At least they made it to season 6. Cult favorite Community has likely aired its last episode after Yahoo Screen announced they were shutting down its service. The fledgling streaming service had tough competition from heavyweights Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime and HBO Go. The announcement isn’t too much of a surprise, considering Yahoo Screen lost in $42 million in revenue this past year.
Yahoo bet that programs like Community could bolster the popularity of its service, but Yahoo Screen failed to become a hit in spite of television supplied by Rick and Morty co-creator Dan Harmon. Community was a fan favorite on NBC and was able to make it to season 6 after getting picked up by Yahoo, but at last the show appears to have come to an end. A Yahoo spokesperson explained the situation to The Wrap:
"At Yahoo, we’re constantly reviewing and iterating on our products as we strive to create the best user experience. With that in mind, video content from Yahoo as well as our partners has been transitioned from Yahoo Screen to our Digital Magazine properties so users can discover complementary content in one place.”
During its height (seasons 1-3), Community was one of the smartest comedies on television. Anchored by The Soup host Joel McHale, Community developed a cult following with rave reviews despite poor ratings. The NBC sitcom also featured the talents of Mad Men star Allison Brie, Daily Show correspondent and now late night host John Oliver (Last Week Tonight), and 30 Rock writer / rapper Donald Glover, aka Childish Gambino.
McHale alluded to some potential trouble earlier this year, telling Metro Weekly:
“They [Yahoo] wanted to. But all of our contracts were up after six years. All the actors on the show, almost without exception—their stock has risen significantly and it's out of the pay rate that is affordable to make the show. So you're not going to be able to get Alison Brie or Gillian Jacobs at a normal television salary anymore. There is just not enough money to be able to pay for the show."
Creator Dan Harmon even admitted to THR that the future of Community looked “bleak” after the departure of Yahoo chief marketing officer Kathy Savitt. It’s a tragic end for one of the most beloved comedies on TV, but there still remains hope for a movie - fulfilling the popular tagline, “Six seasons and a movie.” Let’s hope we can see "Troy and Abed in the Morning" reunite on the big screen.
