"Community," the cult hit sitcom on NBC, was on its last legs. Back in May, NBC chose not to renew the series, and since then creator Dan Harmon has shopped it around to any service that might be interested in picking it up.
Amazon, Netflix and Hulu, all of which have booming streaming services with their own original content, passed on another season of "Community."
And on Monday, the cast's contracts were about to expire. Expired contracts would mean the official end of "Community" for good- no more shopping to other networks, no more hope of a last-minute renewal.
But a few hours before the contracts were set to expire, Yahoo announced that it has renewed "Community," and will air its sixth season exclusively on the company's new streaming service, Yahoo Screen. The service is extremely similar to other current streaming providers, in that it will air entire seasons of new television and allow viewers to binge-watch, which is becoming more and more popular. Other new shows set to debut on Yahoo Screen are "Other Space," a science fiction comedy from "Bridesmaids" director Paul Feig, and "Sin City Saints," a half-hour basketball comedy.
This is not the first time Community has been on the brink of cancellation. The series has been troubled for the past few years- first, creator Dan Harmon was fired during season four, and star Chevy Chase quit during the same time period. Actor Donald Glover left the show a year later. And the series' low ratings put it on the chopping block every time it was up for renewal, but up until now, it managed to skirt by.
"Community," has a rabid cult fanbase, complete with their own fan conventions. This may be a benefit for Yahoo, and the company may be banking on "Community" fans staying to watch their other original series, once "Community" has ended.
Similar miracle renewals have happened for "Arrested Development," "Trailer Park Boys" and "The Killing," all of which currently air on Netflix. Now, with "Community," Yahoo might be able to launch itself into the same streaming spotlight that Netflix currently dominates.
Now, with talk of a "Community" movie beginning to crop up, the fan mantra of "Six Seasons and a Movie" may finally come true.
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