Community, starring names such as Joel McHale, Donald Glover, and Alison Brie, premiered on NBC back in 2009. A sitcom with a unique premise, Community follows Jeff Wringer (McHale) as he is forced to go to the fictional Greendale Community College after it's revealed that his original college degree was fraudulent. While there, Winger meets an oddball bunch of characters, while trying to flirt with a girl named Britta Perry (Jacobs). Those characters consist of guys like former athlete Troy Barnes (Glover), Abed Nadir (Danny Pudi), single mother Shirley Bennet (Yvette Brown), and more.
Through six seasons of television ("and a movie"), Community followed this group of characters as they weathered the wildest of situations (such as an evil takeover and a rivalry against another community college), while also trying to graduate and grow as people. These unique situations, along with some superb writing, allowed for some quality comedy to be produced; and the underrated love of Community flourished. Here are the five best episodes of Community, ranked.
5 Basic Lupine Urology
Comedy can be at its best when it does parodies of other genres and shows, and that is what "Basic Lupine Urology" does for Community. After discovering their yam was destroyed in the middle of the night, Troy and Abed go full Law and Order (the show parodied for the episode) in their quest to solve the mystery. The other characters get roles in the investigation, Shirley being their Captain, and Jeff and Annie as the prosecuting attorneys. While it is a simple premise, the over-the-top addition of the crime show elements makes this episode soar to great heights, with the audience (9.5 on IMDB).
4 Advanced Dungeons and Dragons
A truly great episode that spotlights the heart of Community, "Advanced Dungeons and Dragons" follows the study group as they try to make their friend Neil (who gets bullied for his weight) happy again, as they are concerned he may hurt himself. Though it takes place entirely in one room, the episode is full of excitement and stakes, as Pierce (who went uninvited) chooses to go scorched Earth on his schoolmates. It was wonderful for the audience to see the group having fun, while also making sure a friend of theirs was okay, and trying to improve his mood and make him feel better.
3 Modern Warfare
Arguably the aspect Community is known for, "Modern Warfare" is the first of five entries into the show's legendary paintball episodes. After Jeff leaves to take a nap in his car after an argument with Britta (about their unresolved sexual tension - as Abed mentions), he returns to find a barren campus, with every student locked into a paintball war. One of the most critically acclaimed episodes of the show, with critics saying "It was a hell of a lot of fun to watch it go down", and being "both very funny and very serious"; "Modern Warfare" launched a new theme for the show that would persist for the rest of its television tenure.
2 Remedial Chaos Theory
From the highly acclaimed season three (the season with the best overall reviews), "Remedial Chaos Theory" truly plays on its name, being an episode of pure chaos. Another episode with a simple premise, the story follows the group as they decide who should go downstairs and get the pizza delivery. To decide, Abed has each person roll a six-sided dice. What makes this episode great, is that it shows seven separate timelines, one for each character, in case they would've been chosen by the dice. For example, if Troy were to be chosen, his timeline shows disastrous consequences, with a fire breaking out and Pierce getting shot. If Britta gets the pizza, she comes back engaged to the delivery guy. The true timeline, though, is that Abed catches the dice before it lands, and Jeff is made to get the pizza. Critics loved it, talking about how it shows the effect each member has on the group, and one critic calling it the best episode of the series (up until that point).
1 Emotional Consequences of Broadcast Television
Series finales are extremely tricky to land for television shows. Some can be quite hated (How I Met Your Mother), others can be loved (Breaking Bad); and Community lands itself in the latter, with its series finale, "Emotional Consequences of Broadcast Television" being one of the most applauded episodes in the whole show. After the end of yet another year at Greendale Community College, the study group goes to a bar to discuss their plans for the future (including meta references to season seven of the show). This causes Jeff to be afraid of the future, as he has to accept that his friends are now going to be going their separate ways. The group all accepts the future, and reminisce about their shared time together. It truly is a beautiful ending, sending the beloved characters off with a happy ending.