At the eleventh hour, the show with nine lives, Dan Harmon’s Community, has been rescued by, of all things, Yahoo. Just hours before the remaining cast members were set to be released from their contracts, the Internet giant scooped up the ex-NBC sitcom for a sixth season. This comes in the wake of Sony’s failed negotiations with Hulu, which reportedly considered picking up the series following its cancelation in May.
Harmon—who was famously ousted from Season 4, only to return unexpectedly for Season 5—is on board, as is the rest of the remaining cast. (No word yet if Donald Glover, who left mid-way through the last season, will return as well.)
In typical fashion, Harmon comes across as mildly amused and borderline sarcastic in his response to the news:
“I am very pleased that Community will be returning for its predestined sixth season on Yahoo. I look forward to bringing our beloved NBC sitcom to a larger audience by moving it online. I vow to dominate our new competition. Rest easy, Big Bang Theory. Look out, Bang Bus!”
A year ago, I would have been incredibly excited about this. What Community fan hasn’t wished to see the #SixSeasonsandaMovie dream fulfilled? But as I wrote after the show’s NBC demise back in May, I was, after Season 5, just happy that the series got to end (or so I thought) on a relatively high note. And I’m not so sure that the series will fare well with this untested business model, especially considering that it’s entering a season that has proven creatively challenging for past sitcoms. (Did you have any idea of Yahoo’s plans to jump into the original TV production game before now?)
This is not to say I won’t check it out when it returns—of course I will. But I almost wish I didn’t have the option of doing so.
