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Cast is key for NBC's Community
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Published: October 29, 2009
LOS ANGELES - The punch lines are flowing on the set of Community, and that's between scenes for NBC's freshman sitcom about an oddball collection of community-college students.
Yvette Nicole Brown, who plays divorcee Shirley, is recounting a recent first date that proved less than stellar.
"He told me he's getting out of a relationship. Uh huh," she said, dryly. "That means you're still IN a relationship."
Donald Glover, asked whether he had a nickname growing up, shakes his head.
"Being a black kid with the name Donald was enough," says the actor, who co-stars as former football star Troy.
And then there's Chevy Chase, as droll and deadpan during an interview as he was 30 years ago delivering the news on Saturday Night Live or in a string of film roles including Caddyshack and Fletch.
Does Community summon memories of his Bard College days in New York?
"College? No," Chase says, mischief clearly afoot. "If anything, it brings up my prison stint."
On-camera quips are the work of series creator Dan Harmon and his writing staff, but Harmon knew that the actors delivering them would be key. Joel McHale, Alison Brie, Gillian Jacobs, Ken Jeong and Danny Pudi co-star as members of a study group at the fictional Greendale school.
"Casting was 95 percent of putting the show together," Harmon said. "This is an ensemble comedy. These are the choices that either make the show or sink it."
Harmon, who worked on Sarah Silverman's brash Comedy Central show -- "funny because it would make your mom blush" -- said he'd long dreamed of doing a sitcom with mainstream appeal for NBC's once-dominant Thursday lineup.
Community was inspired by the "emotional punch" of Harmon's experience at Glendale Community College, north of Los Angeles. Enrolling four years ago at age 32 to study Spanish with his girlfriend, he found himself drawn into the lives of fellow students as he helped them with classwork.
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