An Artistic Appeal

A lot of things can be said about the artistic merit of your shows. Some of them are just fluffy entertainment, and that’s fine. Some of them are actively offensive (Whitney in particular), and that’s less fine. But some of them are truly, truly good. Some of them deserve the air time you give them.

In my opinion, and in the opinion of many others, Community is at the top of this category.

I don’t know if you know much about Dan Harmon, the man you hired to create this show, but he’s a genius. He understands storytelling and character like few people in the entertainment industry do. Sometimes Community is a little bit inaccessible to people who are looking for fluffy entertainment, but if you’re willing to pay attention, it is so funny, and so brilliant, and so deserving of praise. It is a work of art. Few people dare to create art for commercial television, these days or ever. It’s hard to get the general masses to pay attention to art. But that’s why it’s so important that networks allow it to happen. This isn’t about ratings.

Let’s be honest - you are NBC. You are one of THE major television networks in the United States. You are not wanting in funds, or in viewers. I have full confidence that you can give up one good time slot for a show that deserves to be seen, even if it isn’t as popular as others you could offer.

The bottom line is, Community is worth it. Community deserves to finish its story, and it needs a fourth season to do that. We’re not asking for six seasons and a movie here. We just want to give all of the incredibly talented people who work on this show a chance to finish they story they’ve been trying to tell. A good novel wouldn’t be cut short by its publisher. A good movie wouldn’t be switched off in theaters halfway through. This is our chance to change the industry, to show that there are still people in our culture who care about good art, new art, art that can make us feel and art that can make us think and art that can make us change. We’re out there. We exist, and we’re important. Just check any one of the many Community fan groups that exist all over the internet.

Please give Community the chance that it deserves. We don’t ask for any more than that.