Community memorably starred a megastar cast led by Joel McHale and followed a group of misfit students at a community college who come together to form a study group, but wind up forming an unexpected found family. And during its seven years on NBC, the show is remembered for a single catchphrase: "six seasons and a movie."
Eight years after Community bid farewell with its Season 6 series finale in 2015, the show is finally making the long-awaited movie. Filming isn't expected to start until June, but while you're refreshing your brain on all the ins and outs of Greendale Community College and binge-watching all six seasons, there are a few specific episodes that are must-watches before the new Peacock film is released.
"Community" (Season 1, Episode 1)
Community premiered on September 17, 2009 with a titular first episode that set the tone for the next six seasons to come. Centering around McHale's Jeff on his journey to go back to school, the smooth-talking character spends the series premiere trying to impress a female classmate, Britta, by pretending to host a study group.
The episode follows Jeff's plan of getting Britta alone. But this backfires when other students learn of the study group and show up, introducing themselves and all of their strange and differing personalities and quickly becoming an unlikely group of friends.
"Modern Warfare" (Season 1, Episode 23)
This episode acts as a double-whammy for reasons to watch before the upcoming movie. Not only does it introduce one of the series' most memorable running gags, but it also acts as a final culmination of chemistry between two main characters throughout the first season.
"Modern Warfare" was the start of a fan-favorite Community tradition: the paintball competition. The episode showcased the students at Greendale in an all-out paintball war while Jeff and Britta's sexual tension finally came to a head when they hooked up in the study room as the rest of the school competed.
"Cooperative Calligraphy" (Season 2, Episode 8)
This Season 2 episode hilariously reveals some interesting secrets about each member of the study group while ultimately showcasing the trust they all share when something as trivial as a missing pen sends them into a frenzy.
After Annie accuses one of her fellow study group members of taking her favorite pen, searches through everyone's things reveal one's inappropriate habit and another's unexpected pregnancy. It's not until Jeff concludes their friendships are far too strong to steal from one another that they all finally leave school before the last scene reveals the surprising culprit of the pen.
"Abed's Uncontrollable Christmas" (Season 2, Episode 11)
While Community was a live-action sitcom, it was also known for breaking the mold and coming up with creative ways to tell stories with other mediums, including a stop-motion Christmas episode.
After Abed begins seeing the world around him in claymation, his concerned study group friends send him into a therapy session where he takes everyone on a stop-motion Christmas journey. The group embarks on festive adventures while putting the pieces together for the real reason for Abed's current condition in this heartwarming and hilarious claymation transformation of the beloved characters.
"Intermediate Documentary Filmmaking" (Season 2, Episode 16)
Season 2's "Intermediate Documentary Filmmaking" puts a mockumentary spin on the show while also introducing one of its most memorable guest stars for the first time
When Pierce winds up in the hospital and pretends he's dying, the group rushes to his aide while Abed is enlisted to film a documentary of Pierce's final moments. Harsh secrets and betrayals are revealed about the group, but it's the moment Troy's idol LeVar Burton walks into the hospital and sends Troy into a shocked and silent state that everyone remembers best.
"Remedial Chaos Theory" (Season 3, Episode 4)
Arguably the best episode of the entire series, the Season 3 fan-favorite "Remedial Chaos Theory" received Emmy Award and Hugo Award nominations for its critical acclaim, unforgettably combining pizza, dice, a fire, and the song "Roxanne" by The Police.
It was all because Jeff suggested that they roll a die to decide who gets the pizza. The evening was then split into six different timelines that ended in completely different outcomes, from smoking marijuana, to a gun accidentally getting shot off, and a fire burning down Troy and Abed's apartment.
"Digital Estate Planning" (Season 3, Episode 12)
As fun and creative as the stop-motion and the animated episodes were, nothing beats Season 3's "Digital Estate Planning" when the majority of the episode becomes a video game, starring 8-bit versions of the characters who are playing a video game in their human form.
They learn Pierce's father's last will and testament was for his son and seven friends to play a video game. But as the study group starts playing the game, they realize they're actually playing to try and win Pierce's inheritance against an unexpected player.
"Cooperative Polygraphy" (Season 5, Episode 4)
The Season 5 premiere saw the last of Chevy Chase as Pierce, and by the third episode, the character was killed off. The fourth episode of the season follows the events after Pierce's funeral that wind up revealing some expected feelings.
When Pierce's will requests each member of the group undergo a polygraph test, the group learns each other's secrets - and even crimes - and starts revealing things about one another no one ever knew. But it's the end of the episode when the group receives bequeathed gifts from their late friend that everyone is left the most shocked due to what Troy receives.
"Geothermal Escapism" (Season 5, Episode 5)
Season 5 not only said goodbye to Chase as Pierce, but Donald Glover as Troy, who left the show to pursue his music career as Childish Gambino, and concluded the character's story in a unique and memorable way.
After being left a share of Pierce's fortune on the condition he sets sail on a boat - jokingly named Childish Tycoon as a nod to Glover - Troy says goodbye to all of his friends at Greendale Community College. But not before his best friend Abed could give him one last, unforgettable day at school.
"Emotional Consequences of Broadcast Television" (Season 6, Episode 13)
Before you watch the highly-anticipated Community movie, expected to hit Peacock sometime in 2023, an important episode to keep in mind is Season 6's "Emotional Consequences of Broadcast Television," which doubled as the series' final episode.
The final episode takes place at the end of their sixth school year and follows everyone wondering what a "season seven" would bring, letting their imagination run wild while some dreams start coming true sooner than they expected. One of the last scenes of the episode flashes "#andamovie" across the screen, foreshadowing the show's plans to follow through with the "six seasons and a movie" sentiment.