Community's Behind the Scenes Drama That Led to Chevy Chase Leaving
Among the seven members of Community's main cast, Pierce Hawthorne stood out.
The grumpy old man often made fun of his study mates, often to the point of being offensive and cruel. Over the years, his friends looked past his flaws and continued to keep him around.
It turns out that Pierce has a lot in common with his actor, Chevy Chase.
Chase was by far the most experienced actor on the set, having decades of comedic experience under his belt. He didn't have any interest in any long-term TV series commitments at this stage of his career but was swayed because of creator Dan Harmon's creative genius. Chase only lasted four seasons in the role before Harmon kicked him off.
The biggest target of Chase's behavior was reportedly Donald Glover, who rose to stardom in the role of Troy Barnes. Glover told the New Yorker in 2018 about Chase's racist behavior, generally in the form of jokes.
Chase'd crack racial jokes between Glover's takes, once saying that people think he's funnier because he's black.
Harmon believes that the experienced Chase was the first to see that Glover was on his way to being a star, which was happening just as Chase was on his way out. Glover agreed, saying Chase was fighting time but needs to understand that his time has come.
While Glover was content ignoring Chase, NBC and Harmon had their separate issues with him, eventually leading to his departure.
During "Digital Estate Planning" in Season 3, Chase was supposed to end the episode on a touching note by connecting with Abed, played by Danny Pudi. Chase refused and walked off set, telling Harmon that it wasn't funny enough. Harmon publicly called out the actor at the season's wrap party.
Chase didn't take it well, leaving Harmon a heated voicemail which Harmon later played in front of a live audience. Harmon was fired for Season 4 for his own misconduct issues, but when he was brought back for Season 5, he promptly killed off Pierce in an emotional episode.
NBC decided they were done with Chase in the last few episodes of Season 4. In "Advanced Documentary Filmmaking," he didn't appreciate his role in the storyline. He went on an angry rant which reportedly included a racial slur before he left the set.
He and NBC mutually agreed on his departure mid-season, which included an agreement to film a few extra Season 4 scenes. His character was ultimately only present for two more episodes that season, along with the Season 5 premiere.
Social media has confirmed that the latter part of "six seasons and a movie" (a running gag throughout the show and a rally by fans since its finale) will finally happen. Given his tumultuous exit from the show and the fractured relationship between him and his co-stars, his appearance in the movie seems unlikely.