With the impending arrival of the fifth season of Community, the cast members and NBC have pulled out many of the Internet stops to ensure fans return to Greendale with aplomb. And that also includes Dean Pelton himself, Jim Rash, who — alongside Britta (Gillian Jacobs) — has taken the Saturday Night Live route of promotion while seemingly standing around the halls of 30 Rockefeller Plaza. Considering how excited we all are about the episode dubbed “Repilot,” I think it’s safe to say the Darkest Timeline is finally behind us, you guys.
Taking to Vine via Twitter, the actor and writer poked fun at himself, the series, and NBC alongside costar Jacobs, who does the majority of the comedic heavy lifting in the clips. Starting out with introductions, Jacobs then declares “we’re co-hosting an hour of Community tonight on NBC.” The back-and-forth quips continue, with Rash complimenting Jacob’s work before she quizzically asks, “Who are you?” Dean Pelton responds with a tempered, “Ah, in my face.”
The second video is the real kicker, though: revealing that it was perhaps Rash’s fault that NBC misidentified the series’ hometown — Greendale — in a recent website snafu that dubbed them inhabitants of Greenville, as evidenced by his speedy departure at the end of the clip.
“Go Greenville,” he proclaims before a shocked Jacobs asserts, “Greendale!” causing Rash to run what we can only assume is the general direction of NBC’s digital team to right the wrong. Leading us to believe that maybe — just maybe — the “mistake” was actually just a bit of digital marketing disguised as NBC’s disinterest and lack of support for the series, something that has often been poked fun at by the show itself (alongside everything else the series mocks on the regular). Especially when you consider the fact that the “dale” in Greendale is clearly visible in the picture:
Whatever the reason behind it, one thing remains certain: Community is back and we’ve never been more ready for it to reclaim its former glory. Don’t do this to us ever again, NBC.
Community returns — at long last! And now with more Dan Harmon, huzzah! — to NBC Thursday, January 2nd at 8PM with two back-to-back episodes.
