Why I love "Community"

I just read this interview with Community creator Dan Harmon, and -- mission accomplished, NBC press team -- I am now even more psyched for Season 2. Community was one of my favorite shows last year, and it was also one of the shows that I would always want to talk about with someone (the paintball episode! the Goodfellas episode! John Oliver! the finale was TERRBILE!), but no one watched it. Hence, blog.

Anyway, here is my endorsement. When I saw the commercials for the premiere last fall, I rolled my eyes at the premise: fast-talking lawyer Jeff gets caught with a forged undergrad degree and has to return to Community College to be legit. Enter rag-tag group of misfits. Misfits teach Jeff that life is not all about money and spin. Hilarity ensues. It sounded so lame that I didn't watch the show for months. After seeing just one episode though, I quickly caught up. Here's why:

1. It's insanely, razor-sharp funny, similar to 30 Rock. It's reference-heavy, like Family Guy, which isn't for everyone but I happen to love, and it can cover a lot of pop-culture ground in one episode. (Read this earlier interview with Dan Harmon about his thoughts on the show's humor).

2. The cast is incredible. I have always had a strange affection for Jeff McHale in The Soup, so I was on board for him as lead, but Danny Pudi as Abed, Donald Glover as Troy, Yvette Brown as Shirley, Alison Brie/Trudy Campell as Annie -- rounded out with Ken Jeong as Senor Chang and CHEVY CHASE as Pierce -- all have serious chops and bring weight and depth to already well conceived characters. I linked their IMDB profiles for convenience and conspicuously omitted Gillian Jacobs as Britta because my jury's still out on her -- or maybe just the Britta character.

3. I love the way Community handles the Jeff/Britta will they? won't they? relationship. They're so meta about it from the beginning (and get a kiss out of the way early) that it's not the same old, same old (at least to me).

Hopefully Community will get the attention it deserves in its second season, or it will be another one of those well loved by a few, short lived shows like Freaks and Geeks. And probably Parks and Rec if it's stuck on Tuesdays.