Community is one of the best comedies on television.  But this offseason saw upheaval in the departure of Creator/Executive Producer Dan Harmon.  They were so unsure about a return that the last episode of the third season could act as a series finale.  Still, a fervent fan base has given the quirky show a fourth season, even if it comes with a move to Fridays.  The first table read is set for August 6th with shooting to begin August 13th.  Five of the cast sat down to talk about the upcoming season, the departure and the bit of plot they could share (the appearance of Jeff’s dad).  More after the break.

Full disclosure: The line to get into Ballroom 20 was very, very long this morning, and the Community panel (the first of the day) had the audacity to start without me.  I was about 20 minutes late, and I don’t know what excitement happened without me.  It is probably for the best, since I was a rubbernecker looking to see how they would deal with the recent ugly firing of Community creator Dan Harmon.  (Answer: They addressed it without really discussing it, even when I wasn’t there.  Not surprising.)

There was a big group: Joel McHale, Yvette Nicole Brown, Gillian Jacobs, Alison Brie, Danny Pudi; writers Megan Ganz and Andy Bobrow; producer  Russ Krasnoff and new showrunners David Guarascio and Moss Port.  I hope you’ll forgive my tardiness and hit the jump for an abbreviated bullet-point recap, along with a brand new gag reel.

It looks like Community’s Greendale Seven will all be returning for a fourth season (yes, even Chevy Chase’s Pierce Hawthorne).  Reports have Sony Pictures Television picking up the options on all the actors from the NBC comedy and critical darling.  Although there was some speculation earlier this year as to whether or not Chase would be back (due to some behind-the-scenes issues), he’s on the list of castmembers who will be returning this fall.  Of course, we all know that creator and former showrunner Dan Harmon won’t be returning, after being let go earlier this year.  In his stead will be Moses Port and David Guarascio. Deadline confirms that Joel McHale, Donald Glover, Danny Pudi, Alison Brie, Yvette Nicole Brown, Gillian Jacobs, Jim Rash and Ken Jeong will also return.

A trio of young actors have landed the lead roles in the indie comedy Toy’s House.  Per Variety, Nick Robinson (Melissa & Joey), Gabriel Basso (The Big C), and Moises Arias (Hannah Montana) will topline the pic, which centers on three unhappy teens “who flee to the wilderness where they build a makeshift house and live off the land as masters of their own destiny.”  Once there, though, they’re faced with the harsh reality of surviving on their own and realize they’re not ready to grow up just yet.  The promising supporting cast includes Nick Offerman (Parks and Recreation), Alison Brie (Community), Megan Mullaly (Will & Grace), Mary Lynn Rajskub (24) and Erin Moriarty (The Watch).

Chris Galletta wrote the screenplay, and Funny or Die Presents director Jordan Vogt-Roberts will be taking the helm.  The premise brings to mind shades of a more comedic version of Stand By Me, and hopefully Vogt-Roberts can put together a fun coming-of-age story. Production is set to get underway in July in Cleveland.

Despite 30 Rock often cracking wise about how NBC is barely a network anymore, the broadcaster lead the Critics’ Choice Awards nominations with 14 recognitions (although 30 Rock, unfortunately, received none). NBC’s low-rated but much beloved jewel Community picked up six nominations on its own, including five for acting (Joel McHale, Jim Rash, Alison Brie, Gillian Jacobs, and Danny Pudi), solidifying its place in the canon of widely under-appreciated series with deeply rooted critical and cult followings.

Hit the jump for the full list of nominees, along with who got snubbed.

I’m sorry to say that Annie’s Boobs will not be taking over for Dan Harmon as showrunner of NBC’s Community next season.  With Harmon’s impending departure, David Guarascio and Moses Port will take over the daily duties as both showrunners and executive producers.  Rumor has it that Harmon, creator and executive producer for the first three seasons (which is almost half way to six seasons and a movie), may stay on as a consulting producer.  Guarascio and Port have a long history of television writing and producing; they’re best known for the moderately long-running NBC series, Just Shoot Me and recently added Aliens in America, Happy Endings and El Jefe to their resume. It’s great that Guarascio and Port have experience in the industry and that should help with keeping the show afloat, but will the intangible allure of Community disappear with Harmon?  Hit the jump for much, much more.

Update: Dan Harmon has responded to this sad news on his blog.  Hit the jump for more.

That “six seasons and a movie” mantra that I’ve been chanting for the past week must have counted for something (you’re welcome, Internet).  It’s just been reported that NBC has renewed the brilliantly funny comedy Community for a fourth season.  We reported earlier today on the network’s renewals for Parenthood, The Office, and a final season of 30 Rock, but the lack of news about Community was troubling.  Fans can now breathe much easier with the promise that everyone’s favorite study group will be back on our TV screens this fall.  Following an abrupt, network-imposed hiatus, the series returned to strong ratings and has been drawing significant audiences week after week.  Hit the jump for more.

I want to send a big “Thank You” to my colleagues Matt, Adam, and Dave for inviting me to be a part of our new podcast, The Collision, last week. I had an excellent time chatting it up with Matt and Adam and I give those guys and Dave a ton of credit for using what might otherwise be well deserved time off (i.e. Sunday nights) in the name of continuing to offer our readers additional original content. In case you missed it, I encourage you to click here to listen to Episode 4 and click here to add The Collision to your RSS feed.

In this week’s Top 5, you’ll find a slew of new assets for G.I. Joe: Retaliation, video interviews with Jason Segel, Emily Blunt and more for The Five-Year Engagement, the first images from Django Unchained, a stellar first trailer for Lawless, and a recap of all of our CinemaCon 2012 coverage. Check out a brief recap and link to each after the jump.

The Cult of Judd Apatow needs to learn that sometimes you have to cut a scene even if it’s funny.  The refusal to learn this lesson has resulted in movies where every scene will get some laughs, but the pacing falls into a rut.  The 40-Year-Old Virgin managed to escape this fate, but writer-director Nicholas Stoller has repeatedly fallen prey to the belief that he can sacrifice pacing for a few more jokes.  It happened in Forgetting Sarah Marshall, it happened in Get Him to the Greek, and it happens in his new film, The Five-Year Engagement.  Apatow has produced all of Stoller’s films and never thrown up a stop sign.  The Five-Year Engagement may be Stoller’s biggest offender to date as the wonderful performances and great humor are constantly at war with a narrative that struggles to move forward even when it’s jumping ahead in time.

Opening this Friday, April 27th is director Nicholas Stoller’s comedy The Five-Year Engagement.  The film reunites Stoller with his Forgetting Sarah Marshall star Jason Segel and follows a couple (played by Segel and Emily Blunt) through the ups and downs of their extended engagement.  The excellent ensemble cast also includes Chris Pratt, Alison Brie, Rhys Ifans, David Paymer, Mimi Kennedy, Jacki Weaver, Jim Piddock, Kevin Hart, Brian Posehn and Mindy Kaling.  For more on the film here’s the red-band trailer and five clips.

I got to visit the set earlier this year where I previously spoke with Alison Brie and Chris Pratt, but recently I sat down with Brie again to talk about the film for our partners at Omelete.  During the course of our interview, Brie talked about how the film features characters that are funny but still real, how the project changed during filming and improv on set, whether more people want to talk about her work on Hannah Montana, Born or The Coverup, and her upcoming projects like Get a Job and Adventures of the Dunderheads.  Hit the jump to watch.

A red-band trailer for The Five-Year Engagement has gone online.  The film follows Jason Segel and Emily Blunt through the ups and downs of their prolonged engagement.  Segel reteams with Forgetting Sarah Marshall director Nicholas Stoller on the film, and I’m a big fan of what we’ve seen thus far.  This red-band trailer focuses on some of the dirtier jokes we were expecting from a Judd Apatow-produced comedy, with a fairly great sex scene between Segel and Blunt thrown in for good measure.  It’s also nice to see The 40-Year Old Virgin scene-stealer Kevin Hart back in an Apatow comedy.  I love the ensemble cast that Stoller has put together and I’m excited to watch everyone play off of one another in the finished film.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer, and don’t forget to check out Steve’s set visit coverage including 20 things to know about the film and bunch of on set interviews.  We also posted 24 images and five clips.  The film also stars Chris Pratt, Alison Brie, Rhys Ifans, David Paymer, Mimi Kennedy, Jacki Weaver, Brian Posehn, and Mindy Kaling. The Five-Year Engagement opens on April 27th.

We’ve got five new clips from the upcoming comedy The Five-Year Engagement to share today.  The film comes from Forgetting Sarah Marshall director Nicholas Stoller, who co-wrote the screenplay with star Jason Segel, and follows a couple through the ups and downs of their extended engagement.  I loved the first trailer and included the pic in our most recent iteration of the Most Anticipated feature, so I’m quite looking forward to what Stoller and Segel have put together.  If you missed them, you can check out Steve’s set visit coverage including 20 things to know about the film and bunch of on set interviews.  We also just posted 24 images, which you can check out here.

Hit the jump to watch the clips.  The film also stars Emily Blunt, Chris Pratt, Alison Brie, Rhys Ifans, David Paymer, Mimi Kennedy, Jacki Weaver, Jim Piddock, Kevin Hart, Brian Posehn, Mindy Kaling. The Five-Year Engagement opens on April 27th.

Universal has released 24 images from director Nicholas Stoller‘s (Get Him to the Greek, Forgetting Sarah Marshall) The Five-Year Engagement.  If you’re not familiar with the film, The Five-Year Engagement “looks at what happens when an engaged couple, Jason Segel and Emily Blunt, keeps getting tripped up on the long walk down the aisle.”  The film stars also stars Chris Pratt, Alison Brie, Rhys Ifans, David Paymer, Mimi Kennedy, Jacki Weaver, Jim Piddock, Kevin Hart, Brian Posehn, Mindy Kaling, and many other familiar faces.  I did a set visit last year and listed twenty things to know about the film.  In addition, here’s a bunch of on set interviews.  Hit the jump for the images and full synopsis.  The Five-Year Engagement opens April 27.

The NBC comedy series Community is finally returning with new episodes for the remainder of its third season on March 15th, much to the happiness of its devoted fans. Telling the story of a tight-knit Greendale Community College study group, that includes actress Alison Brie as high-strung perfectionist Annie, the show is always smart, always clever and always funny.

During this recent interview to promote the return of the show, Alison Brie talked about how it feel to finally be back on the air with new episodes, what the outpour of love and support from the fans has meant to them, what’s new for her character’s romantic life, her favorite scene in the series, her favorite upcoming episode, and the prop that she stole from the set to play with for a day. She also talked about her return to Mad Men this coming season, and the best and worst things that could happen to her characters on both that show and Community. Check out what she had to say after the jump:

CBS Films announced a few more additions to the ensemble comedy Get a Job today. Community star Alison Brie, Nicholas Braun (Red State), Brandon T. Jackson (Tropic Thunder) and Jay Pharoah (Saturday Night Live) have been added to a cast that includes Bryan Cranston, Anna Kendrick, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, and Miles Teller (Footloose). The multi-generational comedy centers on four recent college graduates “who discover that their lofty expectations and the realities of adulthood are two very different things.” Teller leads the cast as a guy who finds his true calling after struggling through an entry-level job, and Braun, Mintz-Plasse and Jackson will play Teller’s three friends who each find different careers. Brie will play “one of the group’s sharp-witted coworkers” and Pharoah plays a character that starts his own recession-proof business. Jesse Eisenberg had been looking to make a cameo role in the pic, but the press release (predictably) makes no mention of his involvement. Hit the jump for more, including the full press release.