Community finally gets a movie. To fulfill the series’ fourth wall-breaking prophecy, the show will have “six seasons and a movie.” Along with his meta humor, Community was known for the unique relationships that the cast had among themselves. The actors were known as friends on and off screen. But perhaps more famous than their friendship was the drama between creator Dan Harmon and actor Chevy Chase. Harmon played an angry voicemail from Chase on his podcast, and fans of Community got a dirty look under the veneer of his character on the show. We can all assume he won’t be back for the reunion.
But beyond the drama, the nature of their relationships reinforced the theme of the show: that it was the people who made Community. That’s why everyone is talking about who’s coming back for the position. Most of the cast returns. When the announcement happened, Joel McHale (Jeff Winger), Alison Brie (Annie Edison), Danny Pudi (Abed Nadir), Gillian Jacobs (Britta Perry), Ken Jeong (Chang), and Jim Rash (Dean Pelton) all confirmed that they would do. to go to junior college again.
But despite being tagged in many social media posts, no one knows if Donald Glover (Troy Barnes) or Yvette Nicole Brown (Shirley Bennett) will be back to join the rest of the cast. Both were written off the show before the Season 6 finale. Still, fans agree Community wouldn’t be the same without them.
As Community matured, it went through some rocky years towards the end. Harmon was fired from the show during the fourth season and then rehired for the fifth. Glover left the show in that fourth season to pursue a music career. Brown later left in the series to care for her ailing father. Although other actors were hired to fill the void, the show never felt the same without them.
When NBC dropped the show after its fifth season, Harmon struggled to find another home for the series and managed to make a sixth season on Yahoo’s now-defunct streaming platform. But most people generally agreed that the show had lost its magic after peaking in the third season. By then Dan Harmon had already made Rick and Morty and thoroughly nurtured his cult status with his podcast, Harmontown. although Community passed away, the fans were still very devoted to the creator and actors.
But since Community‘s fall from grace, the actors have been busy with their own careers. Donald Glover had a moderately successful rap career under the name Childish Gambino, but was even more successful with his TV show Atlanta. Joel McHale had intermittent success in his acting career, appearing on notable shows such as: The bear and the Santa Clarita Diet. He even had his own show of the same name at one point, but he never really regained the leading status he had in Community.
Yvette Nicole Brown had a fairly steady job with some Disney projects and voiceover work; she even appeared in Avengers: Endgame as a SHIELD agent. Gillian Jacobs has maintained a friendship with Dan Harmon and played in the Rick and Morty spin-off series Finders 2.
Alison Brie has been very successful, maybe even surpassing hair Community fameboth in the Netflix series Glow and as the voice of Diane Nguyen in BoJack Horseman. She will also appear in Marvel’s new Moon girl and devil dinosaur series. Ken Jeong, although originally famous for his role in The hangoverhas appeared in Crazy Rich Asians, Avengers: Endgame and features recurring dentist character Dr. Yap voiced to Bob’s Burgers.
Danny Pudi has not regained the fame he had Community but has been involved in several other cult following projects such as: Mythical Quest and Knights of Badassdom. And Jim Rash has had steady work, both in voice acting and live shows, doing things like: Harley Quinn, Reno 911!, and Mysteries of Mike Tyson.
Donald Glover and Yvette Nicole Brown might be busy
Donald Glover and Yvette Nicole Brown were both tagged in Joel McHale’s post for the Community movie announcement, but neither confirmed whether they would return. Both now have busy schedules and their participation may be dependent on contracts and previous assignments. Interestingly enough, the announcement comes at a time in their careers when they will have some (presumed) availability.
Brown will host the Sentinel Awards on October 25, but according to her IMDb page, all of her current projects are either completed or in post-production. But her appearance in the Community movie, while it would make sense in the story if it picks up where the series left off, could depend on the renewals of its shows.
Donald Glover is at an interesting point in his career, with his series Atlanta in its fourth and final season. There are rumors circulating about his participation in the upcoming lion king movie mufasa and or the Star Wars series Lando will be produced. For now, we can only hope.