For the longest time, it appeared as though we’d seen the last of the Greendale gang. Following the departure of series creator Dan Harmon along with Yvette Nicole Brown, Donald Glover and Chevy Chase — who played Shirley, Troy and the wise-cracking Pierce Hawthorn in the cult comedy — the once-ironclad proposition of six seasons and a movie seemed like a bridge too far.
Thankfully, Yahoo! staged an 11th hour swoop to pick up Community for its sixth season, which will premiere exclusively on the platform come March 17. With little under a month to go, People magazine has published our first look at the upcoming series, which stars Gillian Jacobs and Joel McHale opposite series newcomer Keith David.
As part of the coverage, the outlet also spoke to McHale about the show’s dramatic turnaround, and how close the beloved sitcom really was to going off the air for good.
We’d all mourned the loss of the show. We had a commiserating dinner where we all were like, “Well, that’s that. It’s all over.” We had all moved on and had begun taking meetings other places because we thought it was dead – and then it wasn’t. I was thrilled. It was like Buzz Lightyear grabbed us by the shoulders and said, “I’m falling with style.” We were like Woody, and we were saved.
Following its switch of networks from NBC to Yahoo, the sixth season of Community will grace the small screen once more when it premieres on March 17. Until then, you can get an early look at the characters via the gallery below.