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While impassioned Community fans feared that the sitcom’s life was hanging by a thread before the NBC upfronts, it was eventually decided that the beloved show would return with 13 episodes for its fourth season.
The catch? Showrunner, Dan Harmon, would not be leading at the helm. Cue the Internet outcry from a cultish fanbase and tweeted laments from the Community cast.
So, what’s next for Harmon? Despite being cut loose from Sony Pictures Television, the showrunner’s recent Tumblr blog post — which affirmed that he was fired — could clue us in to some tricks he might have up his sleeve, including the use of his Commodore 64 as a metaphor for harnessing and asserting creative power:
But my Commodore 64 is mobile now, like yours, and the modems are invisible, and the internet is the air all around us. And the good friends, the real friends, are finding each other, and connecting with each other, and my Mom is turning out to be more right than ever.
Will Harmon be looking to create original content online? He could do well to transition into new media. Like Arrested Development, his show is somewhat ahead of its time and possibly presented on the wrong platform. Its fast-paced format is meant for Internet fandoms to dissect, obsess over, and make .gifs about — which they do.
As the former leader of a traditionally-run but under-appreciated show, Harmon could infiltrate the online space and use his creative talents in a manner that would be fully exploited by an Internet fanbase. Perhaps a web series or some original content through Hulu, Netflix, or Amazon Studios could be on the horizon for Harmon.
Whatever he may choose, he’ll definitely need something to occupy his time as his own creation heads into what will most likely be its final season.
