‘Community’ Teaser: ‘Where We’re Going, We Don’t Need Ratings’
Earlier this summer, Yahoo! Screen announced that it was producing a sixth season of Community, rescuing the former NBC comedy from cancellation. Now the network has offered its first teaser for Season Six – and while it technically doesn’t offer any new footage (or details about anything, really), it’s still hilarious, blending nostalgic clips from old episodes with narrated pop culture references that wink at the series’ poor fortunes.
“Community has launched,” says a god-like voice, opening the trailer with a fake rocket launch sequence. From there, various old clips address the cancellation head-on: “Maybe we are caught in an endless cycle of screw-ups and hurt feelings,” says Jeff Winger (Joel McHale). “But I choose to believe it’s just the universe’s way of molding us into some kind of super-group.”
Two old-school references offer the biggest laughs: “Gentlemen, we can rebuild it,” narrates another voice, in a nod to the Seventies series The Six Million Dollar Man. “We have the technology. We have the capability to make the world’ first bionic show. Community will be that show – better than it was before. Better, stronger, faster.” Elsewhere, in a clear jab at NBC (and a nod to Back to the Future): “Ratings? Where we’re going, we don’t need ratings.”
Community creator Dan Harmon expressed his enthusiasm for the show’s revival back in July.
“I am very pleased that Community will be returning for its predestined sixth season on Yahoo,” Harmon said in a statement. “I look forward to bringing our beloved NBC sitcom to a larger audience by moving it online. I vow to dominate our new competition. Rest easy, Big Bang Theory. Look out, ‘Bang Bus’!”
Not much is known so far about Season Six (which will be overseen by Harmon and executive producer Chris Mckenna), though most of the main cast members (including McHale) are expected to return.