Terry Morrow: 'Community' goes out (for a while) with Christmas, uh, cheer?

Photo by Chris Haston

Joel McHale ("The Soup") stars in NBC's "Community" as a slacker working his schemes on his fellow students.

Christmas has always been a bittersweet affair for “Community” — with this one being particularly so.

After this episode (airing 8 p.m. Thursday, WBIR, Channel 10), “Community” won’t have a new offering until spring (or later) of 2012. In early January, “Community” will shelved altogether to make room for “30 Rock.” I suppose if a brilliant series like “Community” has to make room for anything it’s at least a stellar comedy like “30 Rock.”

Still, I wish NBC would have yanked less appealing shows such as the already repetitious “Whitney” or the struggling “Up All Night” instead. “Community” is simply too good to be pushed aside this way.

But at least “Community” leaves us temporarily in style. After three seasons, this series keeps maturing like a fine wine. (Although, I have to admit, I wish they’d let up on Christmas a bit and not make the seasonal episodes so dark; Remember the 2010 one, when Abed’s loneliness and depression caused him to lose track between reality and fantasy?)

By comparison, Christmas is a bit lighter this year. When the members of the Oakdale Community College Glee Club is taken out of commission, the study group is called upon to fill in — again. (They substituted for the Glee Club a while back when a bus accident killed all of them.)

None of the study group wants anything to do with singing and dancing to regionals. “I’m afraid to go into the study room. There’s so many top hats in there,” one of the study group members declares.

But the study group soon finds itself being assimilated — almost in “Star Trek” Borg fashion — to take up the mantle.

The result is one of the snarkiest episodes of any series this fall. The story is equally dark and hilarious.

It also proves what a gem “Community” is.

Score: **** (out of five)

© 2011, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
Want to use this article? Click here for options!

© 2011 Knoxville.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.