It's official, Community has been saved! It's not coming back at NBC, nor Hulu. As it happens, it'll be Yahoo that will bring the series back for its sixth season. We knew that the deadline for the actors' contracts was expiring today, so it's no surprise that we'd hear some kind of update about Community. As it happens, it's good news, as the series will live on for thirteen more episodes.
Yahoo announced today that Sony Pictures TV has secured a deal with Yahoo for a 13-episode sixth season of Community, which will be be released on Yahoo Screen, Yahoo's video sharing website. The article goes on to confirm that Community creator Dan Harmon and cast members Joel McHale, Gillian Jacobs, Danny Pudi, Alison Brie, Yvette Nicole Brown, Jim Rash and Ken Jeong are all signed on to return for Season 6.
Yahoo's official press release says that "Community will return this Fall for a highly-anticipated sixth season," however Yahoo TV's article states: "Community Season 6 will be available in the same format, with all 13 episodes being released at once sometime in 2015." So, exactly when (this fall or 2015?) and how (all at once or one episode at a time) Community Season 6 debuts may not be set in stone yet. UPDATE: Yahoo TV's article has been updated to confirm that Community Season 6's 13 episodes will be released weekly this fall.
Dan Harmon expressed enthusiasm over bringing the series to an online audience, where it will no longer have to compete against CBS's ratings juggernaut The Big Bang Theory on Thursday night:
"I am very pleased that Community will be returning for its predestined sixth season on Yahoo. I look forward to bringing our beloved NBC sitcom to a larger audience by moving it online. I vow to dominate our new competition. Rest easy, Big Bang Theory. Look out, Bang Bus!"
Even on the internet, there's competition.
Joel McHale's comment was even more enthusiastic:
“‘The reports of our cancellation have been greatly exaggerated.’ ---Mark Twain (The other version of this quote has been wrong for years). #SixSeasonsAndaMovie is real. Thank you Sony. Thank you Yahoo. Thank you Dan Harmon. And thank you to the greatest f%$#ing fans in the history of the human race. It’s the internet. We can swear now."
We knew that there was a chance Community might be saved after the series was left off NBC's 2014-2015 lineup. Fans have been hoping to see the Greendale gang reach that #SixSeasonsAndAMovie milestone. It was looking like it might happen over at Hulu, but last week, reports surfaced that the deal between Sony and the subscription video service had fallen through. The actors' contracts were due to expire tonight, so it seemed likely that there would be an update on the status of the series one way or the other by day's end. It's great to know that Community has found a new home.
It seems Yahoo Screen is looking to get into the original programming game. Resurrecting a discarded TV show was one approach Netflix took when they brought back Arrested Development and added Season 4 to their growing slate of original programming. Perhaps Yahoo Screen will find some success in bringing Community back to its adoring fans.
While Yahoo Screen is available online, it's also available as a mobile app, and through devices like Apple TV and Roku.
