Remember almost two years ago there was that photo of Nathan Fillion lounging around the Community set and we all hoped there'd be a guest appearance from the Firefly star, and then there wasn't one? Well, there's going to be one. I like to think Nathan Fillion's been draped over the Greendale Community College study room table this entire time and we just never noticed him, but more than likely, he's returning to the set for this confirmed guest appearance. And as a major bonus, it's the same episode that Jonathan Banks (Mike from Breaking Bad) will be appearing in.
Deadline reports that Fillion will guest star in the series' upcoming fifth season, playing Bob Wait, "the politically savvy head cutsodian who's not afraid to get his hands dirty, but is smart enough to wear rubber gloves." That sounds like a line Fillion could pull off proudly. "I'm not afraid to get my hands dirty," he'd say, and then add with a raise of his eyebrow, "But I know enough to wear rubber gloves." Fillion's character in the episode has a run-in with Annie (Alison Brie) and Banks' character Professor HIckey. The two team up to navigate Greendale's corridors of power, which forces them to contend with Fillion's Bob Waite.
It's exciting news and one more reason to look forward to Community's return, which unfortunately is still TBA, which is a good indication that we'll be waiting until midseason like last year. In the meantime, Fillion can be found on ABC's drama Castle. Fillion has dabbled in both comedy and drama throughout the course of his career. Among his early credits is a starring role in TV comedy Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place, after which he switched to drama for the creep recurring role of Caleb in Buffy the Vampire Slayer's finale season. And then, of course, there was Firefly, in which Fillion starred as Mal Reynolds. From their, his credits included Drive, Desperate Housewives and One Life to Live, not to mention the excellent Joss Whedon webseries Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. More recently, in addition to his starring role in Castle, Fillion's kept busy by voicing the role of Johnny Worthington for Monsters University, and Dr. Mayfair for Nerdist webseries Puppet Dreams, which had him reuniting with Neil Patrick Harris:
It's exciting to learn that Fillion's set to play a role in the upcoming season of Community. Fans are particularly excited for the series' return, as it also marks the return of Community creator Dan Harmon. Given Fillion's popularity, particularly among Joss Whedon and Firefly fans, hopefully his appearance on the series will draw some new viewers to Community, which could always use a bit of help with ratings.
