Chevy Chase: 5 Awesome Performances And 5 That Sucked

1. Pierce Hawthorne €“ Community (2009-2014)

Chevy Chase's best performance, ironically, may be the one that featured the least amount of acting. It was the veteran comedy icon's presence that probably helped get Dan Harmon's cult, crazy sitcom get made in the first place: nominally about a disbarred lawyer trying to earn a legit degree at a community college, it wound up being equal parts pop-culture-riffing gonzo comedy, and sincere examination of modern human relationships and friendship. Against all odds the show survived Harmon's firing, rehiring, and cancellation by original network NBC to return as Yahoo's first original streaming series next month, filling the first half of the prophetic fan hashtag #sixseasonsandamovie. It will be without Chase, however, who infamously clashed not only with Harmon but seemingly every woman to ever work on the show, too. Despite his antagonistic presence, however, he fit into the ensemble pretty well. He was essentially playing a heightened version of his actual persona €“ a self-important, racist, homophobic dick who didn't understand why people didn't take him seriously €“ and he did so wonderfully. Maybe he's better off as a hologram, though. Sometimes that €“ ahem €“ prickly demeanour didn't make for such good performances, however...