When NBC released their midseason schedule, there was a glaring omission from the line-up that has made me and many a fan of good comedy cry foul. One of the best comedies in years, Community, has been shelved. It has been shelved in favor of shows like Whitney, It’s Me, Chelsea, and some others. The success of sub-par TV like Whitney is depressing, and taking a look over recent NBC Nielsen ratings is even a bit more discouraging. Not to mention Community’s average of about 3 million viewers pales in comparison to mediocre half-hour comedies like Two and Half Men, which brought in 15.8 million viewers and CBS’ new show Two Broke Girls which saw 11.3 million. Is this because Community never had the opportunity to build up an audience, or is it because it is a bit too clever for the average American sensibilities?

Even with the news of the show being benched, fans turned up in numbers for the recent episode “Foosball and Nocturnal Vigilantism” that saw some news sites claim things like “Community Pulls in Record High Ratings Last Night.” This ratings spike saw it fall just below 4 million, coming just under the above mentioned comedy abortion; Whitney.

Go Away Please.

Community has been given 3 seasons now, and that is a pretty good run these days. It has never had the strongest ratings, and that is too bad, because many critics have had no trouble promoting just how good the show is. It is one of the best half-hours on TV these days thanks to its ability to portray popular sit-com and pop-culture conventions in a way that is both an homage and a parody. The parody by the way, is a lost art thanks to the popularity of Scary Movie and its ilk (Seriously, these are not good movies, they are making fun of your intelligence). Community is a show that understands what it really means on a level that Hollywood forgot long ago, outside of notable exceptions like Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz.

The characters are consistently entertaining, and their relationships are another great aspect to the show. While each of them are basically a mixture of archetypes rather than a portrayal of real people, it is done in a way that helps establish them as recognizable and relatable characters, which gives credibility to the shows portrayal of an animated reality. To get a good example of what the show is capable of, everyone owes it to themselves to take a look at the paintball trilogy. These are episodes that are set up as a contest at the school with paintball guns that always get way out of hand and end up parodying big action films, westerns, dystopian societies, and even video games in some of the best moments of TV I can remember in ages.

What's this a picture of? Only the best half-hour on TV.

The first episode in the trilogy titled “Modern Warfare” was when fans really understood what this cast and crew was really capable of. It was the titular moment the show hit its stride, and sadly, only the fans were the ones to pay attention.

If Community gets cancelled, it is a loss to creativity that will be hard to replace. Yet, if America isn’t watching, who can blame NBC for the decision on pulling one of its lowest rated shows? It did get 3 seasons and that’s a pretty good run. Sure, we would all like to see it get 6 seasons and a movie, but at this rate it doesn’t look good. Not until America wises the hell up and pulls itself away from mediocrity like Whitney and Two and Half Men, and especially not until shows like Celebrity Dance-off on the Runway to the Next Top Pop-Star with the X Factor House goes the hell away.

Wise up America, TV can be clever, thought-provoking, funny, and insightful. It can take you to faraway lands, introduce you to amazing people, and take you back to important periods in history. Before it can do that well, Americans have to get a sense of taste first. I just don’t see that happening anytime soon though. If Community goes and Whitney stays, the world will just not be the same.

A proper reaction to the news on Community's current situation.

To contact NBC & tell them NOT to cancel Community

• Go to www.NBC.com
• Select “Community” from the drop down menu
• And fill out the form

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america, Community, community benched, Community cancelled, midseason schedule, NBC, ratings, Whitney TV Editorials