This week NBC announced that “Community” is returning to television on March 15, right where it was before its much-bemoaned-on-the-internet hiatus at 8 p.m. Thursdays. This means it will be going up against its old timeslot nemesis “The Big Bang Theory.” That show, which is expressly about nerds and nerd culture, regularly crushed Community in the ratings. I know it's not just self-identified nerds who are watching TBBT, but I'd like to provide a few examples of how it's actually Community that's the superior nerd show at 8 p.m. on Thursday.
1. Dungeons & Dragons
In Season 2, Community devoted a whole half-hour of prime-time network real estate to the main characters engaging in a game of “Dungeons & Dragons.” What's amazing is they don't literalize it beyond strategic sound cues; it really is an episode of television entirely based around a group of people at a table describing their actions and rolling dice. What's really amazing is the episode is still brilliantly entertaining.
2. Zombies
There's little more beloved among nerds right now than zombies. Three days before “The Walking Dead” premiered, Community was there with its own take on the genre – Season 2's “Epidemiology.” The episode doesn't just namedrop zombie/horror movies, it gets into the deep cuts, like the “That scare was just [insert animal here]” trope.
3. Batman's in it.
Well, Abed (Danny Pudi) pretending to be Batman is in it – specifically in Season 1's “Introduction to Statistics” and Season 3's “Foosball and Nocturnal Vigilantism.” Somehow, despite all the widely varying portrayals of his character over the years, Batman acting/looking out-of-character remains fertile ground for hilarity (see also How To, Batman).
4. Alternate universes.
Move over, Fringe. Season 3's “Remedial Chaos Theory” centers on seven different timelines. That includes one which returns in a great ending tag as a classic “dark” timeline.
5. Inspector Spacetime.
What's Inspector Spacetime? The question is not what, constable, but when! Oh, I'm sorry, yes, the question is what this time. That's my mistake.
Inspector Spacetime began as a brief “Doctor Who” parody and later in the season stood in for the Star Wars Holiday Special. On tiny scraps of information contained in those couple bits, obsessive fans have created a vast, elaborate canon. If that doesn't say “nerd” I don't know what does.
Community. It's the nerdy comedy we deserve, but not the one we can see right now. Not until March 15. At which point we all need to watch it, especially those of us with mystical Nielsen boxes (if such people exist...where's the birth certificates, Nielsen families??). If this great show can't survive, we really are living in the darkest timeline. I'll get my goatee.
Nathan's writing appears regularly at www.rateeveryanimal.com and irregularly at nscranor.wordpress.com. He appears fairly frequently at the lunch table with Troy, Kimmi Page and Courtney V.
