Streets Behind: A Community Fanpod

You know what this one is. It's the chicken fingers episode, the Goodfellas episode, the one where the study group runs a cafeteria cartel. But did you know it's also the episode that gave us "streets ahead"? We didn't! We so did not remember that, and we have a whole podcast named after it. This episode has other hidden gems too like Abed's mafia diagram that lists everyone's functions and wants. Come check it out with us and find out which member of the study group is into birds and banjo music. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, the group grapples with how they perceive each other and themselves. Pierce has reached a pivotal moment with his Laser Lotus cult, and Jeff does not waste any time messing with him. In an attempt to prove she does in fact have a sense of humor, Britta orchestrates the weakest April Fool's prank of all time, which quickly cascades into criminal territory. To deal with the April 1st atmosphere of heightened shenanigans, the dean deputizes Annie and Shirley as temporary campus security. Abed takes full advantage of this terrible idea and casts them in a good-cop-bad-cop scenario where they're both trying to be the bad cop. Hang onto your tiny sombreros because this is going to be a bumpy golf cart ride. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sandi recommends two other sitcoms that have a lot in common with Community. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Yes, that's right, the pottery episode and the sailing episode are the same episode! So, buckle up, my precious blueberries, this is going to be a weird one. Shirley captains a parking lot sailing crew on the S.S. Nose Candy. Pierce fake drowns in a parking lot...twice. Jeff makes a bad pot, which wouldn't matter except his classmate Rich makes a great pot, which sends Jeff into an insane spiral. This episode is full of a million memorable moments, including one of Sandi's all-time favorite scenes, but the real star is Tony Hale and his wardrobe of thrift-store blouses. Perfection. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In honor of Family Day at Greendale, your intrepid podcast hosts get together in person to record this one, and it's a doozy! In this episode, the chosen family of the study group brings their actual relatives to Greendale, and things go about as well as you'd expect. Like many actual families, this episode is chock full of terrible decisions. Pierce tricks his estranged step-daughter into visiting, she tricks him out of a ton of money, and Jeff tricks himself into thinking he's not hurt when Professor Slater breaks up with him. Britta tries to convince Troy that his awful grandmother is actually charming. (Spoiler alert: Britta is wrong.) Abed's dad shows up to tell Shirley she's a bad mom. The whole thing goes sideways at a Pictionary tournament, and of course, it all ends with a school dance. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this mini episode we take a deep dive into the billiards poster in Coach Bogner's office as well as some of the other amazing stuff hiding in the background of Season 1 Episode 17 - Physical Education. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Matthew and Sandi had different initial reactions to this one. Matthew thought it was pretty meh but Sandi goes outside of her slang comfort zone to call this one an absolute banger. Who was right? Who was wrong? Tune in to find out and to hear all about Jeff's epic billiards battle, Abed's quest to win over his secret admirer, and Britta's bagel problem. If you're a Danny Pudi fan, do not miss this one. Abed plays so many amazing roles, including a surprisingly convincing Don Draper. Also, stay tuned for an upcoming mini bonus episode where we take a deep dive into the billiards artwork in Coach Bogner's office. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this bonus episode your co-hosts try an experiment - is it possible to talk about politics without getting political? Do we cover every issue? Heck no, but we chat about how it feels to have a midwestern teacher on the national political stage and why we'd like to see more of a Community school spirit in politics. Hopefully, anyone at Greendale, no matter what their politics are, would feel welcome to join the conversation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's Valentine's Week at Greendale, and you know what that means - it's a dance episode, people! The theme is ostensibly romance, but really this episode is all about friendship. While the Cupid Being wanders around campus delivering valentines (oh, now it has arrows, that's safe), the study group members are all finding ways to get out of their comfort zones and come through for each other when things get weird. Britta and Jeff exchange drunk dials, which almost tanks Jeff's relationship with Professor Slater until Britta swoops in with the save. Abed stops being a detached observer and steps up when Jeff needs a drinking buddy. After Chang humiliates Pierce and Troy, Annie and Shirley decide to prank Chang in return. It goes horribly wrong, of course, and just when they're about to confess, Pierce and Troy take the fall instead and face the punishment - accompanying Change to the dance in elegant ladies' pant suits. This is a can't-miss episode of Community, and dare we say, of this pod? Share it with the friend you'd want at your side if you had to go on a date with Chang. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode gets super college-y. Shirley joins Troy and Abed to make fun of their favorite bad movie, Kick Puncher. Pierce crashes their party, and crashes into a giant bowl of popcorn. Meanwhile, Annie starts hanging out with Britta's ex-boyfriend Vaughn, which throws Britta and Jeff into a tailspin of jealousy, although they try to tell themselves they're just looking out for Annie's best interests. This is one of those iconic Community episodes - zippy, funny, concise, with great background detail - but some of the humor just doesn't age well. We get into some of the ways pop culture has changed since the show was made, and how to criticize something you love while acknowledging its historical context. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we have one of the most memorable scenes in the entire series - Britta and Troy's teapot dance for the ages! Up until this point, Britta and Troy have been doing an excellent job of hiding the fact that they were both taking dance classes all semester because it comes out of nowhere in this episode, and it provides lots of opportunities to explore gender norms and how they specifically apply to Britta and Troy's identities. This episode also has the Library's Backdoor Conundrum (iconic stuff here!). When the group all gathers outside the conundrummed backdoor waiting to be let in, they spot Jeff and Professor Slater sneaking a kiss. They manage to keep this relationship a secret for about 12 seconds, and then in true Greendale fashion, the Dean gets involved with a bonkers administrative form about how long they've been doing it. Not as many quick zingers in this episode, but lots of more subtle comedy and tons of clever character development. This episode is a can't miss. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Would you believe this is the Jack Black episode, and the MASH episode, and the school newspaper episode? No? We didn't either, but it is. It's the first day of spring semester at Greendale, and a new, chill Jeff is cracking wise in the school newspaper office/distillery while Annie hunts down a major scoop and Buddy (Jack Black) auditions to join their study group. This whole time the MASH theme song is definitely playing on a loop in Abed's head. Listen to find out why we think this is a quintessential Community episode, and why some parts of it don't age quite as well as others. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's December 10th - the time of year we come together with those we love to fight the school bully out by the bike rack, but not the bike rack by the parking lot. Merry Happy, everyone! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Folks, we've got ourselves a holiday episode! We recorded this one over Thanksgiving 2021 and spent two years carefully editing - kidding! Life intervened, and it took us a while to get this episode up, but trust us, it's worth it. We have a great time delving into Thanksgiving traditions, family drama, mental health, and why we so deeply relate to the Thanksgiving episode when the study group spends most of the holiday sneaking out to Shirley's garage. So, if you need an escape this holiday, come join us in Shirley's garage for a chat and a laugh. We'll be waiting for you. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In today's episode of our beloved sitcom Community, Greendale catches knowledge at the STD awareness fair organized by our very own Annie Edison. Eager to prove herself, Annie goes all out to impress Dean Pelton, only to be rewarded with the harrowing task of conducting the condom demonstration in front of the entire school, which is a problem since she's never actually seen a...thingamabob. In order to prep for this, Shirley and Britta help her pull a reverse Porky's and spy on the Dean's anatomically correct model (wha?!). Meanwhile, Pierce is determined to win a double date with Jeff, and Troy just wants to win something against the best athlete in school - Abed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode starts with the Dean declaring Green Week at Envirodale, and then goes fully off the rails from there. Chang goes even further off the deep end than usual when his wife leaves him. Jeff uses friendship for evil to manipulate Chang into changing their homework assignments. Shirley is so anxious about giving a presentation in her marketing class that she asks Pierce for help, and in an even wilder turn, Pierce actually helps. Troy and Abed train a rat to respond to song in a classroom experiment, and your humble podcast hosts realize they're basically trained rats in this experiment - getting emotional on cue when Troy and Abed sing "Somewhere Out There" because, dang it, Fievel needs to find his family! That poor, sweet mouse! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Britta gets angry and articulate while trying to quit smoking. She's so desperate that she'll try anything, even getting hypnotized by Pierce. Shirley discovers that Abed's films about the study group predict, or maybe even write, the future. Jeff and Annie team up to save the Greendale debate team, and we discover that it's helpful to talk about uncomfortable subjects even when you're not sure how to start. Hopefully we don't totally fumble it like Pierce tripping over every musical instrument in the Greendale band room. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jeff is living out of his car, Pierce is commissioning diss tracks, Troy is picnicking under the stars, Annie is faking appendicitis, and Britta is begging your unbelievable pardon. This episode covers more character development than we can keep track of, but we give it the old Greendale try anyway. We also get to see Matt's all-time favorite guest star! (Really? Already? In Season 1? A bold claim.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

At this very important milestone (the end of disc 1 of the Community DVD box set), we take a step back and reflect on the show as a whole so far. Join us for the easiest pop quiz ever about how we feel about the show, the characters, and the production up to this point. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's Dia de los Muertos at Greendale and the gang is trying on all sorts of costumes. Annie tries being assertive when she tells Jeff he can't skip her extra-credit Halloween party. Jeff tries being honest for once in his pursuit of Professor Slater, his statistics teacher. Shirley tries punishing Slater until she realizes she's really just mad at her ex-husband. Everything goes sideways when Pierce tries being young again and ends up tripping balls in a desk fort. Luckily, Batman (Abed) is there to save the day. Bust out the tiny candy traffic cones, folks! It's a classic American holiday episode! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.