library turn into paintball or lava or whatever it wanted to be. But then, at the core, I think with anything, you find these characters that you gravitate towards. At the end of the day, whether it’s Cheers or it’s Community, or whatever TV show, it’s all about that.”

If you’ve binged the show, dipped in and out of episodes, or even breathed near anyone who loves Community, then you’ve probably heard the phrase “Six Seasons and a Movie!” Referring to one of Abed’s (Danny Pudi) lines from Season 2, where the character talks about his hopes for the now canceled TV show The Cape (which is actually a real show), fans have latched to the phrase, hoping that the sitcom will last that long.

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Fans’ dreams are coming true as a Community movie is currently in development at Peacock. The new movie sees Jim Rash and the entire core cast (except for Chevy Chase) returning to Greendale Community College, with Dan Harmon currently working on the script. Earlier this year, Dan Harmon gave fans a positive update about the project, confirming that the script was nearly done – before joking that he never feels like a script is ever complete. Responding to a question about Donald Glover (Troy Barnes) believing the script is done, Harmon said:

“I can confirm Donald Glover’s report that I told him the script was done, but I will also say Donald’s sources are so unreliable because the script is always ‘almost done.’ What can I tell you about it — it’s set on the campus of Greendale Community College. I’m super excited about it, and we’re almost done.”