I am – Hercules!!
NBC’s “Community,” which centers on a community-college study group, is fall’s funniest new network sitcom. It’s from writer-producer Dan Harmon, a key creative force behind the hit movie “Monster House” and Comedy Central’s superb “The Sarah Silverman Program.” “The Soup” host Joel McHale contributes a strong comedic presence as he tackles a role likely modeled on the kind of persona Bill Murray got rich with decades ago. McHale’s character’s name is “Jeff Winger,” which is almost the name of the Murray character in “Stripes.” McHale’s co-stars include former Murray co-star Chevy Chase (“Chuck”) as well as Gillian Jacobs (“The Book of Daniel”), Alison Brie (Trudy on “Mad Men”), Danny Pudi (“Gilmore Girls,” “Greek,” ubiquitous cell phone and fast food commercials), John Oliver (“The Daily Show”), Yvette Nicole Brown (“(500) Days of Summer”), “30 Rock” writer Donald Glover and Ken Jeong (“The Hangover,” “The Goods,” “All About Steve”). While the pilot is solid, one suspects some of these supporting characters could wear thin by Thanksgiving break. USA Today says:

… not as funny as 30 Rock nor as distinctive as The Office … unlike its night-mates, which all lean toward the cold and ironic, there's a warm undertone to Community that makes this show about a group of community college misfits more engaging than it otherwise might be. …

The New York Times says:

… a bracingly funny NBC comedy that purports to send up community college, but mostly skewers the more egregious clichés of movies and television. … mercilessly snarky and also surprisingly charming, which is not easy to pull off. …

The Los Angeles Times says:

… the jokes consistently work, even when they don't add up to much …

The Washington Post says:

… The dialogue, while quick, has all the calculated bite of a smirky cellphone commercial, veering into jokes about Ben Affleck and "The Breakfast Club." The grading scale here is strictly Pass/Fail. Its preseason hype aside, "Community" needs to buckle down to survive the semester. …

The San Francisco Chronicle says:

There's a double dose of good news for NBC on Thursday night this fall and it's hard to tell which part is better for viewers. A new sitcom, "Community," looks quite promising and the comedic bust that was "Parks and Recreation" has found new life. … The pilot is strong, with McHale both likable in his sarcastic indifference about anyone but himself and the various one-liners by the rest of the community college "losers." What may be harder for "Community" to pull off going forward is the feel-good notion of outcasts coming together. As long as the jokes stay barbed, fast and witty - as they are in the pilot - there's more than enough reason to keep following the band of misfits.

The Newark Star Ledger says:

… the best, and funniest, new show of the season … "Community" is going to fit in seamlessly as part of NBC's Thursday comedy lineup, alongside "The Office," "Parks and Recreation" (which figured out how to write Amy Poehler's character in last season's finale and continues to improve in the first few episodes this year) and, eventually, "30 Rock." … It's laugh-out-loud funny, early and often (Pudi is the early breakout star as Abed, who has no internal censor), yet there's also an undercurrent of gentle emotion to the pilot that took a show like "The Office" a while to incorporate into the jokes. …

The Boston Herald says:

… McHale isn’t doing heavy lifting here. In some scenes, he seems bored with his lines and ready to check out. He and Jacobs share as much chemistry as a three-ring binder and a brick. The supporting roles are barely sketched, although Chase makes the most of his onscreen time as a small man lost in a big world of his own creation. You hope a comedy about higher ed to be, well, a little smarter than this. The writers seem to have skipped even watching other sitcoms. …

The Boston Globe says:

… This fall, along with “30 Rock’’ and an improved “Parks and Recreation,’’ NBC is introducing a promising new Thursday night sitcom called “Community.’’ … cynical, mocking, self-mocking, and likable. Created by Dan Harmon of “The Sarah Silverman Program,’’ the show is overstuffed with political and pop culture jokes about everything from 9/11 to “The Breakfast Club,’’ but they’re always secondary to the warm ensemble character comedy. The free-floating irony isn’t terminal. …

Variety says:

… “If I wanted to learn something, I wouldn’t have come to community college,” Jeff snaps at Oliver’s character. Similarly, those merely seeking a more reliable stream of laughs might be inclined to enroll somewhere else as well. …

The Hollywood Reporter says:

… if creator/writer Dan Harmon earns only a "C" for the framework of his show, he gets higher grades for its brisk pace and clever writing. And some extra credit is in order for casting, as well. …

9:30 p.m. Thursday. NBC.

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