I have a common complaint about television, and that is the fact I spend most of my time banging my head on the desk because stupid television goes on forever, and smart shows get tossed to the side. I'm not necessarily saying audiences are stupid. The simpler shows like reality TV and procedurals, they are helpful because you can just sit back and enjoy. After a hard day of work, it's nice to be able to relax and be entertained by TV, and the "smarter" shows require a lot more investment and energy. I'm a firm believer everyone should watch what makes them happy, because television is entertainment and even guilty pleasures are worth embracing. On the other hand, shows that are extremely well written, thought-provoking, and more complex often have smaller fanbases. Such as NBC's brilliant and often overlooked sitcom Community.

Listen, I get it. Community isn't your typical sitcom. About 9/10s of it is all parody and makes references to so much pop culture it can be difficult to follow. It's a meta show, with literally a character in it (Abed) who brings up meta subjects. What works about this show is that it mocks all t he stereotypical parts of television, but it's more of an affectionate spoof. Clearly the writers grew up watching a lot of media and started noticing the trends, so it's just one constant inside joke. Now you might be thinking what if I'm not aware of the inside jokes? Won't I be excluded? Maybe, but not necessarily. For example, there was an episode this season where they spoofed all the common cliches of horror movies. Most people have seen at least one or two horror films. They've done westerns, Star Wars, zombies, Dungeons & Dragons, 2001: A Space Odyssey, typical sitcom moments like Bottle Episodes, and most recently a full out war against powerhouse show Glee.

When Community was shelved, it got the typical fan reaction of "Noooooooooooooooooooo!" Petitions were signed and sent around, e-mails flooded into NBC, twitter revolutions were instigated, and the true size of the fandom was revealed. While not everyone is able to watch the show live, it has a good strong amount of DVD sales and TiVo recordings. Now due to popular demand it's coming back on Thursday, March 15th, and it will take the 8 PM slot. The renewal for season four is still up in the air, although rumors are that it could be used by NBC to get syndication and thus give them a profit. Or maybe the ratings will grow now that the former casual viewers know that it is in danger of going off the air entirely.

If you haven't given this show a chance, think about it. Check out Hulu to see full episodes to get a feel for it. If you don't like it, that's fine. It's a difficult show to get a grasp on at first because it is tongue-in-cheek and the vibe is different from what people are used to. But this is a classic example of a David and Goliath story. Community is the little guy, the underdog, and while it can't necessarily keep up with the bigger shows, it is feisty and has a lot of worth under the surface. Tune in March 15th at 8 PM, give it a chance.

SIX SEASONS AND A MOVIE!