8 Incredible Easter Eggs Hidden Within TV Show Intros

8. Community Hides A Reference To The Show's Turbulent History

At this point it's pretty much impossible to be a fan of Community and not be aware of the Dan Harmon conundrum. Dan Harmon is the show's creator, and for three seasons enjoyed the responsibility of being showrunner. Known for being a perfectionist, Harmon quickly gained a reputation for his persistence, writing to the very last minute and making sure every joke landed.

While this garnered Community critical acclaim and respect from many of the actors and crew, the network NBC were less enthused, especially since the show's television ratings were far from ideal. For season four, then, Harmon was fired as showrunner (causing immense fan outrage), resulting in a rather lukewarm batch of episodes. When it came to season five, the unprecedented happened – Harmon was re-hired.

This is where the intro easter egg comes in. At the close of the intro when the word “Community” is displayed on a piece of paper, there's a pencil and pen sitting on the desk alongside a few other items. For season five, however, this pencil is subtly different – there's a piece of tape around it, as if it's previously been broken. This is a rather understated way of Harmon saying he's essentially attempting to patch things up following season four. And in season six when the show moved to Yahoo!, the pencil is replaced by Annie's purple pen from the episode Cooperative Calligraphy – purple being the colour of Yahoo!'s logo.