Dear NBC: An Open Letter Regarding the Fate of Community

Dear NBC:

I am a book critic by trade, but deep down, I’m also a TV person. I watch an enormous amount of television, and have since I was young. But I don’t watch uncritically. I think TV has taken over from the movies as the place to go for the best in filmed entertainment, but aside from a handful of legacy programs, I have largely migrated from the shows created by over-the-air networks to those produced by cable channels. For a time I had given up on the sitcom entirely.

Community changed that. It’s the smartest, funniest, most inspiring half-hour comedy that NBC—or any network—has produced since the demise of NewsRadio, and is single-handedly responsible for restoring my faith in the sitcom as a format where good work can be done, and where innovation can still happen.

The writing is stellar, the cast is the tightest ensemble on TV today, and the show is utterly fearless at the conceptual level. The end result is that Community is not only the best sitcom currently on television, but one of the best sitcoms in television history. Community‘s creators appear to love and understand the medium like no one else.

Nothing lasts forever, but Community has not reached the end of its run, in my opinion. The structure Dan Harmon and the others have set up has at least a fourth season left in it, and I believe they should be allowed to see it through. It may not be the highest rated show in its time slot, but it lends NBC considerable prestige, something that will help attract more talent, which in turn will lead to an audience willing to stick it out for the long-haul, and the advertising dollars that come with it.

I was tremendously disappointed to hear that Community was to be taken off the mid-season schedule. I think it’s a mistake, and undermines NBC’s own interest in reclaiming its place as the top network.

I would like to join my voice with the other fans who are calling for Community‘s swift return to television, and for its subsequent renewal for another season.

Thank you very much for your time.

Sincerely,

August C. Bourré

A copy of this post was also emailed to the offices of NBC.

August

Writer. Editor. Critic.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.