Community season 4 explained

Season Number:4
Bgcolour:
  1. dde557
Network:NBC
Num Episodes:13
Episode List:List of Community episodes

The fourth season of the television comedy series Community premiered on February 7, 2013, and concluded on May 9, 2013.[1] The season consists of 13 episodes and aired on NBC on Thursdays at 8:00 pm ET as part of the network's "Comedy Night Done Right" programming block.[2]

The season marked the departure of showrunner Dan Harmon, replaced by Moses Port and David Guarascio, and overall received mixed reviews from critics. In the series's fifth season, Harmon returned as showrunner, and the fourth season was referred to retroactively in the series' continuity as "the gas-leak year."[3]

Cast

See also: List of Community characters.

Starring

Recurring

Guest stars

Episodes

See also: List of Community episodes.

Production

The series was renewed for a fourth season of 13 episodes on May 10, 2012.[4] On May 18, 2012, after returning to California from a cross-country flight, series' creator Dan Harmon received a text message alerting him that he had been relieved of his position as Community showrunner by Sony Pictures Television. Reportedly, Harmon's erratic behavior (such as his drinking, his tardiness, his falling asleep at work and his disappearing in San Francisco for a few days during the SF Sketchfest) and leadership style (namely the "tug of war between his perfectionist tendencies and his procrastinator nature") were the reasons that the studio fired him.[5] To replace Harmon, Sony Pictures Television hired writers David Guarascio and Moses Port, the co-creators of the short-lived CW series Aliens in America.[5] Sony Pictures Television claimed that Harmon would serve as a consulting producer, but Harmon affirmed via his Tumblr that he would not return in a position without executive prerogatives.[6] Regardless, Harmon was credited as an "executive consultant" for the season, despite not working on a single episode.

The fourth season saw other behind-the-scenes changes, as well. Executive producers Neil Goldman and Garrett Donovan, writer/producer Chris McKenna and actor/writer Dino Stamatopoulos all departed following the third season. Frequent episode directors and executive producers Anthony and Joe Russo also left in order to direct .[7] [8] McKenna, Stamatopoulos, and Joe Russo later returned to work on the show's fifth season.

Returning writers for fourth season included co-executive producer Andy Bobrow, producer Megan Ganz, and staff writer Tim Saccardo, who had been with the series since season two; and co-executive producer Maggie Bandur, and writing team and executive story editors Steve Basilone and Annie Mebane, who joined the series in season three.[9] [10] [11] New additions to the writing staff in the fourth season included co-executive producer Ben Wexler, co-producers Hunter Covington and Gene Hong, and staff writers Issac Gonzalez and Jack Kukoda.[11] Cast member Jim Rash (who won an Academy Award for co-writing The Descendants) wrote the eleventh episode of the season.[12] Tristram Shapeero, who directed several episodes during the first three seasons, was promoted to an executive producer and directed the majority of the fourth season's episodes.[11]

Filming for the season began in August 2012,[13] and the season was initially scheduled to premiere on October 19, 2012, airing in a new time slot on Fridays at 8:30 pm.[14] In early October 2012, NBC delayed the premiere.[15] NBC.com released a video of the cast of Community in character addressing the delay of the season premiere; this video humorously claimed that October 19 is merely a "state of mind".[16] [17] On October 30, 2012, NBC announced that the fourth season would premiere on February 7, 2013, returning to its original time slot of Thursdays at 8:00 pm.[1]

Chevy Chase's departure

During the filming of "Advanced Documentary Filmmaking", Chevy Chase became angry at the racist direction his character was heading. While venting his frustrations, he used the slur "nigger"; episode director Jay Chandrasekhar argued that Chase's use of the word was a "political comment," and an attempt to point out how racist his character had become.[18] Regardless, the slur upset cast members, prompting Chase to walk off set. He later returned to film some additional scenes, but later announced on November 21, 2012, that he had left the show.[19] [20]

As a result of timing and the agreement made, Chase's character Pierce is absent for two episodes—he did not appear in tenth episode, "Intro to Knots", or the twelfth episode, "Heroic Origins".[21] [22] He did appear in a voice-only role in the episode "Intro to Felt Surrogacy", which was the final episode produced for the season, and as part of his agreement to leave the show, Chase was required to record all audio for the scenes where his character, alongside the other characters, appeared as a puppet.[23] [24] The season finale, which was filmed out-of-sequence, as it was the eleventh episode produced, marked the final on-screen appearance (based on production order) of Chase as a regular cast member.

Reception

Rating

The season premiere, "History 101", was seen by 3.88 million viewers and scored a 1.8 in the 18–49 demographic. This meant that its ratings were up when compared not only to the third season finale (which was seen by 2.48 million viewers and received a 1.3 in the 18–49 demographic) but also the prior season's premiere (which was seen by 3.93 million and received a 1.7 in the 18–49 demographic).[25] [26] [27] The premiere's ratings were enough to generate cautiously optimistic speculation that the show would be renewed for a fifth season (speculation that was later confirmed).[27] [28] As the season wore on the ratings began to dip which led some to wonder if this would be the show's last.[29] The season's final episode "Advanced Introduction to Finality" was viewed by 3.08 million viewers and scored a 1.3 rating in the 18–49 demographic.

Critical reviews

The fourth season received mixed reviews from critics, and is considered to be the weakest season of Community due to Harmon's absence. The fourth season scored 69 out of 100 based on 17 critics on Metacritic based on episode 1 and 3, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[30] On Rotten Tomatoes, the season has an approval rating of 65% with an average score of 6.5 out of 10 based on 40 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "Despite some behind-the-scenes drama, the fourth season of Community manages to retain the playful energy, potent humor, and kooky stories the show is famous for."[31]

Verne Gay of Newsday stated, "Still defiantly Community, still good and still uninterested in adding new viewers."[32] On the other hand, Hitfixs Alan Sepinwall stated, "It feels like [Moses] Port, [David] Guarascio and the other writers decided to reverse-engineer the [Dan] Harmon version of Community, but couldn't quite manage without the missing ingredient of Harmon himself."[33] Mike Hale of The New York Times has stated that the series "has been dumbed down, its humor broadened past recognition, and the two episodes provided for review...have fewer laughs between them than a single good scene from the old Community."[34] At the end of season 4, The A.V. Club's Emily VanDerWerff confessed, "I never thought I would say this, but I just don't care anymore."[35]

Harmon's response

In an episode of Harmontown — a weekly live-comedy podcast — Harmon initially said that, while the season was an "impression, and an unflattering one," it was merely "not [his] cup of tea." Later in the same interview, however, he likened it to "'flipping through Instagram just watching your girlfriend blow everyone' and seeing a friend 'Like' a photo of your ex-girlfriend with her new boyfriend on Facebook."[36] Harmon also described the season as like "being held down and watching your family get raped on a beach".[37] Later, in a Tumblr blog post, Harmon apologized to fans of the show, its cast and crew and the writers. He apologized for the rape comparison and for using the phrase "durpy durpy dur" in a joke about the season, saying that the phrase is "language used to dehumanize the developmentally disabled".[38] Sony later expressed an interest in having Harmon record commentary tracks for all the fourth-season episodes, although this did not come to pass.[39]

DVD release

The fourth season was released on DVD in region 1 on,[40] in region 2 on,[41] and in region 4 on .[42]

Notes and References

  1. News: 'Community' goes back to school Feb. 7 as NBC sets midseason slate. October 31, 2012. Los Angeles Times. Yvonne. Villarreal. October 30, 2012. November 27, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20121127045744/http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/showtracker/la-et-st-community-returns-feb-7-nbc-reveals-midseason-schedule-20121030,0,2529541.story. live.
  2. Web site: Shows A-Z - community on nbc . The Futon Critic . March 19, 2013.
  3. Hudson. Laura. January 3, 2014. Community Gets Funny Again by Embracing Its Own Failure. Wired. May 18, 2020. 1059-1028. May 22, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200522005643/https://www.wired.com/2014/01/community-season-5-review/. live.
  4. Web site: Andreeva. Nellie. NBC's 'Community' Renewed with 13 Episode Order. Deadline Hollywood. May 10, 2012. May 10, 2012. April 22, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140422201409/http://www.deadline.com/2012/05/nbcs-community-renewed-with-13-episode-order/. live.
  5. Web site: Rose. Lacey. 'Community's' Dan Harmon Reveals the Wild Story Behind His Firing and Rehiring. The Hollywood Reporter. June 13, 2016. July 17, 2013. February 19, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140219154843/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/communitys-dan-harmon-reveals-wild-586084. live.
  6. Web site: Hey, Did I Miss Anything? . Dan Harmon Poops . . Dan . Harmon . May 19, 2012 . May 19, 2012 . January 22, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130122221645/http://danharmon.tumblr.com/post/23339272200/hey-did-i-miss-anything . live .
  7. Web site: Dan Harmon Is No Longer Showrunner on Community . Vulture . Josef . Adalian . May 18, 2012 . May 19, 2012 . May 19, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120519181003/http://www.vulture.com/2012/05/dan-harmon-community-future-nbc-sony.html . live .
  8. Web site: Can 'Community' work without Dan Harmon? . HitFix . Alan . Sepinwall . May 19, 2012 . May 19, 2012 . May 22, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120522150114/http://www.hitfix.com/blogs/whats-alan-watching/posts/can-community-work-without-dan-harmon . live .
  9. Web site: 'Community' Writer Confirmed to Return for Season 4 . ScreenCrush . Kevin . Fitzpatrick . May 24, 2012 . June 15, 2012 . May 29, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120529012439/http://screencrush.com/community-megan-ganz-season-4/ . live .
  10. Web site: Andy Bobrow, Annie Mebane and Steve Basilone Also Returning . Dan Harmon Sucks . May 25, 2012 . June 15, 2012 . May 30, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120530003623/http://www.danharmonsucks.com/2012/05/25/andy-bobrow-annie-mebane-and-steve-basilone-also-returning/ . live .
  11. Web site: Community - Credits . https://web.archive.org/web/20130527192520/http://www.nbcumv.com/mediavillage/networks/nbcentertainment/community/credits. May 27, 2013. NBC . April 19, 2013.
  12. Web site: Communitys Jim Rash Previews His Freaky Friday-esque Episode: 'It's Very Greendale' . TVLine . Megan . Masters . February 23, 2013 . April 19, 2013 . April 30, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130430235031/http://tvline.com/2013/02/23/community-season-4-spoilers-jim-rash-freaky-friday-episode/ . live .
  13. Web site: Ken Jeong Signs on for Expanded Role in 'Hangover: Part III' (Exclusive) . The Hollywood Reporter . Siegel, Tatiana . Belloni, Matthew . July 12, 2012 . July 14, 2012 . July 14, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120714044244/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/ken-jeong-hangover-3-expanded-role-348694 . live .
  14. Web site: Fall TV: NBC Sets Premiere Dates, Including Summer Debuts and Late Start For Community . TVLine . Michael . Ausiello . June 14, 2012 . June 15, 2012 . April 9, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230409012404/https://tvline.com/2012/06/14/fall-tv-nbc-sets-premiere-dates/ . live .
  15. News: Carter. Bill. NBC Delays Premiere of 'Community'. October 9, 2012. The New York Times. October 8, 2012. October 11, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20121011072238/http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/08/nbc-delays-premiere-of-community/. live.
  16. 'Community': 'Troy & Abed in the Morning' addresses the show's delay . . Dan . Snierson . October 19, 2012 . October 19, 2012 . April 7, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140407072120/http://insidetv.ew.com/2012/10/19/community-delay-season-4-troy-abed/ . live .
  17. Web site: 'Community' Stars Address Premiere Date Shift: October 19th Is 'a State of Mind' (Video) . . October 19, 2012 . June 13, 2016 . Ng, Philiana . April 13, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210413103535/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/community-premiere-date-addressed-380346 . live .
  18. Web site: Nelson. Jenny. Talking to Broken Lizard's Jay Chandrasekhar about 'Freeloaders' and the Chevy Chase N-Word Thing. Splitsider. June 13, 2016. May 16, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20160809013813/http://splitsider.com/2013/05/talking-to-broken-lizards-jay-chandrasekhar-about-freeloaders-and-the-chevy-chase-n-word-thing/. August 9, 2016. dead.
  19. Web site: Episode 6: Chewin' It #6 with Kevin and... Jay Chandrasekhar. Nerdist Industries. June 13, 2016. April 10, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20160809161158/http://nerdist.com/chewin-it-6-jay-chandrasekhar/. August 9, 2016. dead. Note: Pertinent information appears at around the 49:00 mark.
  20. Web site: Chevy Chase Leaving NBC's 'Community'. Deadline Hollywood. Nellie. Andreeva. November 21, 2012. June 13, 2016. June 11, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160611040718/http://deadline.com/2012/11/chevy-chase-leaving-nbcs-community-375837/. live.
  21. Web site: Intro To Knots . . . Emily . VanDerWerff . April 18, 2013 . July 27, 2019 . October 20, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131020031541/http://www.avclub.com/articles/intro-to-knots,96282/ . live .
  22. Web site: Heroic Origins . . . Emily . VanDerWerff . May 2, 2013 . July 27, 2019 . October 20, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131020030719/http://www.avclub.com/articles/heroic-origins,96878/ . live .
  23. Web site: Intro To Felt Surrogacy . . . Emily . VanDerWerff . April 11, 2013 . July 27, 2019 . October 20, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131020031543/http://www.avclub.com/articles/intro-to-felt-surrogacy,95801/ . live .
  24. Web site: Chevy Chase Leaving NBC's 'Community' . . Nellie . Andreeva . November 21, 2012 . November 22, 2012 . November 22, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121122225205/http://www.deadline.com/2012/11/chevy-chase-leaving-nbcs-community/ . live .
  25. Web site: Thursday Final Ratings: 'American Idol', 'Grey's Anatomy', '30 Rock' Adjusted Up; 'Touch', 'Scandal' Adjusted Down . https://web.archive.org/web/20120522001613/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/05/18/thursday-final-ratings-american-idol-greys-anatomy-30-rock-adjusted-up-touch-scandal-adjusted-down/134984/ . dead . May 22, 2012 . . . May 18, 2012 . June 12, 2016.
  26. Web site: TV Rating Thursday: 'Big Bang Theory' Leads Night; 'X-Factor' Steady, Solid Starts For 'Whitney,' 'Person Of Interest' . https://web.archive.org/web/20110924080321/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2011/09/23/tv-ratings-thursday-big-bang-theory-leads-night-x-factor-slips-solid-starts-for-whitney-person-of-interest/104656/ . dead . September 24, 2011 . Zap2it. . Seidman . Robert . September 23, 2011 . June 14, 2011.
  27. Web site: 'Community' Ratings Return Up For NBC In Season 4 Premiere . . February 8, 2013 . June 12, 2016 . August 14, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160814215955/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/08/community-ratings-season-4-premiere_n_2647255.html . live .
  28. Web site: 'Community' Renewed for Fifth Season by NBC (Updated). https://web.archive.org/web/20160308111725/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2013/05/10/community-renewed/. dead. March 8, 2016. TV by the Numbers. Zap2it. June 13, 2016. May 10, 2013.
  29. Web site: Bubble Watch: 'Beauty and the Beast' Likely to be Canceled; 'The Following' Upgraded. https://web.archive.org/web/20130227020842/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2013/02/24/bubble-watch-beauty-and-the-beast-likely-to-be-canceled-the-following-upgraded/170684/. dead. February 27, 2013. TV by the Numbers. Zap2it. June 13, 2016. February 24, 2013.
  30. Web site: Community: Season 4. Metacritic. February 10, 2013. February 10, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130210040747/http://www.metacritic.com/tv/community/season-4/critic-reviews. live.
  31. Web site: Community: Season 4 . Rotten Tomatoes . November 13, 2021 . May 23, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190523212051/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/community/s04/ . live .
  32. Web site: 'Community' review: Never fear, the gang's all here . Gay, Verne . February 6, 2013 . . February 10, 2013 . February 10, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130210225907/http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/tv/community-review-never-fear-the-gang-s-all-here-1.4568270 . live .
  33. Web site: Review: NBC's 'Community' not the same without Dan Harmon in season 4 . Sepinwall, Alan . February 7, 2013 . . February 10, 2013 . February 10, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130210130316/http://www.hitfix.com/whats-alan-watching/review-nbcs-community-not-the-same-without-dan-harmon-in-season-4 . live .
  34. Web site: Same Classroom, New Curriculum on 'Community' . Hale, Mike . February 6, 2013 . . February 10, 2013 . February 11, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130211020519/http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/07/arts/television/community-returns-on-nbc-without-dan-harmon.html?_r=0 . live .
  35. Web site: Community: Advanced Introduction To Finality . VanDerWerff, Emily Todd . May 9, 2013 . . January 30, 2015 . February 6, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150206075658/http://www.avclub.com/tvclub/community-advanced-introduction-to-finality-97134 . live .
  36. Busis. Hillary. Dan Harmon Compares Watching Season 4 of Community To... Some Terrible Stuff. Entertainment Weekly. June 7, 2016. June 17, 2013. July 16, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160716085909/http://www.ew.com/article/2013/06/17/dan-harmon-community-season-4. live.
  37. Web site: Dan Harmon had some predictably harsh words for Communitys fourth season. O'Neal. Sean. . June 17, 2013. December 17, 2018. December 18, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181218054325/https://news.avclub.com/dan-harmon-had-some-predictably-harsh-words-for-communi-1798238746. live.
  38. Web site: Harmon. Dan. It Won't Happen Again Again. Dan Harmon Poops. Tumblr. December 17, 2018. 2013. December 14, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181214202239/http://danharmon.tumblr.com/post/53265164963/it-wont-happen-again-again. live.
  39. Web site: Evans. Bradford. The 'Community' Season 4 DVD Doesn't Feature Dan Harmon Commentary. Splitsider. June 13, 2016. September 9, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20160726060754/http://splitsider.com/2013/09/the-community-season-4-doesnt-feature-dan-harmon-commentary/. July 26, 2016. dead.
  40. Web site: Community: The Complete Fourth Season . Amazon . March 20, 2012 . January 21, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220121181634/http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009LDCW1M/ . live .
  41. Web site: Community - Season 4 [DVD + UV Copy]]. Amazon.co.uk. July 10, 2013.
  42. Web site: Community: Season 4 (DVD). EzyDVD.com. May 15, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140517153211/http://www.ezydvd.com.au/DVD/community-season-4/dp/6151796. May 17, 2014. dead.

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