Just one week ago, 30 Rock broke the hearts of TV critics, everyone on the Internet, and roughly four dozen viewers when it ended with a near-perfect series finale.
But tonight, those same people are rejoicing. Community, another little-watched but critically beloved NBC sitcom, is returning to our TV screens after a lengthy and tumultuous hiatus.
Both shows constantly drop pop-culture references, take place in an absurdist version of reality, and have accumulated legions of devotees. And though the two have very different styles of humor and points of view, there are some things that Community just does, well, better.
So chin up, 30 Rock fans, and dry your flurmy tears by letting Jeff, Britta, Troy, Abed, Shirley, and, for a limited time, Pierce into your heart.
See also:
- Ken Jeong of NBC's Community Joins Pain and Gain Cast
- Community 's Not Canceled! Five Storylines We Hope To See This Spring
7. The Community cast is hotter.
TV's obsession with physical attractiveness was one of 30 Rock's favorite things to mock, and that show did it better than anything else on TV. But Community sure does know how to appeal to its viewers' basest instinct. There's a character named after Allison Brie's breasts, for crissakes -- and yeah, that character is a monkey, but it's also a really excellent excuse to look at Annie's boobs.
See also: Shirtless Joel McHale. Rawr.
6. Dean Pelton > Paul in drag
Look, no one's saying that Will Forte's 30 Rock appearances as Paul, the Jenna Maroney drag queen who Jenna herself falls for, weren't great. But Jim Rash's Dean Pelton is more consistent -- he's in drag nearly every single episode -- and way more faaaaabulous. Also, he's an Oscar winner.
5. Himbo Troy > Bimbo Cerie
When it comes to stereotypes of dumb people, Community beats 30 Rock hands-down. Cerie's purpose was to be hot, skinny, smug, and stupid; Troy's a dimwit former jock, but he also makes you love him. And loving the people on your TV screen is just more fun than heartlessly mocking them. (Okay, most of the time.)
4. Troy & Abed In The Morning > TGS
TGS was the foundation of 30 Rock's plot; without the show-within-the-show, 30 Rock wouldn't have existed, and for that we are thankful. But when it comes to fictional TV shows we'd watch if they were real? Troy & Abed in the Moooooorning, hands down.
3. Troy and Abed's friendship > Liz and, well, anyone
Liz Lemon's friendships on 30 Rock made for good humor because they were so mismatched. Jenna was the vain, flaky star to Liz's frumpy, organized showrunner; Jack was the assured conservative to Liz's flustered feminist, etc.
Troy and Abed's friendship is funny because they just love each other so much. It's like watching puppies playing, if those puppies were also obsessed with terrible action movies and build pillow forts and rap with Betty White. What, do you hate puppies or something? (Of course you don't; you're on the Internet.)
2. Community's way better when stoned.
Trust us; we've tested this theory. 30 Rock's rapid-fire punchlines fly by way too fast when you're high. And if you really think about it, man, Community's super deep. Troy and Abed's imaginarium is, like, one giant hallucination -- or is it? And the timelines. Dude, so many timelines.
And the number one way in which Community beats 30 Rock:
1. Community's still on.
For one more season, anyway.
Follow Cultist on Facebook and Twitter @CultistMiami.
