NBC’s ‘Community’ takes a turn for the worse

I can still recall the week two years ago when I binge-watched three seasons of “Community” online through Putlocker links. Unlike many other so-called comedy shows, “Community” struck me as genuinely witty with original humor.

The show is about a diverse community college study group that was brought together through their Spanish 101 class. The group includes Jeff, an arrogant lawyer who practiced without a law degree and is forced to go back to school after his employer discovers the truth; Annie, a straight-”A” student who ended up going to community college after having a nervous breakdown and drug addiction in high school; Abed, a pop-culture aficionado who is extremely socially awkward; Troy, previously a jock in high school who is not to bright, but is converted into a geek after befriending Abed; Shirley, a single African-American mother who aspires to market her baked goods; and Pierce, a racist, old tycoon.

But after watching the first few episodes of the fifth season this year, I’ve found that as the show progresses it is only getting worse. A series that was once brilliantly written has now become extremely dull and boring.

In terms of plot, this season is different from the previous ones because it takes place three years after the study group graduated. Jeff comes back as a teacher instead of a student and the other main characters, with the exception of Pierce, come back to pursue new degrees after failing to fulfill their post-college aspirations. Since the show seemed complete after everyone’s graduation at the end of the fourth season, this season comes off as forced and unnatural. The plot and jokes are no longer smooth.

This season heavily relies on previous inside jokes, which are no longer exceptionally funny. They are following a similar path to “How I Met Your Mother,” in which writers resort to using inside jokes because they aren’t clever enough to come up with new ones.

But my biggest concern for this season is that Pierce, the oldest of the study group, has departed from the show. Despite popular opinion, I believe that Pierce was the biggest comical contributor to the show. His racism, ignorance and immaturity at an old age made all of his lines golden. Who doesn’t enjoy his Freudian slips and imbecilic remarks?

What’s even worse is that Pierce has been replaced in the study group by another old man, Professor Buzz Hickey. He has a stern personality and never causes any laughs — he adds no value to the group and is a waste of a character.

In this season, and even last season, Abed’s once-lovable personality has become extremely irritating. In the early years, he was intriguing with his pop culture references in addition to his relatable social awkwardness. But now, Abed’s quirkiness has become creepy and his scenes are almost too embarrassing to watch. His obsessiveness with pop culture and impersonations are now too extreme and weird for my liking.

But despite the changes in characters and forced jokes, I am still watching “Community” out of pure loyalty to the show. I’m hoping to get a few laughs here and there as I continue watching to the end of this season.

Then, perhaps, it’s time to put this old dog to sleep.