Community was created by Dan Harmon, one of Rick & Morty's writers, and features a star-studded cast. The comedy show defies the traditional sitcom structure by crossing the boundaries of its limited set in an absurd fashion, often turning the campus of a community college into an actual battlefield or even the site of a zombie outbreak. The show revolves around Jeff Winger and the study group he organized to hit on the girl he likes. Despite the differences between each member of the group, they develop an unusual friendship.
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Community is a beloved show by many but went through plenty of obstacles to reach its "six seasons and a movie" goal, prophesied by Abed, one of the main characters. The show was canceled in season 5 by NBC after two main characters left the show and other core cast members' contracts were about to expire, but Community was saved in the last minute by Yahoo! Screen, in a final season that manifested serious signs of decline but maintained the show's best qualities and most of the main cast.
Joel McHale as Jeff Winger
Jeff Winger is the main character in Community and the left brain of the study group. Jeff led a successful law career until it is revealed he was using a fraudulent degree, resulting in him going to Greendale Community College to graduate and get his license back. Jeff is introduced as a cocky materialist and self-centered man but as he takes the lead as the study group's advocate, he becomes a competent leader and a loyal friend.
Ever since Community ended, Joel McHale, who plays Jeff, starred in The Great Indoors, made appearances in the hit show The Bear, and became a regular in Stargirl, playing Sylvester Pemberton. Prior to Community's success, McHale was famous for his several appearances in comedy movies such as Ted and The Informant, and even in superhero movies such as Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 2. McHale is the heart of Community: even though many of the show's main characters left, the show always found consistency through Jeff, the character that truly ties the cast together.
Gillian Jacobs as Britta Perry
In the first seasons, Britta is a strong, independent woman, and the only person capable of outwitting Jeff's sarcastic remarks. As Community progresses, Britta becomes increasingly different: she gets dumber and seems to enjoy reassuring herself as the group's joke, to the point where she's never taken seriously again. Britta initially is Jeff's major love interest, and although they continue to flirt every once in a while, their romance gradually fades, giving way to a genuine friendship.
Gillian Jacobs appeared in the recent Fear Street trilogy, released by Netflix. She played C. Berman, or Ziggy, one of the few people to fall victim to Sarah Fier's curse and survive. Since Community ended, Jacobs has devoted a lot of her time to voice performances; she plays Supernova in The Vindicators and Atom Eve in Invincible, an animated show that became popular due to its shocking brutality.
Alison Brie as Annie Edison
Annie looks like a sweet, delicate person on the surface, but it only takes a minor inconvenience in her perfectly-planned routine for Annie to show her worst traits: a bossy and stubborn attitude. She's the youngest member of the group and often acts like a child; despite the study group's best efforts to not sexualize Annie, Abed and Troy named their monkey "Annie's Boobs" and Annie becomes one of Jeff's most intense love interests in the show.
Alison Brie kicked off her career in the popular drama series Mad Men, where she played Trudy Campbell. Both Community and Mad Men ended in 2015, and from then on Brie's career skyrocketed: she starred in major Oscar contenders such as The Post and Promising Young Woman and led the harrowing drama Horse Girl. In 2023, Brie reunited with Danny Pudi, one of her co-stars in Community, for the rom-com Somebody That I Used To Know.
Donald Glover as Troy Barnes
Troy starts off as the typical popular kid in school; the quarterback star of the team and the prom king, but Troy only gets worse in some ways after witnessing Greendale's reality. He becomes an alienated and easily manipulated student, but also finds positivity in his friendship with Abed, embracing his nerdy self and creating "Troy & Abed In The Morning", an imaginary talk show he co-hosts with Abed and interviews different students from the campus. Troy left the show in the middle of season 5, and when asked why he decided to leave, Donald Glover responded he was ready to move on with his life (via Distractify).
While other members of Community's cast maintained a consistent acting career, Donald Glover reshaped himself entirely. He is now most commonly known as the musician Childish Gambino, author of instant hits such as "Redbone" and "This Is America," whose music video feels like an actual movie. Glover didn't give up on his acting persona though; he recently appeared in Solo: A Star Wars Story as Lando Calrissian, and starred on and created FX's Atlanta.
Danny Pudi as Abed Nadir
If Community was a person, it would be Abed. Just like the show is constantly mentioning pop culture celebrities, Abed is a movie reference machine. A truly unique character, Abed lives in a reality of his own and is constantly delivering meta-remarks about the show himself, almost as if he knows he's a TV character. Abed's passive nature shields him from any sort of conflict, and he's constantly trying to bring the fantasies of his fictional worlds to reality, usually with the assistance of his best friend Troy.
Pudi received critical acclaim with his role as Abed and is now a regular as Brad, one of the best characters in Mythic Quest, a successful Apple TV+ about the staff of a hit multiplayer video game. Pudi also appeared in the show Powerless, between 2016 and 2017, and co-starred in the rom-com Somebody I Used To Know alongside Alison Brie in 2023.
Chevy Chase as Pierce Hawthorne
Pierce is a controversial figure in the study group; he's over 60 years old and doesn't seem to care about what people think about him. He's arrogant, sexist, and terribly egocentric. Even though no one in the study group actually likes Pierce, he becomes a vital part of what makes their friendship work: every healthy relationship has its ups and downs, and since most of the study group's downs are caused by Pierce's actions, there would be no harmony without him.
Played by Chevy Chase, Pierce doesn't come back for season 5 as a result of the actor's dissatisfaction with Dan Harmon and the direction his character's arc was heading. Chase was a comedy veteran when the show came out; he was a key member of Saturday Night Live's first season and starred in major movies between 1980 and 2000, such as Caddyshack and National Lampoon's Vacation.
Yvette Nicole Brown as Shirley Bennett
When Shirley isn't taking care of her own children, she's taking over the role of mother of the group; she's the only person who can put Pierce back to his place and is constantly trying to put some sense into the study group, although she often gets carried away by their reckless ideas. Shirley is a self-contained woman but struggles with tolerance when it comes to non-Christian practices, constantly quarreling with Britta about it. Shirley left Community after the show was canceled by NBC to take care of her sick father, but appeared occasionally in quick cameos.
Yvette Nicole Brown nails her role and knows just the right time to act sweet and fierce with Shirley, playing with the character's different facets. Brown is well-known for her role as Helen in Drake & Josh, which was part of many Community fans' childhoods, and The Odd Couple, a 3-season show she co-starred with Matthew Perry, the Chandler from Friends.
Community Supporting Cast
Ken Jeong as Ben Chang - Chang is the character that changes the most throughout the show: he starts off as a teacher, then is demoted to a student, revolts against Greendale, becomes the show's biggest villain, and finally joins the study group. Jeong is known for his roles in The Hangover movies, Crazy Rich Asians, Transformers, and his own show, Dr. Ken.
Jim Rash as Dean Pelton - One of the show's funniest running gags is how Greendale's Dean Pelton is constantly showing up in the most ridiculous costumes, announcing a new pointless event taking place on the campus. He tries his best to turn Greendale into a respectful college and can't hide his crush on Jeff. Rash is famous for his role in indie movies such as Bros and The Way Way Back, and his role in The Naked Truth TV series.
John Oliver as Ian Duncan - Duncan is a recurring character during Community's first two seasons and one controversial professor from Greendale's faculty. He teaches psychology and is often seen drunk on campus or trying to exploit other people's affairs for his own benefit. Duncan leaves the show in season 3 but reappears in season 5 to help save Greendale. The character is played by John Oliver, known for his high-rated late show, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, where Oliver goes through the latest worldwide news with hints of acid humor.
Keith David as Elroy Patashnik - Elroy is a valuable addition to the Community cast in the show's final season. He plays a genius and former scientist who becomes the head of the college I.T. department. He's portrayed by Keith David, who appeared in classic movies such as They Live and The Thing. David is also a 3-time Emmy winner for his voice-over performances and narrations.
Jonathan Banks as Buzz Hickey - Buzz steals the show in season 5 as a unique character whose grumpy personality often clashes with his quirky hobbies. Little is known about his background, but he takes over the Criminology class and claims to have seen horrifying crimes throughout his life. Buzz is played by Jonathan Banks, known for his role as Mike, one of the smartest characters in Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul.
Paget Brewster as Frankie Dart - After Shirley's departure, Frankie takes the role of "mother" of the study group; the difference is that she happily embraces the impossible task. It takes some time until the other main characters and Frankie hit it off, although the build-up is hilarious. Brewster is known for her role as Emily in Criminal Minds and Cathy, a recurring character in season 4 of Friends.