Alison Brie Never Actually Thought Community Would Get Six Seasons And A Movie
When "six seasons and a movie" was first uttered on the sitcom "Community," it was merely a joke about the enthusiasm Abed (Danny Pudi) had for the NBC superhero drama "The Cape," professing what he believed was worthy for the show as he ran through the community college cafeteria wearing a cape. Ultimately, "The Cape" saw its first season reduced from 13 episodes to 10 and be unceremoniously canceled, never to be thought of again.
Rather quickly, "six seasons and a movie" became a mantra for "Community" fans because the show was constantly in peril of ending. To name a few pivotal events: creator and showrunner Dan Harmon was fired after season 3; season 4 saw its premiere delayed from October 2012 to February 2013; seasons were reduced from 22 episodes to 13; Harmon returned for season 5; several major cast members left the show; NBC canceled it after the fifth season; it effectively killed its new home, Yahoo! Screen, after its sixth and final season. It's one of the more tumultuous paths a television sitcom has ever had, and the constant rallying cry on social media of #sixseasonsandamovie was the only hope fans had of keeping the show alive. And it worked. They made it to season 6, and the series finale ended with a title card that said "#andamovie."
Believing that a "Community" movie would actually get made was pie-in-the-sky thinking. This was a show with an intensely loyal fanbase (myself included) but that base wasn't big. Not to mention wrangling everyone together again would prove incredibly difficult considering the trajectories of every person involved. Amazingly, we learned last year that the movie is actually getting made for Peacock. After years of hope, the only people more surprised that it's happening than us fans are the folks who made the show themselves.
'Community fans are the best'
"Community" has been off the air since 2015, meaning more time has passed since the show was on than the show was actually airing. The cast and crew of "Community" have moved on to a whole host of new things. Take Alison Brie, who played the ultimate Type A neurotic Annie Edison. Since "Community," she has starred in three seasons of "GLOW" and has made quite a splash in the indie comedy scene as both an actor and writer. In a recent interview with Collider for "Somebody I Used to Know" that she co-wrote and stars in (along with Danny Pudi), Brie expressed her shock that this mantra is actually being fulfilled and a "Community" movie is on the horizon:
"It's crazy. I'm totally surprised. For a long time, I think it was just a great joke. It was a great hashtag. It was a great way for a stranger to yell something at me, from across the street. And it's a credit to our fans, absolutely, that it's happening. The 'Community' fans are the best. They made this happen. They have kept six seasons and a movie a dream that's been alive for all of these years. So, I am totally surprised and super excited."
In the interview, Brie says she believes the film will shoot this summer but has yet to read a script. If you've listened to any "Community" commentary or interview, you'll know seeing a Dan Harmon script late in the game is no real shocker. All Alison Brie knows right now is she will be involved and hopes that they "are all on set together this summer." I certainly hope so too, especially if her definition of "all" really is "all."