Community is second only to ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’, and just ahead of ‘Doctor Who’ as the best show on TV. It’s the best US network sitcom in a very, very long time, and it’s not hard to see why. Every single person I have shown it to here in the UK- it must be at least 10 by now- has become hooked from the Pilot and gorged on every episode as soon as they can get it.
It’s constantly hilarious- even the few mediocre episodes there are have at least a few memorable belly laughs, and it has a totally loveable cast. It’s very modern and diverse, but warped and twisted enough to never seem preachy, PC or forced. It can be very sweet and touching, but is snarky and self-aware enough to never become sentimental or saccharine. It parodies and pastiches everything under the pop culture sun, but it never seems lazy or predictable.
Season 4 premieres in a few weeks in the States (That’s what the internet’s for, overseas fans!), so I thought I’d look back on this quite remarkable and unique show and give you what are, in my opinion, the best 30 episodes in Ascending order.
This was very, very hard, and I’ve missed out some wonderful episodes (Season 3’s Halloween and Christmas specials, The Drugs episode, The Election episode, The Pilot to name a few), but I had to be harsh on myself, otherwise I would have made them all equal. Anyway, enough diplomacy, here we go…
30. Beginner Pottery (Season 1, Episode 19)
For a start, this episode introduces us to The “Kettle Corn-Popping Phantom” with a Master’s in being swell and a PhD in ‘everybody loves me!’, Dr. Rich. Every episode Rich pops up in makes an appearance in this list, and he is one of the reasons they have made it. Somebody online has said he is Jeff’s very own Ned Flanders, and that makes him brilliant. The reasons this is so low, despite Jeff’s uncanny Goldblum impression is because it is an episode of two halves, and one half lets the side down- whilst the main focus of Jeff’s rivalry and the Patrick Swayze jokes are brilliant, the frankly lame sub-plot of Pierce, Troy, Britt and Shirley sailing whilst never leaving the parking lot is not really that funny. But it’s a fine enough episode to make it into the top 30.
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9 Comments
Great list and I love Community to bits but Curb your Enthusiasm and Doctor Who being the best shows on TV?? You not heard of Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones, Louie, Parks and Recreation???
It’s only my personal opinion. I haven’t had the time to get into Breaking Bad or Louie though I really want to, and I’m just not a big fan of Game of Thrones or Parks and Recreation. But each to their own…
A dude who writes for the TV section of a website and he hasn’t seen Breaking bad ? … lol, how?
A troll, trolling in the comments section of a media site? Surely not.
great list. If I was with you in person, I would attack you (I am part of Abed’s pillow army). but great list. Really, I don’t know how you narrowed it down this much. I would have had ties for just about every number. but really. remedial chaos theory is so effing good. this makes me want to rewatch community. and thank you for shouting out one of the funniest moments from the show’s history: you all know the rules…
Good list!
(Just a heads up, though: “Remedial Chaos Theory” was nominated for a Hugo Award, but it didn’t win. “The Doctor’s Wife” written by Neil Gaiman did.)
And as much as I love Community, The Doctor’s Wife definitely deserved it!
Breaking Bad is by far the best show on tv, I strongly reccomend you watch it.
its Law and Order. Its on all the time on Channel 5, that and CSI. Also to be fair to the bloke that did this, Breaking Bad is still very much a minority interest program in the UK. I aint seen it yet either, but plan to when it ends. These Yank shows go on way to long, I want closure. Cougarton Abbey only went on for 6 episodes.