Why Sony Had To Fire Community's Dan Harmon (And Hire Him Again In One Year)

If there's one move that can instantly ruin a good show and turn it into a crude caricature of itself, it's the sudden change of a showrunner. Sometimes, though, there's no other choice, and it's a miracle if the show manages to stay alive.

Such was the case with Dan Harmon's exit from Community, which was forced by none other than the studio itself. While the show was popular in the beginning, it became clear after three seasons that the audience was dwindling. That didn't stop Harmon from trying to negotiate a larger budget, which became a problem for Sony.

There were also a number of reports that Harmon was difficult to work with, so the studio decided to fire him and bring in David Guarascio and Moses Port, who had worked on Aliens in America, to take his place. This turned out to be the most disastrous move, which nearly killed the sitcom.

Season 4, which was produced without Dan Harmon, was considered the worst season of the show. With all the characters acting so unlike themselves, each episode felt more like a fever dream than the actual Community viewers knew and loved. The season was later referred to as "The Year of the Gas Leak," and the name stuck as a common reference.

It's no surprise that after such quality content, the show's ratings dropped even further, and it became crystal clear that without Harmon and his passion for the project, nothing was coming back. It was the cast, led by Joel McHale, who pushed Sony and NBC to bring the showrunner back.

"It felt natural enough to come back. Season four didn't redefine so much that any kind of juggling act needed to happen creatively. Canonically speaking, Jeff graduated, which was a good thing, and Pierce left the show. So those were the only things we had to figure out," Harmon recalled what he faced after a comeback in an interview with The Mary Sue.

Not only did Community manage to run for two more seasons, but there is a promise that the movie will return in the foreseeable future.

The production was heavily affected by the WGA and SAG AFTRA strikes, so there are no set dates to look forward to, but there is hope, and that is enough for Community fans to stay afloat until the strikes are resolved.

Source: The Mary Sue