NBC may have axed Community in May after its fifth season, but it's being revived by Yahoo! The online company has ordered 13 new episodes to comprise a sixth season, half-fulfilling the show's famous 'six seasons and a movie' mantra.
Creator Dan Harmon released this statement:
"I am very pleased that Community will be returning for its predestined sixth season on Yahoo. 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!'"Star Joel McHale also issued this statement:
"'The reports of our cancellation have been greatly exaggerated.' – Mark Twain (The other version of this quote has been wrong for years). #SixSeasonsAndaMovie is real. Thank you Sony. Thank you Yahoo. Thank you Dan Harmon. And thank you to the greatest f%$#ing fans in the history of the human race. It’s the internet. We can swear now."Kathy Savitt, CMO of Yahoo:
"Yahoo is all about connecting the best creators to the audiences who love their work. Community has an incredibly passionate and loyal fan base who have fought hard to keep this amazing show alive. We couldn’t be more excited to work with Dan, Joel, and the entire cast, as well as Sony, to deliver a great season 6."Fans had been hoping Sony Pictures Television would manage to sell Community to an online service provider like Netflix of Amazon, but Hulu emerged as the most likely candidate because of their affiliation with NBC and fact they already stream past seasons. However, talks with Hulu apparently collapsed last week, before Yahoo! stepped in as the show's unlikely digital savour. New episodes will stream on their Yahoo Screen service.
And if you're worried, Dan Harmon will again be joined by his executive producer Chris McKenna, together with all of the existing cast members (whose contracts actually would have expired the day this night this deal was made!) It's not yet clear if Donald Glover will return as Troy, having left during season 5 to pursue his music career. The budget for the new Yahoo! season will apparently be on par with NBC's expenditure, so don't expect a sudden drop in production values.
What do you make of this news? It's incredible how resilient Community is, given its consistently poor ratings for NBC and a cancellation that everyone believed was the final nail in the coffin. Suddenly, even the dream of a movie doesn't seem quite so ridiculous. I wouldn't put anything past this show!
