Community: 10 Best Concept Episodes

10. A Fistful Of Paintballs

Oof, a paintball episode at number ten? 'But that’s Community’s thing!' I hear you cry.

Well, exactly. There are more paintball episodes coming, and each and every one is brilliant, but one of the huge charms of a concept episode is their unique angle. Having done paintballs over and over again, it starts to hit diminishing returns in terms of uniqueness.

The execution, scale, hilarity and action is all still brilliant though, so it’s well worthy of its place in the top ten. It’s also considered largely responsible for Avengers: Infinity War & Endgame, as the Russos were first invited to direct Captain America: The Winter Soldier off the back of their blend of action and characterisation in the Greendale paintball sagas.

This specific episode goes for a Western parody, with Abed dressed as The Man With No Name and Troy as Sheriff Bart from Blazing Saddles.

A guest spot from Josh Holloway as The Black Rider is brilliant too, but the heart of the episode concerns Pierce’s place in the group. Before the show turned him into a bona fide villain, this episode struck to the heart of why he was such a great character, even if he wasn’t always the best friend.