Last week, “Community” looked like it was on the verge of being finished. Hulu walked away from negotiations and there didn’t seem to be another suitor to give “Community” a new home.
Today, Yahoo Screen announced that it has picked up “Community” for a 13 episode, sixth season just a few hours ahead of the deadline to renew the series before the cast’s contracts expired.
This is Yahoo Screen’s biggest commitment yet to original content, which may signal an intent to compete with Amazon and Netflix in the original programming arena.
Related: Can ‘Community’ Be Saved?
Yahoo CMO Kathy Savitt said in a statement that “We couldn’t be more excited to work with Dan, Joel, and the entire cast, as well as Sony, to deliver a great season 6.”
“Community” creator Dan Harmon added that “I am very pleased that Community will be returning for its predestined sixth season on Yahoo. “I look forward to bringing our beloved NBC sitcom to a larger audience by moving it online. I vow to dominate our new competition. Rest easy, Big Bang Theory. Look out, Bang Bus!”
Series star Joel McHale said “#SixSeasonsAndaMovie is real. Thank you Sony. Thank you Yahoo. Thank you Dan Harmon. And thank you to the greatest f***ing fans in the history of the human race. It’s the internet. We can swear now.”
A release date for “Community” Season 6 wasn’t included in the announcement. But does it really matter? The best comedy on television just got another chance to survive in another medium. I’d call that a win.
