In what can be read as good news, bad news, or news that is neither good nor bad, but rather just “is,” because after all the sun is going to swallow up the Earth one day so it’s not like anything really matters, Comedy Central has picked up the rights to air the first three seasons of “Community” beginning in 2013. From Deadline:
Greendale Community College’s most famous study group will have a new member beginning in 2013 (and it’s not Beetlejuice) as COMEDY CENTRAL has reached a multi-year deal with Sony Picture Television to license the critically-acclaimed comedy series “Community,” it was announced today by David Bernath, Executive Vice President, Program Strategy & Multiplatform Programming/Dean of Students for COMEDY CENTRAL and [Sony Pictures Television]. The all-comedy channel will launch the series with three seasons beginning in the fall of 2013.
So, yeah. This could be (a) another revenue stream and outside show of confidence for the show that will give it the bump it needs to get another season and make it to the magic number of episodes for syndication (see also, the show’s deal with Hulu), (b) a sign that the show is not going to make it to syndication, so the vultures are circling the carcass, or (c) a case of me using the first two items in a list to read WAY too much into things. It’s probably (c). But hey, the worst case scenario here is that there will be reruns of “Community” on TV for at least a couple years, and here is my official comment on that:
![[avatar]](http://p.uproxxcdn.com/photo/51/thumb)
![[image]](http://cdn.uproxx.com/wp-content/thumbnails/130/110/2013/05/abed-happy-college-show-650x365-150x150.jpg)
![[image]](http://cdn.uproxx.com/wp-content/thumbnails/130/110/2013/05/chris-thumbs-up-650x364-150x150.jpg)
![[image]](http://cdn.uproxx.com/wp-content/thumbnails/130/110/2013/05/dancing-chandler-150x150.gif)
![[image]](http://cdn.uproxx.com/wp-content/thumbnails/130/110/2013/05/evil-annie-150x150.png)
Or a sign that if anything goes wrong, the show will have some more seasons on Comedy Central?
Call me cynical, but where’s the motivation to produce a fourth season to qualify for syndication when they’ve already sold the first three seasons? Doesn’t this put the lie to the idea that you can’t get any aftermarket money unless you have four seasons in the can?
Isn’t the four season rule more of a broadcast network thing anyway? I’d like to think that CC picking it up when the third season hasn’t even finished is a sign of confidence.
Well wouldn’t more seasons mean more episodes mean more money? That could be the difference between airing an occasional episode on Tuesday at 11 AM and airing a few in a row on Tuesday nights, or something.
They seem to do pretty well grabbing up Always Sunny and it’s still going pretty strong.
That 4-season model crumbled when the glut of cable networks started grabbing single seasons of cancelled shows just to be able to fill in space. Many aren’t even Firefly-style cult classics.
“[F]our seasons in the can[.]”
Oh! What’s “spring”?
* tears the end off envelope, blows inside, removes slip of paper *
“What are the two most popular answers to the question: where do vacationing rich women prefer to have sex?”
Pop! Pop! [insert Magnitude .gif here]
I’m thankful that Comedy Central scooped it up before the WB or TBS.
They still could. 30 Rock, Always Sunny, HIMYM and a few others are on multiple channels like WGN or CW. TBS is pretty content in what they’ve got I think, but I’m sort of amazed at the 1pm American Dad flopped right in between Yes, Dear, According to Jim and Everybody Loves Raymond. It’s a glimmer of hope.
How is Comedy Central signing a deal to air the repeats mean there’s going to be a new member of the study group? God, I hate press releases.
Comedy Central IS the new member.
/fart noise
Yes! Pair it with 30 Rock reruns and we’ll really be in business.