At least Dan Harmon can claim a bit of consistency with his recent television work: his animated Adult Swim comedy “Rick and Morty” will return for a second season. However, that perpetual question mark known as “Community” continues to defeat fans’ hopes and renew them with each passing day, as the series’ cancellation before its sixth season on NBC now faces the possibility of an online streaming revival.
THR reports Sony Pictures Television, which produces the show, is in talks with Hulu to bring the show to the website, with SPT co-president Jamie Erlicht saying, “You can’t get to six seasons and a movie without six seasons.” He added they have been “on the receiving end of some phone calls”, but they need to meet with the “Community” team and figure out real next steps.
Hulu has its solid reasons for wanting “Community” in their stable — past seasons have proved one of the most highly-watched on the website — but the more uncertain party lies with Harmon himself. The creator penned a blog post in which he claimed he originally felt “eh” about the show moving shop, but has since committed himself to a full investment if the Hulu deal moves forward.
“I said ‘eh’ on a Friday afternoon, I will change it to a ‘sure, let’s talk’ on Monday morning and Sony can do their thing,” he wrote. “I’m not going to be the guy that re-cancels canceled ‘Community’.”
Sony certainly seems optimistic about the series finding a new home on Hulu, with a promised movie to come. But provided talks turn to actual negotiations, will the shift bring a whole new set of problems that followers of the show aren’t expecting? Harmon warned fans with the idea, saying that when a following grows as devoted as it has for his show, it becomes “almost religious, including the urge to stone the less than faithful. But there are lots of reasons a ‘Community’ resurrection could be difficult. So be prepared for that.”
