Though it was never a big winner in the ratings, Community had a strong and loyal fanbase. Along with the subversive humor and imaginative storylines, the biggest highlight of the series was the wonderful ensemble of quirky yet lovable characters.
While it was really working when these characters were having fun together, there were also individual moments that were very memorable. Each character was given the chance to stand out on their own in weird and wonderful ways that made for some of the best moments on Community.
Professor Duncan: The Duncan Principle
Professor Duncan is a bit of an underrated character who was gone from Community far too soon. He proved himself to be another hilarious member of the Greendale faculty, especially with his arrogant psychology work.
Duncan conducts a psychology experiment he dubs "the Duncan Principle" in which he makes participants wait in a waiting room until they crack. However, the cruel experiment backfires when Abed is so calm and patient that it ends up being Duncan who falls apart.
Chang: Why Do You Teach Spanish?
Though there are countless strange classes at Community's Greendale, the most unpredictable one is the Spanish class overseen by Señor Chang. He proves himself to be a loose cannon in his very first class.
Chang greets the new students before launching into an angry tirade about how people are confused that he is teaching Spanish. He gets angrier and angrier until he is shouting at his stunned students, "I am a Spanish genius!"
Dean: Jeff With Sunglasses
Dean Pelton gradually becomes one of the funniest characters on the show and his not-so-subtle crush on Jeff is one of the best running jokes in the series. He is always complimenting Jeff's flattering clothing, but sometimes it is too much to handle.
When Jeff wears a pair of cool sunglasses to school one day, Dean catches one glimpse of him collapses to the ground, convulsing. As Jeff walks away, Dean continues to make a scene, screaming, "Oh my god even his shadow! Look at his shadow!"
Pierce: Writing Greendale's New Song
Though Pierce sort of became a villain on Community, it was also hard not to feel sorry for him at times. He was a lonely old man who just wanted to seem cool to his younger classmates but he usually just ends up looking like a fool.
After convincing Annie that he should write the new song for Greendale, Pierce struggles to write a song. Just when he starts to feel like a failure, inspiration hits him. But when he performs the song for the school, it's clearly a rip-off of Bruce Hornsby's classic song "The Way It Is." Still, many fans consider it one of his most iconic scenes as it let fans know type of person Pierce could be.
Shirley: The Christmas Fight
Shirley can often be one of the more grounded members of the study group, but that doesn't mean she is always right. While she is mostly polite and kind, there are other times where she unfairly judges all of her classmates because they don't agree with her beliefs.
A prime example of this is when Shirley organizes a Christmas party, she is visibly uncomfortable to learn that Jeff will be participating in a fight. However, fans were then delighted to watch as Shirley rushed to her friend's aid and helped defend him from the gang - using a giant candy cane as a weapon. It was one moment that cemented the bond between the study group members.
Troy: Meeting LeVar Burton
Troy was introduced in the show as a sort of stereotypical jock character. However, that cliched character gradually faded away to show that Troy was weird, childlike, and surprisingly sensitive.
One moment that shows all of these aspects of Troy's personality is when he meets his childhood hero, LeVar Burton. While Burton tries to make small talk with his fan, Troy just stares at him in silent terror and can later be seen singing the Reading Rainbow song and crying in the bathroom. If fans scour the internet, Troy's scene has also be used for many memes.
Britta: Analogy
Britta began the show as a love interest for Jeff who didn't have as much personality as most of the other characters. But she quickly became a really fun character as well as an example of how Community subverts sitcom tropes, turning the love interest into one of the more foolish Greendale characters.
Britta is someone who really wants people to think she is smart, but her overconfidence often exposes her own ignorance. When Jeff suggests that Britta doesn't know what an analogy is, she defines it as "it's like a thought with… another thought's hat on." Fans will agree that this is probably one of the moments where the gang started saying she "Britta'd it."
Abed: Don Draper
Abed is one of the most memorable characters on the show and is responsible for most of the pop culture references on the show. It can also come in handy and when the group tries to build his confidence and help him socialize with others.
For instance, in one scene, the group suggests Abed should try to act like someone else, so he chooses Don Draper from Mad Men. This proves to be very effective as his charismatic attitude shows Annie swept up in the role-playing. It's could also be seen as a meta-reference as Alison Brie was also on the show, playing Trudy Campbell.
Annie: Batman Commentary
Annie likes to think of herself as the most responsible and dedicated member of the study group. While that is true at times, she is funniest when she gets sucked into the group's bizarre plans, especially when she begins panicking about how to fix a delicate situation.
After breaking Abed's Blu-Ray of The Dark Knight, Annie and Troy start freaking out. Annie hastily recommends they replace it and record the fake exclusive commentary themselves. Not only do fans get to see her do her best Batman voice but they also find it hilarious how she tries to cover up a break-in.
Jeff: Die Hard
While the first season of Community was a lot of fun, it really caught on late in the season with the infamous paintball episode. It showcased a campus-wide paintball game that turned into an action movie parody with the students nearly destroying Greendale.
There are countless references and nods to famous action movies in this episode, but the most memorable is when Jeff dons a familiar-looking tattered tank top. It turns into a perfect spoof of the climactic scene in Die Hard with Jeff nailing the John McClane role.