There’s screwball comedy, there’s good, clean comedy, there’s dirty comedy and there’s NBC’s “Community.” The funny show follows the story of Jeff Winger (Joel McHale), an unlucky lawyer whose college degree was deemed invalid by a bar examination. The show follows his return to community college and the eccentric people he meets while there.
Some of the fellow characters include Pierce Hawthorne (Chevy Chase), an older man trying to get his degree, Britta (Gillian Jacobs), a mean blonde girl whom Winger befriends and Señor Chang (Ken Jeong), a Chinese man who teaches Spanish at the community college. Some episodes from the first season have covered the topic of hypnosis, debates and psychic reality shows. But the humor found in the show is not the typical in-your-face comedy. It’s subtle, sarcastic and sometimes downright mean, but one can’t help but laugh.
Joel McHale as Jeff Winger is bored, sarcastic and rude — mainly because he thinks he’s better than the other students, even though at one point he has lived out of his car. McHale plays the part perfectly, likely because it’s not too far from his television persona as host of E! Network’s “The Soup.”
“My character in real life would be likeable, he’d turn up the charm,” McHale said in an interview with The Eagle. “In the show, he’s slowly — I mean, glacially — coming to grow and working on things. But if he suddenly had an epiphany, there’d be no show.”
The show’s focal point is the meanness and superiority complex of McHale’s character reflected off the niceness of everyone else.
“[Actually] I’m the only likeable character on the show,” Jeong said in the interview.
“Your character berates people,” McHale retorted. “You’re inappropriately touching the women, and you’re insulting the men’s weakness!”
“Well, in addressing the women, that’s just affectionate,” Jeong said.
For those who may not recognize him by his name, Jeong may be remembered as the tiny gangster Mr. Chow in the summer comedy, “The Hangover.” He’s also done work in “Step Brothers,” “Role Models” and “Knocked Up.” However, the world may never have known his comedic talents, as he used to be a doctor. After working at Kaiser Permanente for 12 years, Jeong moved on to fulfill his destiny as a comedian. On “Community,” he plays Señor Chang, a Chinese-born Spanish teacher at the college who uses his position to abuse and insult the intelligence of his students, much to the humor of the audience.
“There are some times when I think my character thinks he’s Latino-American,” Jeong said. “But I also just do so many British references, like I think I’m Ron Weasley.”
Jeong, although seen much less than McHale’s character, is quite a scene-stealer. While not all of the show is laugh out loud funny, every moment with Jeong is hysterical. In the upcoming episodes, Jeong and McHale’s characters get to know each other and become closer. It’s an episode that the fans and newcomers should watch, if only to see how McHale and Jeong bounce off each other. However, they are not the only fantastic comedians on the show — Chevy Chase once again brings his fine-tuned comedic sensibilities to the small screen since he burst onto the scene with “Saturday Night Live” back in 1975.
“It’s like working with Nolan Ryan,” McHale said of Chase. “He’s older, got better stories and still throws it harder. It’s still hard walking around with this icon.”
Chase’s star power was not lost on Jeong either.
“It’s surreal working with him on set,” he said. “He’s got trademark timing that he’s perfected over the years; this is a high point in my career.”
In addition to working with a comedic legend, both McHale and Jeong love most everything about the show, claiming that the script, the cinematography and the connections between each of the actors makes for an amazing experience.
“In all seriousness, the scripts for the show are the strongest on television,” McHale said. “We love improv, so it’s really the best of both worlds.”
For those who haven’t tuned in yet, it might be time to check it out. “Community” is a fresh change from other comedies on television, one with real characters and a sicker sense of humor.
“Community” airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. on NBC.
You can reach this staff writer at ydesta@theeagleonline.com.
