Community cast reunites for online table read
David Farnor | On 14, May 2020
Created by Dan Harmon, Community is the story of a dysfunctional study group at a community college. When lawyer Jeffrey Winger (Joel McHale – Ted) finds his degree has been revoked, he is forced to go back to school at Greendale Community College. Hoping to score points with the pretty coed Britta (Gillian Jacobs – Love, Girls), Jeffrey invents a study group and invites her to join it. Imagine his surprise when she’s not the only one who shows up for help with Spanish –there’s pop-culture nerd Abed (Danny Pudi – Star Trek Beyond), his best buddy Troy (Donald Glover – Solo, Atlanta), over-achiever Annie (Alison Brie – Glow, The Disaster Artist), sweet yet rage-filled Shirley (Yvette Nicole Brown – Chuck, Repo Men) and the incomparable Pierce (Chevy Chase – SNL, National Lampoon’s Vacation).
With Jim Rash, Ken Jeong and John Oliver all joining the show’s cast, the result has become a modern classic of surrealism, pop-culture parodies and ludicrous plotlines, with demand from fans prompting its revival after it was abruptly cancelled by NBC. It has since lived on to find new fans on All 4 and Netflix in the UK.
Now, Community is getting the gang back together during the coronavirus pandemic to raise money for charity. Donald Glover, Joel McHale, Gillian Jacobs, Danny Pudi, Yvette Nicole Brown, Alison Brie, Jim Rash, and Ken Jeong – plus Dan Harmon – will all participate in the table read of the bottle episode Cooperative Polygraphy (Season 5, Episode 4). Pedro Pascal will join them as a special guest.
The stream will take place on Monday 18th May at 5pm ET (10pm UK time) on the Sony Pictures TV YouTube channel, with viewers asked to donate money towards José Andrés’ World Central Kitchen and Frontline Foods.
The virtual charity event follows another NBC series getting back together for a good cause during the pandemic, with Parks and Recreation streaming a one-off special at the end of April in the USA. While the Parks and Rec special has not been viewable in the UK, though, the Community table read appears to be an international affair.