4. Cut Out The Filler
NBCDan Harmon, along with being a drunken, self-obsessed crybaby and possible genius, is also unflinchingly honest about everything, but especially what the writing process of Community is like. In the earlier seasons he admitted that working to the strict deadlines of a network sitcom - especially when the show was still getting full orders of 22 episodes each year - was difficult. Oftentimes episodes didn't turn out quite as well as expected, and he threw his hands up and admitted to some being total filler. He was
introduced to a saying by show writer Neil Goldman: "He says, 'Its pizza,' meaning, 'Bad slice? Good slice? Ehh, pizzas good food. We make pizza.'" Even the hackiest, most ill-conceived episode of Community is still going to be plenty funny, thanks to the incredible cast and team of writers and directors, even if it lacks the emotional resonance or real belly laughs of the standout half-hours. And that's all well and good for a successful and long-running TV show that isn't under constant threat of cancellation, which Community unfortunately was and is. Even more so when you have less to work with, as the 13 episode runs of seasons four, five and now six. That's less time to impress, less space to make a mark, a more limited opportunity to tell a great story. Which means you can't fall back on just making pizza, and expecting people to be happy with that. Expectations for this sixth season will be ridiculously high from all quarters: fans will be expecting the finale they've been pulling for all this time, haters will be waiting to watch this inexplicable cult curio to fall flat on its face, and its success or otherwise will define Yahoo's entry into online TV and whether they'll commission a seventh season. So no "Celebrity Pharmacology 212", no "Basic Rocket Science", and definitely no "Basic Human Anatomy", ta.