I Finally Watched Community Season 6, and I Can’t Believe I Was Missing Out

When my friend told me that I should give Community Season 6 another chance, I had my doubts.

Many sitcom fans like myself gave up on the show after Donald Glover left in Season 5. 

Without Troy, the show’s energy felt completely different, and I didn’t have the heart to keep watching. 

But given that my favorite comedy shows like Abbott Elementary and St. Denis Medical aren’t returning until late fall, I decided to listen to my friend and tune back into Community. 

By the time I got halfway through Season 6, I felt like the season barely started.

Maybe it’s just because I’ve been feeling nostalgic lately, but watching Community Season 6 has been a wonderfully fun time, and I would love to get other fans on board. 

Let’s Talk Characters

Community Season 6 has a very different energy because several crucial characters are missing, namely Troy and Shirley (yes, Pierce is missing, but let’s be honest, it wasn’t that big of a loss). 

What I appreciate is that the show doesn’t try to replace any of these beloved characters. 

Instead, the final season of Community brings in new characters who serve different roles. 

For example, having Frankie, who is arguably the most grounded character, even compared to Annie, helps contrast with the rest of the study group’s absurdity. 

Elroy doesn’t have much screen time, but he has great chemistry with the characters, such as the surprisingly touching episode in which he helps Abed defend the bird’s nest. 

Even with these new characters, the show doesn’t pretend that the old ones never existed, as there’s a moment when the study group still doesn’t let Frankie sit in Troy’s seat. 

In addition to adding a few new characters, the show also makes the smart choice of bringing some of the side characters to the forefront.

After all, who could complain about getting more Chang and Dean? 

Their one-liners throughout the first five seasons were always gold, so the decision to give them more screen time means that more of Dean’s dramatic antics and Chang’s oblivious interjections. 

It’s smart that the sitcom recognized it couldn’t replicate the magic of its original cast, so the decision to play on existing strengths and add new voices was a good one. 

Big Swings, Some Misses

One of Community’s best traits is that it never shies away from trying new approaches to its storytelling, no matter how absurd or confusing it may end up being (we all remember gas leak season, after all). 

The show carries that spirit into Season 6 by taking some big swings with its stories. 

One of the most interesting choices was to make Community Season 6 Episode 10, “Basic RV Repair and Palmistry,” a meta-heavy episode featuring flashbacks and narrative callbacks. 

While it might be confusing for the average viewer, any avid fan of Community who loves the way Abed references movies and TV shows is sure to find it fascinating. 

The episode also ends with a random scene of two characters, completely unrelated to the main characters, but it’s an absurd argument with an earnest undertone, which emulates the true spirit of Community. 

Another episode that best exemplifies this is Season 6 Episode 9, “Grifting 101.”

Barring the fact that I’ll watch anything Matt Berry is in (I miss What We Do in the Shadows every day), the grifting episode is so strong because it showcases the study group working together and playing to each of their strengths in unexpected ways.

The episode’s structure is a parody of the film The Sting, and while it’s a niche reference, the story still works for general viewers who aren’t necessarily interested in the Community’s experimentation with format. 

Even though I think Community Season 6 is a solid season of TV, I also acknowledge that the show itself has changed so much over the years. 

But the sitcom played to its strengths and knew how to hold on to what made the show work in the first place, enough to get it over the finish line. 

I’m so glad I decided to return to Community and watch the final episode, which, despite any faults people may have with the last season, still offers an emotional goodbye to the characters we know and love. 

So, join me on the dark side and tune into the last season of Community. 

After all, I have a feeling it’s going to be a while before we hear back about the Community movie.

Have you tuned into Community Season 6, or are you missing out on a surprisingly great season of TV? 

Comment your thoughts below!