19. Remember when Dean Pelton was handing out the awards for Tranny Queen? In this clip, he name checks Danielle Harmon, Dan Harmon’s female doppelgänger (who is unseen).
This (embedding disabled) may or may not be Danielle Harmon, which Abed does the Lindbergh Lean with in a later episode.
20. In Physical Education, as Jeff is playing pool, Warren Zevon’s “Werewolf in London” begins to play, and this man can briefly be seen in the background (in that same episode, the guy who played Shawn Hunter’s dad on Boy Meets World plays Jeff’s pool coach).
21. The phrase “Streets Ahead” was taken by Dan Harmom from an insulting tweet directed at him: “Both Modern Family and Glee are streets ahead of your meta bullsh*t.” (via)
22. One of my very favorite meta jokes, in reference to Bill Cosby’s penchant for colorful sweaters:
23. “You’re the worst!” is a frequently used phrase on the show.
24. In the third season’s Documentary Filmmaking: Redux, Luis Guzman was featured as himself, and a Luis Guzman statue was featured on the Greendale campus. Dan Harmon’s first choice for that role was actually Mark Hamill, but Hamill politely declined.
25. Finally, if you don’t watch Community when it premieres this Thursday, the cat gets it.
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Probably not frequent enough to warrant inclusion, but I love any reference to evil Abed
Britta is obviously the worst, but Evil Abed is clearly the best.
Also, Abed seducing Annie with his very own Don Draper schtick in Season 1 was a nice nod to Ms. Brie’s success on Mad Men.
The groups reactions to the Draper impression were awesome
I think I’m missing something on 12. What’s so special about it?
Ultimatum, but Troy being Troy thought she said All Tomato?
Yeah, i don’t get why Dustin mentioned what Annie is wearing? Like we aren’t always checking out Allison Brie’s body, anyway.
And she’s wearing red.
Yeah, seemed like a slight stretch.
I’ll wait for Room 127. It might have something to do with the Illuminati or faking the moon landing.
I think the idea is that her outfit is tomato colored, meaning she is wearing an all tomato outfit.
Yeah, strettttttttttttttttcccccccccch. Still a great article, though. Beetlejuice and Theo Huxtable rocking his dad’s sweater or GTFO.
The Cosby sweater joke was fantastic
Thursday, as in this Thursday? POP-POP!!!!
Tuesday-Wednesday are the worst.
Justified
Workalohics
The Americans
Thank you Mr. Bell.
Thursday is definitely the day my DVR gets a workout. Luckily enough Dish network carries a weird mix of west coast and east coast feeds so I can grab pretty much everything I need.
Yup, that’s my viewing schedule as well. Mondays are now for The Following (RIP, 2013 NFL season), Thursdays are now Archer and Community!!!!
[sigh] Yes, Justified owns, Workaholics is tight butthole, and The Americans went HAM episode 1……I always watch those shows on differnt days
i just wanted to say POP-POP and “the worst”
Others like The Americans? Good. I thought it was awesome and my cable cut out in the middle of the climactic garage scene. Hope it keeps it up.
The cut away on #20 I believe, is supposed to be 80′s Martin Scorsese who directed “The Color of Money” of which they’re spoofing in that episode.
I keep forcing myself to forget that it’s on this week. That way, when I tune in to watch ’30 Rock’..my mind will be blown.
The Beetlejuice thing will never not blow my mind. So brilliant.
I can never get enough of that one
Really well done.
Really was streets ahead
It’s more of a joke than a running joke though, since it wasn’t intentional. Writer Megan Ganz noticed they’d said Beetlejuice twice already and pitched the cameo for the third time.
Hands down my favorite. Though the pregnant couple in the background throwing away the condom is almost as impressive.
@Lester That sounds pretty intentional to me. Also, I think a good jokes of that form aren’t necessarily from planning, but from paying attention to your own previous work.
In the spaceship episode of season 2, when Pierce is attacking the S.A.N.D.E.R.S. computer (well, TV), he shouted “Get off my mommy, I’m her man.” Guess who else in the series looks like Colonel Sanders, wears rock-solid hair AND speaks in a southern accent.
It’s Pierce’s dad, btw.
I never noticed that. Brilliant!!
Bravo!
Ha! Never put that together myself, well done!
Holy fuck, I just watched that episode today and had the same thought.
GET OUT OF MY HEAD
You forgot the Don Draper impression Abed does, that gets Annie turned on. Season 3 episode 19, he says “Cigarettes!” and Annie blushes…
It was fantastic.
Also in Season 1 episode 17 (“Physicial Education”), Abed deploys his Don Draper impression when the study tells him to practice how to hit on “White Abed’s” girlfriend Jenny. Annie’s response: “I liked it…”
I’ve probably seen that episode ten times but I’ve never picked up on #14 before. Damn it Community Why do you always have to take everything we do and shove it up its own ass?
God I love this show
I’m ashamed to admit, I NEVER caught the Abed-Pregnant Couple saga before. I’m the WORST.
Don’t feel too bad. I didn’t notice it until my MOTHER caught it while watching the DVD and called me up to tell me about it. I sure Britta’d that.
I think this is my favorite article that I’ve read on this site (that includes all the Kate Upton bait over at With Leather.)
I have one complaint and it’s tiny and I promise that I am not having some fit. But can we at least say it is Blake Clark playing the gym teacher? I mean he’s fairly well known and successful for more than “Boy Meets World.” And according to his wiki page, and I didn’t know this, he was a good personal friend of Jim Varney AKA Ernest.
So yeah…I basically just went to bat for Ernest P. Worrell. I’m gonna go call in sick.
Well, he did replace Jim Varney in Toy Story 3.
You make a valid point and raise a public shame, I haven’t seen a “Toy Story” movie since the first one.
I’m glad this was addressed. Blake Clark deserves better.
In season 1 when Pierce accidentally calls his mom, she says “I saw your father’s ghost again.” In season 3 when we meet Pierce’s dad, Annie said she assumed his dad was dead. Pierce responds that his mom liked to think that was case.
Two throwaway lines three seasons apart that kept the continuity.
Love how goofy comedies like this and 30 Rock have better structured continuity than dramas supposedly all about the story like Lost or Heroes.
Hahaha, awesome.
At the very least they care enough to try and make sense out of something when they tuck up.
Not a running gag but Annie and Britta have wrestled twice and it was awesome
That’s more of a running jiggle.
I was certainly not running for about 10 minutes afterward.
I met Amber Lancaster once when she was still a Seahawks cheerleader. She is ridiculously attractive.
I still can’t get over the fact that she is 32.
I always liked the gag where Abed asked Troy if he was really Danny Glover’s son.
Well, you mentioned the paintball hoodie so I have nothing to add.
Acutally I do. My favorite running gag is the rhyming with a famous person’s name. “Well, well, well, Harvey Keitel.” “Bring it on, Ponce De Leon.” “Nice try, Stephen Fry.”
I’m gonna Greg Mulduna!
Peachy Keen, Avril Lavigne!
Whatdya know, Henry David Thoreau!
Let’s not forget Britta’s recurring obsession with dinosaur suits (which is actually a hidden, dark backstory)
I just recall the zombie-Halloween episode. Were there others?
Just google “Britta Dinosaur”
W-w-wut?
Oh damn.
This is the darkest timeline.
Speaking of crossovers, I suppose we will finally find out what Abed was doing in the waiting room on Animal Practice…
How many times did Pierce mention banging Eartha Kitt in an airplane bathroom? Enough times to consider it a running gag?
Speaking of running gags…
Eartha Kitt Joke.
“Let Him Finish” joke, Youtube it.
The Barenaked Ladies Big Bang Theory joke.
The Axe marks still being in the table after Jeff goes nuts.
I love the Mark Hamill story…can someone find it?!
Harmon talked about it on the season 3 DVD commentary.
number 2… YOU’RE WELCOME!
I remember going nuts when I saw Beetlejuice walk across the hall in the background. Pure Brilliance.
For some reason, perhaps it’s the interviews he’s done over the years, but, I always thought Abed was based on Dan Harmon. You learn something new every day.
It’s amazing that no matter how close you pay attention, there’s always something you miss.
I don’t understand what that “prelude to Abed’s pregnant lady” is supposed to mean. That doesn’t look like the same couple, and I don’t see Abed around, so I don’t see how it has anything to do with anything. What am I missing?
Maybe they’re just mad at him for yelling over the PA not to use condoms…? Not sure.
OHHH! Now I feel dumb. I was watching with the sound off, so I didn’t even hear the condom announcement. The connection makes sense. The angry boyfriend, less so — what did he think was gonna happen if he didn’t use a condom?
Great article, at any rate. I probably only ever noticed, like, 1/5 of these.
Gillian is a brunette? I don’t know how I feel about this.
I think she can pull it off. [distilleryimage10.s3.amazonaws.com]
Ahh the horror
All of the member’s of Donald’s troupe Derrick Comedy and Alison’s band The Girls have appeared in episodes
Don’t forget their rhyme ending statements
ex. “Bring it on, Ponce de Leon”
geez this show is awesome
Totally gnarly, Darkest Timeline Charlie.
There’s a small error with #14. Britta doesn’t wear it in the second paintball episode, but rather “Custody Law and Eastern European Diplomacy” (S2E18). Abed says he made them for everyone in the paintball game last year.