The TV Ratings Guide Is Now Looking For New Contributors
Showing posts with label tv ratings guide. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tv ratings guide. Show all posts
The Ratings Don’t Lie: CNN and MSNBC Would Benefit From a Second Trump Presidency
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| Former President Trump endorsing Senator Chuck Grassley for re-election at a ‘Save America’ rally. [Source: Newsmax] |
Animated Comedy The Great North Renewed by FOX Ahead of Premiere
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| Picture Source: FOX |
FOX has renewed The Great North for a second season. The animated comedy has yet to receive a premiere date for its first season, although FOX appears to be high on its chances of success.
Finally Apart Season 2 Episode 6: Changes (FINALE)
Put Them In Season 1 Episode 3: Put James In
RAY
I have some news, everyone.
COACH DONOVAN
What?
RAY
I might not be catching for you guys anymore. I got a text from the front office last week. Said they’re considering firing me.
COACH DONOVAN
Firing you? For what?
RAY
I don’t know!
MIKE
They can’t fire you, you’re one of the best catchers in the league!
RAY
That’s what I thought! Maybe my salary is too high?
XAVIER
How much do you make?
RAY
Two million a year.
COACH DONOVAN
Two million a year? That’s nothing compared to most other players!
RAY
Really? I was told it’s a lot!
JAMES
You are seriously undervalued here. What you need to do is ask for a pay raise.
RAY
Then I’d get fired immediately!
COACH DONOVAN
Tell you what. I’ll put in a good word for you. We need you.
TYLER
We could probably survive with a different catcher.
COACH DONOVAN
Okay yeah, maybe we could. But you’re still part of this team.
JAMES
One more thing.
COACH DONOVAN
What?
JAMES
Is one of us going into the game anytime soon, the commercial break is probably going to be over soon and it’s our turn to pitch.
COACH DONOVAN
Right. I have it between Xavier and Mike.
XAVIER
I already pitched.
MIKE
Same.
COACH DONOVAN
Okay, you’re in James.
JAMES
Sounds like you have no confidence in me.
COACH DONOVAN
Nah, all four of you are good. Just...not everyone is as good as Xavier.
MIKE
What about me?
COACH (ignoring MIKE)
Good luck James!
JAMES runs up to the pitchers’ mound. RAY slowly walks behind the plate, looking down at the ground.
JAMES throws the first pitch. He proceeds to strike out everyone for the first four innings.
CUT to JAMES pitching in the fifth inning. RAY has been replaced by ALLEN, the backup catcher. JAMES immediately gives up three home runs and walks two batters. JAMES is taken out of the game and goes back to the bullpen, where he is greeted by COACH DONOVAN.
COACH DONOVAN
Looks like we learned something today.
JAMES
We don’t have the stamina to pitch several innings in a row, we know.
COACH DONOVAN
Oh we learned that weeks ago. Everyone but the front office knows. But we learned we need Ray as a catcher.
TYLER
Allen did as good a job as he could.
COACH DONOVAN
Do you want to pitch to Ray or Allen next week.
TYLER
Ray.
COACH DONOVAN
Then what point are you trying to make?
TYLER
That Allen also has value on the team.
COACH DONOVAN
Of course! Seems like some pitchers are more comfortable pitching to Ray instead though. We can’t afford to lose him.
RAY walks back to the bullpen.
RAY
Hey Coach Donovan.
COACH DONOVAN
Ray! We were talking about how badly we need you.
RAY
Turns out, they texted the wrong number. I’m staying!
MIKE
Good!
XAVIER
Wait a minute—who were they trying to text?
RAY
Oh! They were trying to get through to Carter. Guess they don’t like having injured players on the roster.
JAMES
Hold up...Carter’s getting fired?
RAY
Nope, I wouldn’t have it. They are instead. We’re getting a new general manager!
How’d They Do? Evaluating The Ratings of The Final Seasons of The Good Place and Will & Grace
Welcome to this edition of ‘How’d They Do?’. The final season ratings of NBC shows which ended in the 2019-20 season are evaluated here. Note that this does not include cancelations, but rather shows that were announce to be ending ahead of time.
Credit for the ratings go to Programming Insider. Any missing numbers is a result of them not being reported. Some shows will have a column reflected their viewership in Canada, but numbers are only available for weeks where the show made the top 30. Averages in the Canada column are only visible when the vast majority of episodes have ratings reported.
The Good Place (2016-2020)
The Good Place first burst onto the scene in 2016. The serialized comedy, which is set in an afterlife, proved to be a solid ratings performer for NBC, doing better than most of their other post-Office offerings when taking into account the declines in viewership across the board every season. It also has seemed to find a following on Netflix and Hulu. For its fourth and final season, it was tasked with anchoring NBC’s Thursday 9pm hour. The night has had its ups and downs for them for the past several years, oftentimes with some shows working and others failing. The Good Place started the season airing directly after Perfect Harmony, and directly before the short-lived Sunnyside. On its tenth episode, it made a time slot change back to its usual 8:30 time after Superstore.
For its final season, The Good Place saw sharp declines across the board. Even after moving back
to 8:30, that ugly 0.50 in A18-49 Live + Same Day for the eleventh episode demonstrated that the show was no longer what it once was. On the bright side, it stayed mainly pretty steady throughout the season. This is shown clearly by the subdemos table. The remarkable amount of white is a sign that most ratings hovered around the average, with the occasional fluctuation.
The ratings for the series finale grew from the previous episode in all demos except M18-34, where it matched the previous rating. It didn’t see the bump NBC was probably hoping for when they had a two hour time period blocked off for it, including a Paley Center Salutes before and a special Late Night episode with the cast directly after the finale. However, it could’ve easily gone worse.
It’s tough to look at these ratings and talk about them positively, but it did at least look solid compared to the comedies which surrounded it.
Grade: C
Will & Grace (1998-2006; 2017-2020)
Will & Grace is simply an iconic comedy. At its peak, when it aired behind Friends, it pulled in ratings higher than nearly every other show. It also had a strong social impact, something only some shows can say.
When it lost the Friends lead-in back in the day, its ratings took a huge dive. Still, it returned well for the revival, hitting a 3.0 A18-49 L+SD rating. It fell from there, back down to numbers one would expect when accounting for declines in viewership levels in general.
If there is one thing impressive about these ratings, it’s that the median age rose by 1.02 years. As, yes, a viewer gets one year older for every season, this could be an indicator that it had a stable audience. The year-to-year trends for the demos, though, are harsh. Take for example the 0.1s it received in all 18-34 subdemos for its tenth episode. With eight episodes left in the series at that point, anyone following its ratings would have to hold their breath and hope this iconic show never fell to a 0.0, even if in a demo outside of 18-49.
The dreaded, however, did happen for the series finale: it’s A18-49 L+SD and L+3 ratings both dropped from the previous week. This is a show that, for its 2006 finale, jumped from a 3.6 to an 8.4 in A18-49 L+SD. That was a TV event; this was not.
Canada seemed to be interested in it though, as it was the only episode of the season that cracked Canada’s weekly top 30 list in seven-day viewership. Given the population in Canada is drastically lower than that of the United States, one million viewers is a strong rating. Also, older viewers seemed to have shown some increased interest; with the Households rising to a season high, it’s very possible the A55+ demo saw a big spike. That data is not publicly available, so it is something that can only be speculated.
Overall, this season did provide the value of not being Sunnyside. It didn’t serve much of a purpose outside of that, unless it was huge on digital. While it was nice NBC gave it a pre-announced final season, there didn’t seem to be a whole lot of interest.
Grade: D
What do you think of these grades? Be sure to vote in the polls and leave a comment!
How’d They Do? Evaluating The Ratings of Criminal Minds and Madam Secretary’s Final Seasons
Welcome to this edition of ‘How’d They Do?’. The final season ratings of two CBS shows which ended in the 2019-20 season are evaluated here. Note that this does not include cancelations, but rather shows that were announce to be ending ahead of time.
Credit for the ratings go to Programming Insider. Any missing numbers is a result of them not being reported. Some shows will have a column reflected their viewership in Canada, but numbers are only available for weeks where the show made the top 30. Averages in the Canada column are only visible when the vast majority of episodes have ratings reported.
Criminal Minds (2005-2020)
Criminal Minds proved itself to be a key player on CBS’s schedule over time. It was never a huge hit to the level of NCIS and CSI, but its stability at the turn of the 2010s decade was remarkable. This is not to mention how often it’s in syndication rotation, making backend money for CBS and Disney. It also had international appeal, with South Korea even creating their own version. CBS tried twice to replicate its success through spinoffs: Suspect Behavior in 2011 and Beyond Borders in 2016. Neither spinoffs were successes, and got canceled after no more than two short seasons.
For the most part, Criminal Minds’ short final season, which aired in the winter, had impressive year-to-year trends. Airing at 9pm for all but one of the first six episodes certainly couldn’t have hurt, but it’s not like the Undercover Boss lead-in was especially coveted.
It is fully possible, though, that Undercover Boss was stronger in Live ratings than the typical show, which may see a sizable Same Day viewing jump. This theory can be validated by looking at the year-to-year trends in the first chart: the Live + Same Day ratings for Criminal Minds had a better trend than the delayed viewing numbers. Also, while the median age of viewers grew, it was by less than a year, implying it gained a few younger viewers this season. Perhaps these people for the most part were in their 50s, given the stellar trends in not just A25-54, but also the gender breakdown of that age bracket.
The final two episodes, which aired alongside each other on one night, rose from the previous episode in all 16 demographics shown above, including hitting a high amongst seven-day viewership in Canada. The Live+7 bump in the A18-49 demo was rather modest, yet still a higher rating than most other episodes in this final season.
Criminal Minds’ final season added episodes for syndication and international viewing, had solid trends in every demographic, and likely did better than what any other shows that could’ve realistically aired in place of it. It also appeared to not be overly depending on lead-ins, looking much better in retention out of Undercover Boss than Survivor.
Grade: A
Madam Secretary (2014-2019)
Madam Secretary began its six-season run in the coveted Sunday at 8pm time slot, taking over for The Amazing Race. The A18-49 Live + Same Day results weren’t great, and simply got worse over time. Ratings were always well below average, and yet it kept making the cut for another season. Over time, it was given time slot downgrades, first moving to 9pm for Season 3, and then 10pm for Seasons 4 through 6.
Madam Secretary was down 25% in the A18-49 demographic for its final season, and the delayed viewing ratings trends were no better. All subdemos also had rough year-to-year trends as well. This is not out of the ordinary for most seasons of Madam Secretary.
The series finale’s ratings rose in every demographic, although modestly. Still, with no subdemos significantly below average, the finale shouldn’t be judged too harshly. It was well past the point where it would be able to post ratings much better than it.
The ratings had a few scares throughout the season, mostly with the M18-34 demo. Hitting a 0.1 for its third episode could give the feeling that it would at some point hit the dreaded 0.0. Luckily, it didn’t go lower than that 0.1, although it did match it in two subsequent episodes and had a 36% year-to-year drop. Also, the ratings for episodes 3 through 6 signaled the results in the final four episodes could’ve been much worse.
Grade: D
What do you think of these grades? Be sure to vote in the polls and leave a comment!
Put Me In Season 1 Episode 8: Lorenzo’s Workshop (SEASON 1 FINALE)
PREVIOUSLY ON PUT ME IN
CARTER
I just threw a perfect game!
BEN
Congratulations! We need to have a big celebration for this.
A reporter approaches CARTER.
REPORTER
How does this feel, Carter, to become a baseball sensation?
CARTER
It feels unreal.
REPORTER
Well it is real. Is there anything else you’d like to tell your fans?
LEWIS runs over to the reporter and talks into the microphone.
LEWIS
I have something to say. I’ve always called this guy ‘kid’. Because that’s what he was to me, a new pitcher who had potential but was unproven.
LEWIS turns to CARTER
LEWIS
Carter, you’re no kid anymore.
_____________________________
OPEN: The dugout of the Charleston Capitols’. It is an away game.
RAY
Carter, you ready for today’s game?
CARTER
I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.
LEWIS
You better be. It’s a big game today. We’re missing some of our relief pitchers.
CARTER
Do I want to ask why?
LEWIS
Probably not.
RAY
Coach, this is the first time I’m hearing about this. Did you tell anyone else?
LEWIS
Between the three of us, some of them are having a training day. It’s like a workshop, but for baseball players.
CARTER
They have those in the middle of the season?
LEWIS
I had never heard of them either, but if a former baseball player wants to give my guys some tips, they’re all his.
BEN, approaching
What about a former baseball player?
LEWIS
He is one.
BEN
Who?
LEWIS
His name is Lorenzo. Apparently he’s a baseball legend.
CUT to LORENZO, coaching MIKE, the team’s utility relief pitcher, as well as JAMES, the team’s closer.
LORENZO
So what you do is...look, you take your arm, and then you put the ball in it, and then throw it at the guy with the glove who’s squatting next to the batter. He’s in a position like he’s about to take a dump.
MIKE
Um...thanks?
JAMES
I can see what they mean about you not being a pitching legend.
LORENZO
That I am not. But I am a good guy.
MIKE
Can’t argue with that.
CUT back to RAY, LEWIS, BEN, and CARTER in the dugout.
RAY
Are you kidding me?
LEWIS
No...go out there now, time to have fun. But most importantly, win the game.
RAY
I think we need to clear something up first: have you really never heard of Lorenzo? That guy is not famous for his baseball skills.
LEWIS
Don’t even tell me he’s a criminal.
RAY
No! He’s just...unique. Although, he almost got charged for the consumption of an illegal substance.
LEWIS
Oh wow.
RAY
It was cotton candy. Long story. I think you’re the only one in the baseball Universe who has never heard of him.
LEWIS
OK now if you don’t mind, Carter’s out on the pitching mound and everyone’s ready to start.
RAY
Fine. But don’t blame us when Carter’s pitch count gets up to 350.
RAY walks behind the plate and gets into position. CARTER throws the opening pitch. It’s a strike. RAY tosses the ball back to CARTER, but he doesn’t through the next pitch. RAY walks up to the mound.
RAY
You gonna throw a pitch or not?
CARTER
I hurt my wrist.
RAY
It’s probably just a little sore.
CARTER
No, I think I did something to it.
RAY signals to the dugout. The trainer, DANIELLE, walks to the mound.
DANIELLE
What’s going on here?
RAY
Carter hurt his wrist.
DANIELLE
He can’t do that! Some of the relievers are at a workshop! Mike is gone, and he’d come into the game in this situation.
RAY
I don’t think Lorenzo understands the concept of relievers actually pitching on a regular basis. He means well. Lewis needs a little chat with the general manager, though.
DANIELLE
They’re with Lorenzo?!?!
CARTER (visibly in pain)
Can we focus on my wrist, please?
DANIELLE
Can you move it?
CARTER
A little bit, but it hurts a lot.
DANIELLE
Do you need someone to come in for you?
CARTER
Yeah.
LEWIS (walking up to the mound)
Carter, you hurt?
CARTER
Yeah.
LEWIS
Should we turn to what’s left of our bullpen?
CARTER
Yeah. Put them in.
XAVIER, the 7th inning reliever, comes running out.
XAVIER
Just to be clear, my job is to do good in the 7th inning. Give me a pass on the others, please.
LEWIS
Just try to keep the game close. You’re a solid reliever. And hopefully we get Mike back soon. With Carter looking like this, he’s probably out for around a month.
Thursday 5/28/20 Cable News Ratings: Tucker Carlson Leads in Demo and Viewers, Don Lemon Tops CNN
Here are the ratings for all cable news shows from Thursday, May 28, that have viewership data publicly available for the key adults 25-54 demographic. Anything not on this chart did below a 0.22 with viewers aged 25-54.
CNN’s prime time was led by Don Lemon’s CNN Tonight, which did significantly better amongst viewers aged 25-54 than the network’s other prime time offerings.
FOX News led cable news’ prime time with its Carlson/Hannity/Ingraham trio, while MSNBC’s night revolved around Rachel Maddow’s 9pm show.
Saturday Cable Ratings 5/23/20: Live PD Leads A Lower Night, Saved by the Barn Down in New Time Slot
Finally Growing Up Season 1 Episode 8: The Decision
CHRIS
Guys, I have some news.
DREW
What is it?
JULIAN
Yeah, you can’t just come in the living room and tell us you have news without telling us!
CHRIS
Guess.
JULIAN
Mom and Dad are coming back?
CHRIS
Not yet. I mean, maybe. But we don’t know.
DREW
They are coming back eventually, right?
CHRIS
That’s the story.
JULIAN
Do you think they even want to come back?
CHRIS
Probably. I hope they care enough about their kids.
DREW
They did seem to like that pre-kids time though.
JULIAN
How would you even know, you weren’t even born yet?
DREW
Just from stories.
CHRIS
Like?
DREW
Apparently they were big travelers. Which is what they’re doing now, pretty much.
JULIAN
Oh. Yeah, you do have a point. Now what were you going to say, Chris?
CHRIS
Huh?
JULIAN
You said you had news.
CHRIS
Oh! Right. We won.
DREW
The TV show contest?
CHRIS
Of course! What other competition did we enter in?
DREW
I don’t know what you do when I’m not around.
CHRIS
They want to do a video call with us discussing the show. We’ve been ordered to series.
CHRIS looks to his computer. An unknown caller is attempting to video call him.
JULIAN
Is that them?
CHRIS
Looks like it, crap what do we do?
DREW
Answer it!!
CHRIS
But we’re in a room with a couch and a small TV and Drew is wearing pajamas!
DREW
These are not pajamas.
CHRIS
They look like them.
JULIAN
Are you gonna answer the call or not?!
CHRIS
Right. Deep breaths.
CHRIS answers the call.
EXECUTIVE
Hello, is this Christopher Cross?
CHRIS
Yes it is!
EXECUTIVE
Do you go by Christopher, Christ, or Topher?
CHRIS
Um...just Chris.
EXECUTIVE
Got it. I’m Julie-Ann.
JULIAN
Hi Julie-Ann, I’m Julian.
JULIE-ANN (chuckling)
Already one thing in common! Anyways, I drew a potential cover art. [Pointing to DREW] You on the left, what do you think?
DREW
It looks amazing! My name is Drew, by the way.
JULIE-ANN
OK, so I’ll keep this brief. You’re show’s going on our fall schedule and we’re airing it after our big hit. The show’s called Our Big Hit. I know, confusing. We have high expectations for your show but think at the very least it should be a good digital player for us given how the original concept went viral on Tac Toe. Now, do you have any questions for me? Also, Drew, are those pajamas?
DREW
No!
JULIE-ANN
They look like pajamas.
CHRIS
That’s what I said!
JULIAN
I have a question—how much do we get paid?
JULIE-ANN
If you look at the fine print, you’ll see that when you submitted the concept you forfeited all rights to it. You don’t get paid. Congratulations again!
JULIE-ANN abruptly ends the call.
JULIAN looks to CHRIS and DREW
JULIAN
We’re screwed.
American Housewife Review - Vacation S4E19
Written by Harrison Cheung
The penultimate episode of a shortened season, AMERICAN HOUSEWIFE takes the Ottos to Hollywood for vacation (the free trip Anna-Kat won in a cookie-selling contest). And like most vacations, this episode was packed!
SPOILERS
Katie and Greg plan to celebrate her 40th birthday in style at Pump's restaurant with the hopes of getting a glimpse of Lisa Vanderpump (REAL HOUSEWIVES). Things go awry when they decide the kids can wander around Hollywood on their own while the two decide to visit a marijuana dispensary. Watching Katie and Greg stoned with the giggles is already an episode-worth of laughs.
Taylor and Anna-Kat hit the Hollywood Walk of Stars where Taylor promptly loses her money to a scamming street artist. The sisters have to figure out how to make back their money, and Anna-Kat shows off her pipes when she figures out she can busk for dough.
As Oliver describes it, this is their first family vacation they ever needed a plane to go to. Apparently the car rides to "Colonial Crapsburg" don't count. But he and bestie, Cooper, get into tiff at the beginning of the episode. Cooper surprises the Ottos by taking the private jet to meet them in LA. In the episode's only misstep, Cooper - yes, even by season four - still seems clueless that the Otto's are middle-class without his vast financial resources. That was cute in the first couple of seasons, but Cooper's character needs to grow.
But maybe there's some character growth in the near future. The AMERICAN HOUSEWIFE producers continue to tease with the "is he or isn't he gay" fun. At the beginning of the episode, Oliver snaps at Cooper, "I don't feel seen or known by you." Cooper, trying to understand Oliver's irritation and frustration with him asks, "I really want to understand what's going on with you." Then by the end of the episode, Cooper delivers the kicker, "it feels bad when your best friend has something you want but can't have." At one point, Katie even suggests Oliver should marry Cooper - Oliver protests though Cooper stays noticeably quiet. Thanks for an episode loaded with moments that even fans on Reddit are demanding an endgame.
The last episode is coming up - PROM!
Put Me In Season 1 Episode 5: Take Me Out? (A TV Ratings Guide Original Repeat)
PREVIOUSLY ON PUT ME IN
ALLEN watches back to behind the plate. CARTER gets ready to throw the pitch. When he does, the batter hits the ball to the outfield, with JAMES diving and catching it. He gets up and throws it to BEN, standing on second base to get the second out. He throws the ball to the plate, and ALLEN catches it and tags out the runner. Miraculously, a triple play has been pulled off. CARTER jumps up in the air and immediately starts jogging back to the dugout, the inning being over with the Charleston Capitols having the lead.
LEWIS
You are one lucky kid, Carter.
The Charleston Capitols hold onto the lead to win the game. When CARTER leaves, he is greeted by a group of people in the parking lot.
PERSON #1
Carter! Great pitching!
PERSON #2
Can you sign my shirt?
PERSON #3
You’re my hero!
CARTER
Thanks, yes, and thanks! Wow, I never knew I was known.
PERSON #4
Known? You’re famous!
_______________
The CHARLESTON CAPITOLS are in their dugout, with the game about to begin.
LEWIS
Carter, good luck pitching today. Don’t let the fame get to you.
CARTER
It’ll be tough since this is a home game, but I’ll manage.
LEWIS
Actually I’ll manage and you’ll pitch—wait, I get it now.
RAY
Just keep doing what you’re doing and you’ll be fine.
LEWIS
By the way, you’re only going four innings today.
CARTER
Why?
LEWIS
Wouldn’t want you to be late for the mid-game autograph signing.
CARTER
You’re going to take me out of the game early so fans can get my signature? Don’t you think that’s a little odd?
LEWIS
Fans came to see you. Give them a few innings of pitching, then it’s off to sign autographs.
CARTER
OK then. So this isn’t a demotion?
LEWIS
Nope. If I wanted to demote you, you’d know.
JIM
You can ask me all about that. Did you know I used to start before they got Ben to join the team?
BEN
We arrived on the same year.
JIM
Yeah, but I started Opening Day.
BEN
And I started the game after that.
LEWIS
Guys enough arguing, you’re both on the bench today so your argument is pointless. Carter, get out on the mound and show the crowd the best you’ve got.
CARTER walks onto the mound. The crowd cheers loudly. He makes it through the first inning without giving up any runs, and only one hit. He returns to the dugout.
RAY
One down, three to go!
LEWIS
For Carter. You’re staying in all game.
ALLEN
I’m not playing today?
LEWIS
Just hang on, you never know when we need someone to pinch hit.
CARTER
Guys, I’m a little nervous.
LEWIS
Don’t be nervous, just be good.
CARTER
What if people don’t like me when they come up to me for autographs? There was a group of people in the parking lot the other day who did, but that doesn’t mean everyone will.
RAY
Don’t worry about it. They love you here.
CARTER
Are you sure?
RAY
No, but I assume so.
CARTER
That’s not reassuring at all.
LEWIS
Figure it out yourself Carter, it’s time for you to pitch again.
CARTER walks back out onto the mound and gets the first batter out. To his surprise, LEWIS walks onto the mound.
LEWIS
There’s word out that there’s already a ton of people lined up ready to get your autograph.
CARTER
Um...ok? I’m trying to pitch here.
LEWIS
I don’t think you understand. Stadium officials notified me.
CARTER
Wow, I’m in disbelief!
LEWIS
You realize I usually only come to the mound to take pitchers out of the game, right?
CARTER
Yeah, that’s what managers do. Glad to be an exception, now if you don’t mind I’m on fire up here.
LEWIS
You’re not an exception.
CARTER
Wait a minute, how many times do you guys have players sign autographs?
LEWIS
You are so missing my point.
RAY runs up to the mound, trying to understand what LEWIS and CARTER are saying.
RAY
What’s going on here?
LEWIS
Carter won’t take a hint.
RAY
A hint about what?
LEWIS
There are tons of people waiting for Carter to sign their merchandise.
RAY
And there are tons more who came to watch a baseball game, come on Coach, let us do our thing.
LEWIS
Look into the stands. This is as empty as it’s been in a while and it looked like almost every seat was taken at the beginning of the game.
RAY
You mean...they all went to wait for Carter’s autograph?
LEWIS
Looks so.
The home plate umpire walks up to the mound.
HOME PLATE UMPIRE
Guys, your time is up. I’m going to have to ask Coach to go back to the dugout now, is a pitching change being made or not?
LEWIS, CARTER, and RAY look at one another.
RAY
Up to you, Coach. Just remember: we came here to play baseball.
LEWIS
Hand over the ball, Carter.
CARTER
Are you kidding me?
LEWIS
No. It’s time for you to go meet some fans.
CARTER hands over the ball in disbelief.
RAY
Seriously Coach? Wow.
RAY goes back to home plate, shaking his head.
HOME PLATE UMPIRE
I’m not supposed to comment on this kind of stuff but that’s one dumb move there, Coach.
LEWIS walks away, looking to the ground, knowing he made the wrong decision as he hears weak boos from the crowd.
CARTER
So, I guess I sign autographs now?
LEWIS
Yup.
CARTER
I can get used to this fame. Just wish there was, you know, a little bit of balance.
LEWIS
I screwed up, kid. But at least you get to meet some fans.
CARTER leaves the dugout. When he approaches the line of people waiting for his autograph, they cheer. He smiles, knowing that he has a real purpose with the fans.
CARTER
Thank you everybody!
The crowd chants his name, and he signs their merchandise, enjoying his newfound popularity.
Top 10 Episodes Of Community
Community lasted five seasons on NBC, and later received a sixth on Yahoo Screen. The show's premise consisted of seven people who found themselves at Greendale Community College for vastly different reasons. All study group members have very different personalities that provides for a lot of comedy, and they grow so close together that they often participate in out-of-class activities with one another. Here is a subjective top 10 list of all episodes of Community. Leave yours in the comments below!
10) App Development and Condiments--Season 5, Episode 8
This is the only post-Pierce/Troy episode that makes this top 10 list, as I feel the show is usually at its best with the entire study group involved. To me, this episode is the best of later Community episodes. In the episode, a new app allows people to rate people with "meow meow beenz", which ends up dividing the attendees of Greendale Community College into castes, separating people by how many "meow meow beenz" they average out of five. The result lends to tense relations, and Shirley ends up being the head of "the fives". As for the study group, at one point every person is rated at least a four except for Britta. The idea of people staying in designated areas based on their ratings is heavily enforced.
The episode is an exaggerated, comedic take on the world of being obsessed with getting likes, shares, etc. on social media platforms. It is a tonal shift from many episodes, with very few moments taking place in the study room.
Funniest Moment:
When Jeff, a four, does a stand-up routine that entertains "the fives" and becomes a de-facto school celebrity.
9) Intro to Political Science--Season 2, Episode 17
In this episode, Dean Pelton holds a school President election seven hours after it being announced due to Joe Biden visiting Greendale while on the Biden Time Talkin’ Bout Teaching Tour, touted by Britta as “folky, yet progressive”. Annie runs in an effort to actually approve the school, and Jeff runs pretending to care, but the two finalists end up being Magnitude and Leonard. The result of the end of that debate is predictable; Magnitude keeps yelling "Pop Pop!" and Leonard makes fart noises. South Park wins. In a side plot, Abed has a serious conversation with an F.B.I. agent.
This episode is a comedic take on student government elections, which can sometimes become a messy popularity contest. It also fits right in with the typical Greendale culture; it's pretty impossible for something serious to get done given the personalities of these people. The election got to the point where the Dean, of all people, was the straight-faced one. The episode also made sure to include many of the supporting characters: Magnitude, Leonard, Starburns, and Garrett all ran for class President, alongside Vikki, who quickly exited after center-staged Pierce kept bullying her. As for the study group, Shirley and Britta had reduced roles as a result.
Funniest Moment:
When Pierce bullies Vikki and drops out right after her, explaining he only ran so he could get back at her for not lending him a pen.
Funniest Line:
Shirley: "Well Pierce we're glad to have you back. I'm assuming."
Honorable Mention:
“Joe Biden”: “Whatever. I just had a dream that I was a regular President.”
8) Social Psychology--Season 1, Episode 4
In this episode, Annie is taking a Psychology class that holds an experiment. They get a group of people in a room, and consistently come back and apologize, saying it will only be "five more minutes" before it began. Little did the participants know, that itself was the experiment. While the experiment in the past has always led to everyone breaking at some point, Abed does not. Instead, he accidentally turns the experiment onto Professor Duncan and the rest of the class, who were all waiting for him to break. The episode also has a plot where Britta falls in love with a "new-age" guy named Vaughn, as well as Jeff bonding with Shirley about making fun of Britta and Vaughn.
The highlight plot in this episode for me was the Psychology class one. What gets this episode on the list as well is that it helps define the personalities of a lot of the study group people, as at this point the show is still only four episodes in. The most important part of the episode to me was when Abed explained the reason he didn't break was for Annie, as she had previously told him they were friends. It's one of the early authentic moments that highlight the study group growing closer than simply a group of people trying to get through Spanish 101.
Funniest Moment: Chang has a meltdown and storms out the first time they say "five more minutes". In other words, basically right after he walks in. Also funny is the fact he took part in the experiment in the first place.
Funniest Line:
Britta: "I'm gonna get dessert, you want anything?"
Vaughn: "Carrots."
7) Modern Warfare--Season 1, Episode 23
There is no way I couldn't include a paintball episode in this list, and for me the first one is the most memorable. In it, a school-wide paintball game takes place, with the winner (eventually) guaranteed priority registration for the next semester's classes. The Debate Club, Chess Club, and Glee Club have been traveling in packs, aiming to take down the rest of the student body.
In the end, the study group works together to make sure one of them wins, and all agree that they will give Shirley the prize, who wants to schedule her classes so she can see her kids more often. The episode, though mostly satirical and commenting on how far some people will go to get a specific prize, also shows heart and is an example of the group growing closer together. Plus, it led to a handful of other paintball episodes, which isn't something I am complaining about.
Most Memorable Moment: When Jeff asks what's going on in reference to the paintball tournament, and a distraught Troy can't believe Jeff doesn't know what the prize is.
Funniest Dialogue: (referring to the prize)
Dean Pelton: "It was a Blu-ray DVD player, but it was stolen. So now it's TBD!"
Troy: "I want TBD! Is that new?"
Pierce: “If it's what I think, I had it for about a month in the '70s.”
6) Advanced Dungeons and Dragons--Season 2, Episode 14
It's not Community's best bottle episode, but it's pretty close. In the episode, Jeff invites "Fat Neil" over to the study room for a round of Neil's favorite game, Dungeons & Dragons. The study group, sans an uninvited Pierce, plays along, though Abed doesn't get the memo that Neil is supposed to be successful in the game, which negatively impact's Neil's character in the game. After all, Jeff is trying to save Neil, who has been showing signs of impending suicide.
Pierce is bitter he wasn't invited, as if he's clueless as to how insensitive he can be. He is probably more insensitive in this episode than any other, even ‘defacing Neil's valued sword', but still ends up inadvertently saving Neil's life.
The episode takes a serious issue and manages to have a lot of comedic moments built around it. The positive outcome at the end secures the episode's spot on this list, though in general it is a very memorable episode.
Funniest Dialogue:
Annie: "I'm...ew, Hector the Well-Endowed? Abed!"
Abed: "I didn't know you'd just grab one at random. I made that one with Troy in mind."
Funniest Moment:
When Pierce walks in mad that he wasn't invited but "Fatty" was, and keeps bullying him, completely clueless of the purpose of the game.
Most Memorable Moment:
When Neil asks Pierce is he wants to play again in the future, saying "I'll be around."
5) Cooperative Calligraphy--Season 2, Episode 8
While some of the episodes on this list barely ever had scenes in the study room, this one takes place almost exclusively there. The premise is extremely thin: Annie can't find her pen and makes everyone stay and look for it. What turns this episode into a classic is the methods they take. There are plenty of invasion of bags, where they find everything from Shirley's pregnancy test to Abed's book outlining the menstrual cycles of all three women in the study group. At any point in the episode, it appears obvious that any given person in the episode is hiding the pen.
This is how you do a bottle episode. It's easy to tell the writers are proud of it too, as the episode gets multiple callbacks later in the series. The episode is made great by its complete randomness. It shows a lot of the people at their most vulnerable, and everyone in their most desperate modes. To top off the randomness, turns out "Annie's Boobs" (Troy's very temporary pet monkey from a different episode) stole the pen and put it back into the vent alongside a lot of others.
Funniest Line:
Troy: "Maybe nobody took it. Sometimes I think I lost something really important to me and it turns out I already ate it."
Funniest Moment:
When they tear apart Pierce's casts in the hopes of finding the pen.
Most Memorable Moment:
When they all strip off their clothes to prove they don't have the pen. At this point, the study room is completely defaced.
4) Pillows and Blankets--Season 3, Episode 14
Abed and Troy start a school-wide conflict by arguing if there should be hallways made out of pillows or blankets. Students at Greendale choose sides, and the conflict brings out the worst of the students. It is very similar to a paintball episode in format, except with pillows and blankets. This conflict--or as they call it, "Study Room Cerfuffle", goes well past midnight. Annie creates a neutral zone where she takes care of injured participants; Leonard compares it to being in the Korean War. The episode also features Neil signing off from his radio show with the same tune that Abed hums in his Season 3 Halloween episode story. When Community does callbacks, they are oftentimes very subtle like in this case.
The episode, alongside its randomness and wild plot, features a voice-over, as if they are showing a documentary about the battle. It also highlights the real friendship of Troy and Abed; it was originally decided their friendship would be over at the end, but they realized they couldn't grow apart from each other.
Also, is it just me or would it be awesome to live in a situation where everything is made out of pillows and blankets? Seeing the setup actually makes me wish I could have been there.
Funniest Line (Tie):
Voice-over: "[Troy] would later say of the war: It was awesome. But also, it wasn't?"
Dean: "Do people go to classes?"
Funniest Moment:
Chang's young security team attempts to break up the battle.
Most Memorable Moment:
Troy and Abed realizing they can't go their separate ways.
3) Celebrity Pharmacology—Season 2, Episode 13
In this episode, Annie attempts to put on a school play for middle schoolers about drug awareness, and manages to get the study group (plug Chang) involved. The play is interrupted by Pierce's determination to be funny. Though his role is "Drugs", who does not have any lines, he makes sure he becomes the star of the show by performing in the lowest form of comedy possible, making him popular with the kids.
Pierce explains that he is underutilized in the script and is a veteran at multiple forms of comedy, and complains that Jeff is on every page of the script. This all may or may not be a parody of Chevy Chase. We also learn of Pierce's sad past as a child, when his father had a stand-in child actor in a commercial because Pierce's audition wasn't considered as good. Paying Annie a multi-thousand dollar check shows a combination of both his inner kindness and his desperation; the first for helping her with her poor housing situation, and the latter for doing so as a bribe to help himself get into the play more. I like how he was more integral to this episode than being the guy who comes in with controversial jokes as awkward comic relief.
Funniest Moment:
When Pierce completely improvises his act in the play to make him popular.
Most Memorable Moment:
When Chang comes out as "bad" drugs in Act 2 in order to save the play, and actually get the intended message across much more effectively than it would have otherwise.
2) Horror Fiction in Seven Spooky Steps--Season 3, Episode 5
In this Halloween episode, Britta finds out that her standardized Psychology test indicates one person in the study group is a psychopath, and attempts to find out who buy having them all tell scary Halloween stories. In the end, it turns out Britta "Britta-ed" it by running the tests upside down. The second time around, only one of them doesn't show signs of being a psychopath: Abed.
The episode properly shows everyone's personalities. Abed finds Britta's story poorly-written, completely unaware of how emotionless he is being. Annie's story further indicates her developing crush on Jeff, though it also introduced her ability to tell a very warped, scary story. Troy's story was exactly like you would think: completely random and beyond unbelievable, with a strong comedic element. Shirley's story passive-aggressively paints her as the good person because she is a devout Christian, who is shown here as being lifted up to Heaven while the rest of them have to suffer with the Apocalypse. When Britta displays psychopathic thoughts herself, Jeff tells a story to try to be the leader and calm people down, but ends up describing Chang as a man who kills out of fear.
Funniest Moment:
When Pierce tells his very brief story. It wasn't scary, and it wasn't intended to be either, but it does show the weirdness that goes on in his brain.
Funniest Dialogue:
Pierce: "What did I do to deserve that? Keep me out of your stupid stories."
Troy: "I didn't say it was you, I said he was a crazy old racist doctor."
Most Memorable Moment:
At the end, when the real test results are revealed.
1) Remedial Chaos Theory--Season 3, Episode 4
There's just no beating this episode. In the episode, Jeff roles a die to determine which person will go down from "Troy and Abed's new apartment" (yes they sang that in the beginning) to pick up the pizza from downstairs. Doing so creates seven different "timelines" in Abed's mind. In the best timeline, Jeff gets the pizza and comes back to find everyone dancing and having fun. In the darkest timeline, Troy gets the pizza and returns to a fire, a shot Pierce who would go on to die, Jeff loses an arm, and he swallows the troll and becomes evil. Also, it makes Shirley an alcoholic.
This is an episode that deviated far away from the typical sitcom episode and created something special as a result. Over the course of 22 minutes, there is the same basic setup, except what happens differs with every person who leaves the scene to get the pizza.
The "butterfly effect" here is the whole premise of this episode. It could have been a boring mess, but instead provided what was arguably the best episode of the entire series. It can be watched repeatedly without ever losing any of its uniqueness.
Most Memorable Moment:
Troy coming back to the apartment room to seeing everything in ruins.
Funniest Moment:
When Pierce brings up a past situation he claims to have had with a famous person in an airplane. It's one of the lines that is present in nearly every timeline.
Funniest Line:
Pierce: "Man, pizza guys are getting worse and worse looking. Guess all the good ones went into porn."
Honorable Mentions
Very briefly, here are three honorable mentions.
1) Pilot--Season 1, Episode 1
This episode perfectly set up the series. Sometimes, series completely shift away from their pilots. Community provided an exception by how it introduced everyone in the study group. The only exception here is Britta, who was yet to become the character who was always saying how warped society and societal norms can be.
2) Geography of Global Conflict--Season 3, Episode 2
The A-plot in this episode was very strong, with Annie recruiting most people from the study group to participate in a Model UN battle against Annie Kim, a nerdy determined student who steals study-group Annie's idea for starting a Model UN club. The study group has no clue what they're doing. Pierce reads up on his country, Somalia, and thinks it's a paradise. Troy partially mistakes his country, Georgia, with the state in the United States. The whole thing falls apart when a mysterious person farts, until Abed finds a loophole to allow the group to win. Having Garrett as the very-engaged moderator was funny.
Funniest Line:
Garrett repeatedly yelling “Crisis Alert!”
3) The Abed special episodes.
While Remedial Chaos Theory made the list at #1, there are other episodes where Abed's thoughts were at the center that did not. Most notably was the Christmas special that featured stop-animation. It was a remarkable episode of television that went to great lengths to stand out from the typical sitcom Christmas episode.
Other Notable Highlights
There are also a few funny clips from Community. On YouTube, you can find creator Dan Harmon having "conversations" with the cast members, giving them all "evaluations" for Season 1. You can also find the ending to an early Season 2 episode, where Betty White guest stars as an Anthropology professor and sings Africa by Toto with Troy and Abed. What starts out as a little rap to help remember course material ends with Donald Glover seamlessly transitioning to Childish Gambino.
Community can be watched with a Hulu or Netflix subscription, or for free on Crackle. Paid digital downloads and DVD releases are also available.
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