After releasing on Netflix, NBC's Community has started getting more and more popular, with good reason. Despite having problems during production, and always facing low ratings, it is one of the cleverest and funniest shows ever written and has received a cult following, with many fans waiting for news about a possible #AndAMovie.
The show has some truly clever and genius writing, which warrants multiple rewatches. There are so many tiny details, small jokes, easter eggs, and funny callbacks and references that can go over the audience's heads. Here are 10 small details fans may have missed in Community.
The Beetlejuice Cameo
In season 3's Halloween episode, "Horror Fiction in Seven Spooky Steps", the study group is meeting up for a "pre-party" - which is actually a ploy by Britta to find out which person from the study group might be a deranged, murderous sociopath. When Annie is going through Britta's playlist, she mentions Beetlejuice.
Eagle-eyed fans were quick to notice that Beetlejuice actually makes an appearance behind Annie. This was the third time the show had mentioned Beetlejuice; he was previously mentioned in seasons 1 and 2 by Slater and Britta, respectively.
Cougar Town Actors Appear in Community
Abed reveals to Jeff that he did a cameo in an episode of the show, Cougar Town, in season 2's "Critical Film Studies". Sure enough, Abed appears in the background as an extra while Travis and Lori are eating a Subway sandwich. Abed's character makes a scene and runs out (presumably after popping his pants).
However, even the most hardcore Community fans probably don't know that Busy Phillips and Dan Byrd, who play Laurie and Travis in Cougar Town, actually have a cameo in Community. They make an appearance after Pierce saved Greendale during the season 2 paintball episode, "For A Few Paintballs More".
Dan(ielle) Harmon in Season 1 finale
In the season 1 finale, "Pascal's Triangle Revisited", Britta has been nominated as the end of the year Transfer Dance Queen (or as the Dean puts it, Tranny Queen). While announcing the names of the nominees, the Dean calls out "Danielle Harmon", a female version of the show's creator, Dan Harmon.
Danielle Harmon also makes an appearance in the season 3 episode, "Urban Matrimony and the Sandwich Arts", as a party guest who teaches Abed the Lindberg Lean dance.
The Show Criticizes One Of Its Own Seasons
Community has seen its fair share of behind-the-scenes drama, from facing low ratings to the firing of creator Dan Harmon after season 3. The studio hired new showrunners, and although they did their best, season 4 was a disaster. The later seasons refer to this season as "The Gas Leak Year".
In the season finale, "Emotional Consequences of Broadcast Television", while Abed is saying one "cool" for each season, Chang farts and says he 'passed gas' during the fourth one, calling it an inside joke. Quite a clever and not-so-subtle jab at season 4.
Paget Brewster's Two Roles
Paget Brewster joined season 6 as Frankie, a consultant hired to steer Greendale on a better path. However, she had also previously made a cameo during season 5 as Debra the IT Lady, which gave her a sort of double role. The show makes a subtle and hilarious reference to her two characters, which some may have missed.
In the Season Six episode "Queer Studies & Advanced Waxing," Frankie claims that she has made many attempts to contact Debra the IT Lady, but her emails "get bounced back to me in Aramaic, and when I call, I hear an undulating high pitched whistle that makes my nose bleed."
The Audience Sees The Famous Pen Being Stolen
In season 2's "Cooperative Calligraphy", Community's take on a classic bottle episode, the study group is finishing up a diorama and is about to leave when Annie realizes she's missing a pen. She accuses everyone of stealing the pen and demands everyone stays till the pen is found, and much to Abed's disappointment, they end up doing a bottle episode.
At the end of the episode, it is revealed that Troy's old monkey had stolen the pen. However, eagle-eyed viewers can see a small hand stealing the pen while the Dean is talking about the puppy parade, right in the beginning minutes of the episode.
"Fire Can't Go Through Doors, Silly"
In the season 3 episode, "The First Chang Dynasty", Chang shows just how crazy he is by revealing his master plan - he plans to burn down the school's records to destroy all evidence of his misdeeds. When Annie says he'll burn down the entire school, Chang says "Fire can't go through doors, stupid. It's not a ghost!".
In season 4's "Paranormal Parentage", when the study group is hiding from a 'ghost', Pierce makes a hilarious callback to Chang's idiotic line. He tells Troy "Ghosts can't go through doors, stupid. It's not a fire!".
The MacGuffin Grant
In season 4's "Advanced Documentary Filmmaking", Abed makes a documentary about Changnesia in order to get money from the McGuffin Grant so the study group can help Chang, while Jeff tries to prove that Chang is faking the whole thing. Jeff almost succeeds, but they end up getting the money anyway.
The name of the grant is a reference to a popular trope used in movies and books. A 'McGuffin' is a literary device that only exists so the plot can happen. The McGuffin Grant is a literal McGuffin! It only moves the plot forward and has no impact on the story.
Abed's RoboCop Scan
In the season 2 episode, "Aerodynamics of Gender", Abed becomes a 'mean girl' in order to fit in. He envisions himself as a RoboCop who's cleaning up the college. Audiences can see various references in Abed' RoboCop vision, including Shirley's menstrual cycle (referenced in "Cooperative Calligraphy"), and the current synopsis of the episode.
There are also references to future episodes, such as "Abed's Uncontrollable Christmas" (confirm mom for Xmas), "Pillows and Blankets" (make blanket fort), and "Mixology Certification" (get birthday gift for Troy).
Troy's Spider-Man Pajamas
In the season 2 premiere, Troy can be seen wearing Spider-Man pajamas. This was a reference to Donald Glover campaigning for the role of a Spider-Man of color in The Amazing Spider-Man movies at the time.
Donald Glover ended up playing Aaron Davis in the MCU, and Into the Spider-Verse makes a nod to this as well. When Miles goes to visit his uncle, Aaron, his TV shows that particular episode of Community.