Community's Danny Pudi Related To Abed On A Deeper Level
The delightfully quirky NBC sitcom "Community" ran for five seasons on NBC from 2009-2014, with a sixth season on Yahoo! Screen in 2015. In a group of community college misfits like failed lawyer Jeff (Joel McHale), misguided activist Britta (Gillian Jacobs), overachiever Annie (Alison Brie), group mom Shirley (Yvette Nicole Brown), former football star Troy (Donald Glover), and obnoxious millionaire Pierce (Chevy Chase), film student with social anxiety Abed (Danny Pudi) stood out as the most lovable. My opinion, sure, but I know I'm not alone in this.
I do want to note that I don't mean to diagnose Abed at all. I am not qualified, and he is a fictional character. Still, for those of us (including myself) who aren't neurotypical, there was something so relatable about Abed. Some of us saw ourselves or our friends and family in the way he didn't always make eye contact, or the hyperfocus he had on certain TV shows like "Inspector Spacetime" or "Cougar Town," or his different but wonderful friendships in the group. His point of view was sometimes refreshing, sometimes heartbreaking, but always relatable.
In an interview with The Daily Beast, Pudi was asked about what it is that made Abed a role he was "destined to play." His personal reason is yet another one that makes Abed one of my favorite characters on television. Yes, I will die on that hill. "Troy and Abed In The Morning" forever!
'I was, in many ways, the only person like me in a room'
For Pudi, Abed was relatable as the kid who stood out for other reasons. He said:
"I think that there was this idea of this character that's in the middle of the action, the middle of this study group, who just sees things differently. And I could always relate to that. I grew up mixed-race. I was, in many ways, the only person like me in a room."
"I always remember that feeling as a kid where I'd go into a room and I always felt like there's nobody else like me here. And sometimes that was pointed out, sometimes it wasn't. But it was something that I was very much in tune with, what that was like. I remember being the only Indian kid in school and there's just something different about that. And that experience was something I could really relate to. In terms of Abed, I just think that there was something really playful about how he saw the world, which I loved."
I didn't think I'd get emotional writing about "Community" today, but here we are. We all have something that makes us feel like we stick out in a group sometimes. If you think about your own group of friends, there is always someone who has a different way of looking at things, for varying reasons. It was so lovely to see the rest of the characters not just know that Abed was different but to watch them begin to understand him and often change their perspectives after listening to his views.
All six seasons of "Community" — with the "movie" part of the show's #sixseasonsandamovie reportedly on the way — are currently streaming on Hulu.