
UPDATE: Dan Harmon Reacts To His Dismissal As ‘Community’ Showrunner
PREVIOUS: Comedy veterans David Guarascio and Moses Port have joined cult comedy series Community as executive producers-showrunners. Creator-executive producer Dan Harmon, who has run the underrated single-camera NBC series for its first three seasons, will be a consulting producer. Community, a modestly-rated series with a big online following and rabid fan base, landed a 13-episode renewal for next season when it will relocate from Thursday to Friday night.
Related: NBC’s Community Renewed With 13-Episode Order
Asked earlier this week whether Harmon will return as showrunner next season, NBC chairman Bob Greenblatt said, “I expect his voice to be part of it.” Greenblatt dismissed the notion that the discussion about Harmon possibly stepping down from day-to-day oversight of the show stems from his ongoing feud with co-star Chevy Chase, saying that there are larger factors beyond that. “Dan’s the creator of the show, so to lose his voice would be pretty crazy,” Community star Joel McHale told TVLine on Monday. “I pray that it works out well.”
Related: ‘Community’ Exec Producers Neil Goldman And Garrett Donovan Sign Deal With 20th TV
The switch at the top is the final piece of a larger behind-the-scenes overhaul on Community, with executive producers Neil Goldman and Garrett Donovan leaving for an overall deal at 20th Century Fox TV and Chris McKenna for a pact at Universal TV. Just Shoot Me alums Guarascio and Port have been focused on development for the past decade, getting nine scripts picked up to pilot, most recently El Jefe, which was in serious contention at Fox this past season. One of the pilots, the 2007 Aliens In America, went to series at the CW. The duo has been under overall deals at Sony Pictures TV, which produces Community, for the past four years. They recently consulted on the studio’s ABC comedy Happy Endings.
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If those two turn Community into something that feels more like a David Spade sitcom, then please, JUST SHOOT ME.
Team Chevy wins!
Team Viewers loose!
Moving a Low rated show to Friday for 13 episodes, and bringing on a new exec producer for a show miles away from syndication?? Why bother. Just a waste of money.
It’s already been sold into syndication for Comedy Central. And the 13 episode order puts it at 84 episodes, which is more than enough for other deals.
Til Death scored $$ from both WGN and Spike with only 81 episodes. Community will end with 84. Should be no problem selling the series to syndication with 80 plus episodes.
What will Dan Harmon do next?
A cartoon for Adult Swim I believe. They green lit a pilot for a Harold and Kumar cartoon series as well as a series created by Harmon following an Inventor and his dimwitted grandson.
Uh, drink?
Honestly… they are going to lose the fans they do have. What the fuck are these people thinking. I’d rather see the show cancelled than ruined by making it a broader form of comedy. We don’t love the show for it’s popularity, we love it because it is unique.
P.S. Alien’s in america was awful, and Just shoot me was even worse. I am sick to mu stomach now
Alien’s was bad. this new Community will alienate (no pun intended) the core fans while not get any new audience on Friday night. Why pair it with Witney? that show is 68 episodes away from syndication. why not serve soup and power bars.
Dan Harmon has an animated pilot set up at Adult Swim. So, my prediction is, he’s going to be working on that which I don’t imagine won’t go to series for him. Adult Swim is very much in line with his humor and I could see Dan Harmon’s next live action series after Community being made for them or possibly Comedy Central. He’s got a cable sense of humor. My hope would be that Community moves to cable after this 13th ep season because it’ll be that much closer to good syndication numbers. Hopefully the Cougar Town move works out, it’ll probably determine if Community would need to move if that’s the case.
Has there EVER been a case of a show creator leaving and then the show gets “better?”
The Walking Dead.
Completely disagree. The second season did not even come close to season one. Would it have been better had AMC not kicked Darabont to the curb? Who knows? All I know is that I came very close to abandoning the show many times durins season two. I’ll give season three a chance, but it better improve quickly or I’m gone.
Gene Roddenberry on Star Trek: The Next Generation
Frank Darabont on The Walking Dead
Mike Scully on The Simpsons.
I hadn’t read it was about a show creator, and Mike Scully wouldn’t work, obviously.
If so, let’s take Michael Garrison, who had created Wild Wild West. The show had a lot of show runners trying to get a winning formula for it. He regained creative control on it for the second season but he died accidentally. The people who handled the job after his death were able to expand and refine his original vision.
SMALLVILLE’s last couple of seasons spring to mind, but that might be the exception that proves the rule…
How bout Frasier?
not exactly. Lloyd was there from the beginning, and running the show from the end of season one. Keenan was one season behind. So they weren’t exactly brought in.
NCIS.
Sex and the City.
Dexter.
Arguably, Charmed. But that was a waaaaaaay more mainstream (albeit genre) show than Community will ever be.
Given that Constance M. Burge wrote some of the show’s worst episodes, there ain’t no “arguably.” And I’m sure Jack Klugman would say “Quincy, M.E.” counts.
Charmed went to shit after Constance Burge left. Cindy, you don’t know what you’re talking about.
Hello Larry
What I don’t get is, if a deal couldn’t be reached for Dan Harmon to continue running the show, why not at least promote someone who’s already on the writing staff? Why bring in two producers who aren’t familiar with the show’s tone, characters, etc.?
Promote from within the writing staff to keep the continuity and and the fan base.
I’d be worried and yelling and comparing it to Lorne leaving SNL….except Aliens in America was the most underrated show of the ’00s. Would have been a hit anywhere but CW.
Lorne should have been fired 10 years ago. His leaving SNL would be the best thing possible but he will never leave and NBC will never force him out he’ll be there forever. Harmon didn’t step down he was fired for being an arrogant asshole and a jerk at the wrap party. He led that “Fuck Chevy” cheer in front of Chevy’s wife and daughter. Greenblatt should have enough integrity to admit that’s why they fired Harmon. The show stinks anyway it’s too bizarre and nonsensical it’s a waste of valuable broadcast time.
“A waste of valuable broadcast time”? Hate to break it to you back there in the 1960s or wherever you are, but broadcast isn’t really important anymore (possibly excepting live, one-off events). If you’re that out-of-touch, it’s no wonder you don’t like a hip, pop-culture-based comedy.
Yes Harmon is gone but atleast there are new showrunners. Plus Fridays are not a dead night and the ratings could actually be the same or better next year
I’ve been a big fan. But that’s it, I’m done.
I liked the show a lot. This makes absolutely no sense to me.
I believe these guys recently worked on Happy Endings.
So it’s not that bad.
Terrible cowardly stupid decision. Harmon is the reason anyone watches Community. I couldn’t be a bigger fan, and unless he’s involved in a major way, I won’t watch another episode. Sad.
Damnation.
I figured Chevy would be the one to go. This is kind of Dan’s baby with so much of it being a part of him. Haven’t ever seen their stuff, but would they have done things like the 8-bit episode or the insane asylum eps?
Hopefully…
If it had to be done, would have liked to have seen a regular contributor rise up
I loved this show when it started, but the last few episodes have been terrible. What was funny OR COMPELLING AT ALL about the LAW & ORDER spoof. Yeah, you can make the episode like LAW&ORDER, where’s the story?!? Was that supposed to be clever? Not only wasn’t it funny or compelling or even a mystery or anything, it was the most boring show I can ever remember watching. Because the plot was about a potato, it’s supposed to be funny?? The Macguffin does not matter at all. It coud be anything. Making it a potato was not funny and totally uninteresting. And then, a guy dies. I never wanted to watch the show again. But I gave it another chance and it was non-offensive, but there was no spark. The characters went from being well-defined to being precious and annoying. The stories seemed like they were trying too had and not elevating the material at all. A video game episode is a cool idea, but it was about as interesting as watching my friends play Nintendo when I was 10. I found that extremely uninteresting. And it’s so predictable. They’re all crazy and the show was a delusion. Have I seen this before? The family’s black servant is the illegitimate child of the wealthy deceased father. Sound familiar? Chevy Chase was right on. These last few episodes have been some real stinkers.
http://danharmon.tumblr.com/post/23339272200/hey-did-i-miss-anything
Harmon just posted a blog. He’s not a happy http://danharmon.tumblr.com/post/23339272200/hey-did-i-miss-anything
I feel like after they put this thing on hiatus or maybe even at the start of this season, I can’t remember…. there was a noticeable shift – like it was trying to appeal to a wider base, and it just felt forced and not true to what I LOVED about the show. The 8-bit episode was fantastic, but some of the other episodes the last half of the season were just not Community. I fear that with changing showrunners like this, we’re going to see more of that. I’d be surprised if it even feels like Community next season at all. I’d almost rather they cancel it than Crystal Skull it.
RIP Community 2009-2012.
They worked for Happy Endings?…were screwed
That is one shitty show.
Vellu
My whole brain is crying!
Well, I just woke up to the worst news ever. Seriously, NBC? Why bother renewing Community if you were going to completely gut it and leave it a mere shell of its former self?
I guess the finale Thursday night essentially IS the series finale. At least there are 3 amazing, brilliant, creative seasons.
I hate you, NBC.