If you are a Community fan and own a Hulu subscription, next month will be a great one for you. This week, the streaming platform announced that all seasons of the cult comedy are being added to the library, and you can start binging as early as July 3. In case you missed the series, this is the perfect chance to find out why it became such a high-rated show back when it started airing in 2009. The entire story has six seasons – and a movie that has been in the works for a decade.
One of the reasons why Community became as popular as it did is because pretty much every episode contains a ton of references to other shows and movies. It could go as big as referencing Batman movies but also use some lesser-known references to inspire an entire episode, like the one built around the 1981 cult comedy My Dinner With Andre. The series also wasn’t afraid of breaking its own formula – despite being set inside the halls of a community college, the show managed to deliver some epic episodes that paid no mind to the show’s “limitations.”
Fans were also quite taken with the mythology that the series created for itself. The paintball episodes became a tradition that not only ended the seasons on a high note but also paid homage to movies like Star Wars and A Fistful of Dollars. Additionally, the show established the motto #sixseasonsandamovie, which in the series’ culture was equal to a successful run of a popular series. Community also had a history of behind-the-scenes drama that ended up harming the production, including its infamous Season 4.
The lowest-rated entry in the series – with a 64% score on Rotten Tomatoes – saw a difference in its writing team because that’s when series creator and showrunner Dan Harmon (Rick and Morty) left after having a very public feud with cast member Chevy Chase (National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation). Fans and critics agreed that the quality dropped in the Season 4 episodes, which prompted Harmon’s return for the final two seasons.
The cast of Community features Joel McHale (Yellowjackets), Danny Pudi (Mythic Quest), Gillian Jacobs (The Bear), Alison Brie (Together), Yvette Nicole Brown (Big Shot), Donald Glover (Mr. and Mrs. Smith), Ken Jeong (The Afterparty), and Jim Rash (Harley Quinn).
All six seasons of Community debut on Hulu on July 3.