Community is one of the best sitcoms to come out in recent years. Created by the brilliant Dan Harmon, the show follows a group of misfits at a community college who inexplicably find themselves in wacky adventures instead of studying. While the premise seems simple enough, the show also breaks down numerous conventions of pop culture, making it a cult classic amongst many die-hard fans. From one loyal fan to the others, here’s the list of the Top 10 Best Episodes of Community.
(Spoilers Ahead!)
10. Contemporary American Poultry
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJnvrzep3ek
How do you make a mafia movie that revolves around chicken fingers? Watch this episode and find out. When the school cafeteria becomes low on chicken fingers, the study group concocts a scheme to reserve and distribute fingers for the entire school. While Jeff is the one who started it, Abed becomes the center of it all, threatening the former’s ego and separating him from his friends. This is the first episode in which Community deconstructed genre conventions, parodying mafia classics like Goodfellas and The Godfather. Even though this episode is about a clash of egos, it also portrays the weak and vulnerable aspects of Jeff and Abed’s characters.
9. Digital Estate Planning
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOueERJzjrU
The study group is forced to play a video game helmed by Pierce’s father’s assistant (Breaking Bad‘s Giancarlo Esposito) for Pierce to receive his inheritance. From there, the show enters an 8-bit world that is outstanding to behold. The amount of detail put into the half-an-hour game is baffling, and boy is it spectacular. For you hardcore gamers out there, this episode is a nostalgic fever dream that’ll make you want to break out your NES and start playing.
8. Abed’s Uncontrollable Christmas
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJcp0hnzbw4
This was Community first attempt at the animated medium, and boy, was it perfect. In an homage to stop-motion Christmas movies, Abed starts seeing everyone as claymation characters, and the study group tries to cure him. To do so, they venture into Abed’s imagination as he lays out an adventure through a winter wonderland. This animated classic gives an in-depth look at Abed’s inner turmoil and the faults of nearly everyone in the study group. It even squeezed in a hilarious poke at Lost.
7. Paradigms of Human Memory
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCWEPYC283Q
The group looks back at all the wacky adventures they had together at Greendale, but this isn’t your average clip show. We see the study group in new and insane scenarios that explores their dysfunctional nature. All the anger and tension they’ve all accumulated is hilariously released by Troy when he screams through time like he’s Bran Stark. Nevertheless, the group finds a way to move forward thanks to a handful of classic Winger speeches, showing how they all manage to stay friends in the first place. This classic episode also coined the fan-favorite hashtag, #sixseasonsandamovie.
6. Geothermal Escapism
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8_PBR8MJ1w
What better way to celebrate Troy’s last day at Greendale? In this outstanding parody of Mad Max and Waterworld, Abed hosts a school-wide game of hot lava for a hefty cash prize, and things quickly descend into madness. As always, everyone gets too into the game, and they create an entire world full of wild gangs, lava forts, and even their own gods. They even got Troy and Abed to run around the school in a giant bubble. If the students worked this hard in class, they would’ve probably graduated by then. This episode is a hilarious and poignant send-off to one of the show’s core characters while analyzing the depth of Troy and Abed’s friendship. Troy also gains closure with his frighteningly favorite actor, Levar Burton.
5. Basic Intergluteal Numismatics
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0wWvyJz9VI
What sick mind came up with this one? Greendale faces the return of the “Ass Crack Bandit,” a mysterious prankster who drops coins into people’s butts. This crazy premise is hilariously portrayed as a crime thriller in the style of David Fincher and Hannibal Lecter, complete with muted colors and tons of rain. As Jeff and Annie try to stop ACB, the episode analyzes the romantic tension between them, capping it off with a shocking cliffhanger and the death of one of Greendale’s greatest students. We also get the return of beloved characters Professor Duncan and Starburns.
4. Pillows and Blankets
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JDxZ4_TjPo
Greendale enters a school-wide pillow fight led by Troy and Abed. The whole episode is presented like Ken Burns’s Civil War documentary, and the results are just too funny. With Annie treating wounded soldiers with Gatorade IVs, the Changlorious Bastards, and Plush Juggernaut, this episode features some of the show’s most unforgettable moments. At the same time, this episode shows a rare feud between Troy and Abed that deconstructs their iconic friendship. They even got Keith David to narrate, who would end up a regular on the show in Season 6.
3. Advanced Dungeons & Dragons
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EK88O6pAHH4
When a student named Neil contemplates suicide after a lifetime of bullying, Jeff and the study group play a game of Dungeons & Dragons with him to cheer him up. The show somehow made Dungeons & Dragons a spectacular cinematic adventure by painting the picture in our minds. From Chang’s “death” to Annie’s performance as Hector the Well-Endowed, this episode made this fantasy adventure seem all too real and all too funny.
2. A Fistful of Paintballs/For a Few Paintballs More
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKx1qzzvc2A
While this isn’t Greendale’s first game of paintball, this two-part episode perfected the tradition entirely. Greendale unexpectedly engages in an all-out war when a mysterious ice cream company offers a prize of $100,000. The first part plays out like a Spaghetti Western film while the second acts as an homage to Star Wars. Directed by the Russo Brothers, this two-part episode’s fast-paced action and vibrant atmosphere made it a classic among fans, as well as launching the Russos’ career with Marvel. This episode also has someone from Lost guest star as an unforgettable villain.
1. Remedial Chaos Theory
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POT3plx0vBs
When the group has a party at Troy and Abed’s new apartment, the latter envisions six alternate timelines when Jeff rolls a die to decide who gets pizza. The show presents how the party would play out when one of the characters isn’t in the room, and it cleverly explores the relationship and impact they have on one another. The episodes ends by showing exactly such a dysfunctional group of people remain such good friends. We also see the Darkest Timeline play out in a hilariously shocking fashion, setting up one of the best arcs in the entire show.