Courtesy of NBC Universal
Joel McHale, host of “The Soup,” stars in the new NBC show “Community.”
The motto of Tinseltown is simple: If something works, make it bigger. Take a successful television personality and give him the lead role in a scripted show. Seems perfect, right?
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Chevy Chase (left) plays a former CEO. McHale watches him at right.
Jon Stewart is an example of how this doesn't always work (his performances in "Big Daddy" and "Death to Smoochy" aren't exactly legendary.) But Craig Ferguson, who made a successful transition from "The Drew Carey Show" to late night, is an example of how it can.
Joel McHale, host of "The Soup," falls somewhere in between. As the lead in NBC's new comedy "Community," he's playing a role that isn't quite as effective or smartly scathing as we're used to. The man knows how to talk, but that doesn't mean he knows how to act.
"Community" is about life at a community college. As expected, it's laden with jokes about how the students couldn't do much better. They're well aware that they're at the bottom of the barrel and that they shouldn't be too proud of themselves. At first, Jeff (McHale) seeks to exploit this atmosphere of underachievement so he can excel in classes without trying and use his average intelligence to impress the hot girl. By the end of the pilot, however, it's clear that Jeff is able to see the good in his fellow students, choosing to focus on their strengths rather than on their many weaknesses.
The show isn't as confident about its lesser characters, which means they're often so overstuffed with energy and attitude that it's difficult to bear. McHale is the least outlandish of all his classmates, but he's still aggressively focused on overplaying his part to the utmost comedic effect.
It's especially jarring to see so many loud personalities in a format so similar to "The Office" — a show that succeeds because its over-the-top characters, such as Dwight, are counterbalanced by low-key background players and "straight men." "Community" doesn't have any of that. There are spotty laughs throughout, but it's all too big for too long. In the 1989 Woody Allen film "Crimes and Misdemeanors," Alan Alda's character tells us, "If it bends, it's funny. If it breaks, it's not funny."
Well, this one breaks.
"Community" premieres tonight at 9:30 p.m. on NBC.
