‘Community’ will return, and probably better than it has ever been.

SIX SEASONS AND A MOVIE!

At the end of May, thousands of fans across the world cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced as NBC announced it cancelled the cult hit Community. Though the show had consistently low ratings, it managed to scrape by for 5 seasons, and renewal this year looked likely, which is likely why fans found it to be such a gut punch when it happened.

But fear not, Community is on its way back. After talking with several networks (including Hulu) about a possible series revival, Sony, who produces the show, has announced that Yahoo Screen, of all places, will be the home of Community’s sixth season. You may not know what Yahoo Screen is, or even that such thing existed, but this deal could prove to be a win for everybody, here’s a few reasons why:

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Ya Who?

Yahoo! wants to get into the original content business, but it is pretty unknown at this point. They’ve got nowhere near the reputation or name recognition of a place like Netflix, and creating original content that people care about online is tough. Having a cult hit like Community with a built-in audience will instantly give Yahoo Screen a foothold in the online network space and public mind. It’s working already, with Yahoo Screen getting mentioned in nearly every news piece that’s come out about the deal so far. For a young, unknown network, this is the best move they could have made short of resurrecting Firefly.

It’s like TV, but convenient.

Sony knows there’s still money in doing the show, but it struggled on NBC due to its Thursdays at 8pm timeslot, where it faced off against ratings juggernaut The Big Bang Theory. Being on an online network like Yahoo Screen will mean the show no longer has to compete with Big Bang, and since most of Community’s viewership enjoyed it through digital platforms already the audience will certainly carry over, and probably grow, as online shows don’t need to be viewed on a specific day and time.

Uncensoredshitship

The online space is nowhere near as restrictive as network television. Yahoo has surprisingly said the show’s budget will remain relatively unchanged, and unlike original shows on Netflix and Hulu, which use original content to sell subscriptions, Yahoo will be airing Community for free, supported by ads. What this means is the show’s budget and format will be same, the only difference is the distribution. Plus, let’s not forget that censorship is barely existent online, freeing the writer’s to do things they couldn’t have gotten away with on NBC. (And I’m sure Abed will have a meta-joke or two about the show’s new platform.)

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Overall, cancellation may have actually been a blessing in disguise for the show, as their new partnership with Yahoo has tons of potential and could actually allow the show to reach its full potential, something it couldn’t do on NBC. Yahoo has said they’re planning to start airing new episodes in 2015, so for now, rejoice that we’re getting the sixth season, and keep your hopes high for that movie!

What (or who) do you want to see in sixth season of ‘Community.’ Cool, cool cool cool? Let us know in the comments below.