The 15 Best Episodes Of Community Ranked

There aren't many television series with the staying power of "Community," which had a tumultuous run, beginning on NBC in 2009. While it was popular, the network fired its creator and showrunner, Dan Harmon, for the fourth series, brought him back for the fifth, and then canceled it. It returned for a sixth season on Yahoo Screen before ending in 2015.

The show follows a group of students at Greendale Community College, primarily led by disbarred attorney Jeff Winger (Joel McHale). The cast of "Community" is rounded out by Britta (Gillian Jacobs), Abed (Danny Pudi), Shirley (Yvette Nicole Brown), Troy (Donald Glover), Annie (Alison Brie), and Pierce (Chevy Chase). They're joined by Dean Craig Pelton (Jim Rash) and Chang (Ken Jeong), among others.

"Community" aired 110 episodes in total, and many are considered essential viewing for lovers of TV comedy. Lots of fans abandoned "Community" during Season 4 due to Harmon's absence, but there are still plenty of excellent episodes outside of that widely derided season for you to binge. These are the top 15 episodes ever ranked by their IMDb ratings.

Months after Chang orchestrated the expulsion of the study group, Abed finds himself at odds with campus security. To help their friend, the group takes Abed to therapy, where they join in trying to help him realize the futility of his actions. The therapist hears various stories of Abed's past behavior, and the group jumps to his defense when Abed's sanity is questioned by the doctor.

As they describe their memories of the school, they realize that the dean could never have expelled them and become determined to find out what's really going on. The therapist then turns on them, telling the group that Greendale isn't a school but is instead an asylum where they all received treatment. 

Something that series creator Dan Harmon excels at is creating clip shows that aren't like any other clip show. Instead of replaying snippets the audience has already seen, "Curriculum Unavailable" delves into past moments using entirely new footage. This is accomplished by replaying events from previous episodes, which are recounted as if the group is crazy, making the episode stand out for its creativity.

After Annie notices that her pen is missing (again), she loses her composure, demanding that the guilty party step forth. This happens as the group is en route to a puppy parade, but Annie's insistence forces them to remain in the study room, resulting in what is one of the greatest bottle episodes in TV history. 

As everyone's anger intensifies, steps are taken to identify the culprit as Jeff cancels a date, declaring, "I'm  doing a bottle episode!" Everyone lobs accusations while the dean comments on the much more desirable puppy parade. They grow increasingly suspicious of one another, tearing through each other's belongings and even Pierce's leg casts before they give up and leave. 

Bottle episodes are interesting when they focus on the characters. "Cooperative Calligraphy" does this well by delving into the individuals and how they respond to stress. It's made all the better when, at the end, it's revealed that Troy's monkey has been living in the vents, hoarding pens and whatever else he could get his little monkey paws on.

After Chevy Chase's public falling out with Dan Harmon, Pierce was killed off. Following his funeral, the study group gathers around a table, where they're greeted by Mr. Stone (Walton Goggins). He's the executor of Pierce's will and subjects them all to Pierce's final torment, where they must take a polygraph as part of Pierce's inquest to determine if they killed him.

Stone reveals secrets the members kept from one another, sowing discord as Pierce often did while alive. There are several lovely revelations alongside quite a few disturbing ones involving Pierce and the group. Everyone gets an item to remember Pierce by, some of which are surprisingly thoughtful and meaningful to the recipients.

In the end, they go out to dinner, where Stone gets drunk and has a blast explaining how he was putting on a show the whole time. "Cooperative Polygraphy" handled Chase's departure in as silly and thoughtful a manner as possible, ensuring it remains a memorable and beloved episode despite the actor's ugly exit from the show.

In the second Halloween episode, the dean throws a costume party that the group attends. He supplies the food, using old military rations, and as the evening wears on, people become sickened. Annie gets Dr. Rich (Greg Cromer) to help as more and more people succumb to what is initially misdiagnosed as food poisoning.

Pierce, who was the first to fall sick, takes a bite out of Star-Burns (Dino Stamatopoulos), and before long, a full-blown zombie outbreak takes over the party. The dean, on the outside, makes a phone call, inadvertently alerting the government to the contamination. Meanwhile, Abed and Troy wrestle with their nerdiness and their difficulty in charming women. Each member is bitten and falls victim to the infection as they're trapped inside.

By the time "Epidemiology" aired, zombies were incredibly played out, which is why it exists. The episode pokes fun at all the zombie tropes, remaining meta throughout. As you might expect, it's absolutely hilarious, despite the horror depicted on screen. The best part comes at the end, with George Takei leaving a voicemail greeting for any viewer fortunate enough to be named Kevin.

This two-parter focuses on a growing rift between Troy and Abed. Abed is determined to build a pillow fort, while Troy wants to use blankets to achieve a Guinness World Record. The first episode ends with a massive confrontation, and as chaos erupts, a war unfolds between the two sides.

Keith David narrates as if it were a Ken Burns documentary about the Civil War, which Britta poorly documents with her abysmal photography skills. Each side sabotages the other in their attempt to overtake the "enemy" fort's position as they spread throughout Greendale's campus. Eventually, a massive pillow fight breaks out with the two leaders front and center.

The double episode combines modern popular culture references with an atypical format that highlights events from the 19th century. In many ways, the episodes are peak "Community," due to the way they cover every member of the group equally, despite Troy and Abed being the focus. It concludes in a thoughtful manner that brings together the silliness and conflict in a way that is innocent and humorous.

In an episode that mirrors the narrative style of "Goodfellas," the study group overcomes their difficulty obtaining chicken fingers by taking control of their distribution. Once on the inside, they continue making chicken fingers while skimming them off the top and handing them out as favors to friends in a corrupt, mafia-esque operation.

Abed is in charge of the scheme, and he begins to enjoy the position of power afforded to him. Seeing this, Jeff decides their operation has gone on long enough, and he's pushed out of the group. This leads to a conversation with Star-Burns, the fry cook Abed replaced, who provides information on how to permanently dismantle the fryer.

"Goodfellas" has been parodied plenty of times over the years, but nothing has managed the feat quite as well as "Community." The episode pays homage to key moments from the film, but instead of relying on what came before, it throws in new jokes. This makes the episode stand out for tackling a movie about crime and turning it into a tale about something funny, relatable, and ridiculous.

Throughout its six seasons, "Community" proved that it's a show that doesn't take itself seriously. Characters often remind everyone that they're in a TV show, and there are more pop culture references than in most sitcoms. Given everything that happened, the only way to end "Community" was to lean into the comedic meta commentary as much as possible.

In the series finale, the group comes together to discuss how they each envision their next year at Greendale might unfold. This is particularly difficult for Jeff, as he fears being left behind at Greendale. Everyone pitches a fictional Season 7, and Jeff imagines raising a child with Annie and seeing everyone become teachers, just like himself.

In the end, the group returns for real to the study room to say goodbye when Chang, paying off his catchphrase, tearfully declares, "I'm gay! Like for real gay. I'm legit gay," as he's comforted by the group. It's an emotional moment that shows just how close these characters have become.

On Troy's last day, Abed arranges for a school-wide game of "Hot Lava" in a thematic callback to the series' paintball episodes. To ensure everyone takes it seriously, Abed puts up a comic book valued at $50,000, which causes Greendale to erupt into chaos as everyone fights to be the last person standing to claim the prize.

For Abed, it's not about the comic or anything else — he's terrified of losing Troy but knows that he can't allow himself to hold back his friend. Upon realizing this, Abed allows himself to fall into lava, letting Troy win the game. They continue their usual schtick, pretending that Abed has been resurrected as a clone who is able to accept the fact that Troy is leaving Greendale.

Donald Glover's departure from the series left a void that remained largely unfilled. Because Abed and Troy became inexorably linked, removing him could have ended the series. Instead, it was handled in a very "Community" way. Destroying the school to make a narrative point about character growth is why the series, and this episode, is so adored.

Pierce takes the study group to a warehouse, where they're greeted by Gilbert (Giancarlo Esposito), his father's assistant and the executor of his will. Pierce and his friends must play a video game that his father developed to test his son's "purity," or he loses his inheritance. The group agrees to play, but Gilbert joins in, and he's an expert.

Abed immediately finds loopholes and Easter eggs, building up a massive power base separate from the group. They slowly make their way through the game, but Gilbert cheats his way to the end. Upon reaching Pierce's father, Gilbert refuses to agree that he's not his son and Pierce's half-brother, and their racist father digitally destroys him.

"Community" references plenty of video games and characters throughout its run, but "Digital Estate Planning" is the only episode that uses one as a narrative device. In doing so, the show perfectly recreates what made 2D side-scrolling platformers from the 1980s so incredibly loved and frustrating. While the episode probably didn't resonate with many who aren't Gen-X, it remains one of the series' best.

After the study group finds their yam smashed to bits in their biology classroom, the professor demands proof it was "murdered," so they launch an investigation. Troy and Abed take the reins of the inquiry, while Jeff and Annie team up to build cases against various suspects. The episode is a parody of "Law & Order" and follows many of the series' themes.

As they continue to hunt down the yam-slayer, they begin to suspect Todd (David Neher), leading to a trial held in the biology classroom. As the case is presented, Todd is lauded as a hero by his former commander, Lt. Col. Archwood (Michael Ironside), and ultimately, the truth is revealed.

Most of the pop culture references in "Community" lean into comics, video games, and movies, so it's a bit unusual to see an episode based on "Law & Order" — and not in a bad way. In fact, "Basic Lupine Urology" is fantastic. "Community" perfectly pokes fun at all the tropes present in popular police procedural/courtroom shows.

When the dean discovers that Jeff is taking a class on conspiracy theories that apparently doesn't exist, he calls him out on it. Jeff insists it's real and that the teacher – Professor Professorson — is not made up. To prove it, he takes the dean to the classroom, which has mysteriously transformed into a broom closet. Just as Jeff's lie is exposed, Professor Professorson (Kevin Corrigan) reveals himself, sowing more confusion — because Jeff really was lying.

Meanwhile, Troy and Abed build their first-ever blanket fort, which expands throughout the school. Jeff and Annie try to uncover the truth of the conspiracy, only to find that Professor Professorson is actually a night school professor who is revealed to be running a scam. In reality, the man is drama professor Sean Garrity (Kevin Corrigan), leading Jeff to seek vengeance.

From there, the whole thing devolves into a series of revelations and apparent murders as Annie shoots Garrity with a prop gun, leading to more shootings. The episode is a return to the formula of what makes "Community" so much fun to watch. It's overtly ridiculous and plays fast and loose with audience expectations while simultaneously torturing the dean, because all Jeff wanted was a free credit.

In this episode centered around "Dungeons & Dragons," the group learns that Neil is depressed about his nickname "Fat Neil." They invite him to play a game of D&D that Abed eagerly runs as the Dungeon Master. However, they decide to not invite Peirce, and when he finds out, he responds as expected, insisting he be allowed to participate.

Pierce proceeds to undermine Neil at every turn while the group tries to explain their entire purpose for playing. Tensions rise as Pierce steals Neil's character's sword while killing Chang's character. Intent on stopping Pierce, the campaign goes off the rails as everyone moves to thwart him, leading to a massive confrontation between the parties.

Not only is "Advanced Dungeons & Dragons" a fantastic encapsulation of the D&D experience, but it's also a deep study into how games and structured conflict can improve people's lives. Using Neil's pain as the impetus for such an exploration is another example of how "Community" can make almost anything humorous without being condescending.

This two-part paintball episode spoofs director Sergio Leone's classic spaghetti Westerns. Everything is ramped up to 11 in terms of the Western motif, as City College orchestrates a means of destroying Greendale, once and for all. The prize is $100,000, prompting everyone on campus to engage in all-out paintball warfare, damaging the school.

In "For a Few Paintballs More," the study group learns of City College's plot and determines to win the money to rebuild Greendale. Once all the paint clears, only Pierce remains alive, and after faking another heart attack, he shoots everyone, winning for the school. Not only do these episodes pay homage to some of the greatest Westerns ever filmed, but they also helped Joe Russo (who directed them) and his brother Anthony prepare for their Marvel work.

"'Community' was about as difficult as it gets in television because we're delivering 20 episodes a season, and doing it on a weekly basis, changing genre every week, changing tone every week, and dealing with sometimes 10-plus characters in 22 minutes and trying to stick an emotional landing," Joe Russo told Den of Geek. "Doing that for several years, it hones your ability to handle complex narrative and juggle a lot of pieces while trying to also be efficient and add emotional complexity."

If you've ever heard a "Community" fan claim that we're living in the Darkest Timeline, it's from the episode "Remedial Chaos Theory." The group arrives at Troy and Abed's new apartment for a housewarming party, and they play Yahtzee. To determine who goes downstairs to get the pizzas, Jeff rolls a die, which Abed insists will create six alternate timelines, depending on the outcome.

Every die roll leads to new developments, all situated around similar events. Each one sees the group engage in different tasks as one leaves to get the pizza. When Britta leaves, she returns engaged to the delivery guy. The Darkest Timeline comes when Troy departs, and after Jeff hits his head, Annie's gun goes off accidentally, shooting Pierce in the leg as Britta drops her joint, starting a fire.

Seeing Troy return to witness the chaos in his new apartment while holding the pizzas is priceless. "Remedial Chaos Theory" is often found high on lists of the show's best episodes, and this is perhaps because it manages to cover everything about "Community" that makes it so great.

For many "Community" fans, the paintball episodes reign supreme, and the first is the best of them all. "Modern Warfare" is a spoof on every possible action movie franchise, which begins when the dean announces a game of Paintball Assassin, though he doesn't declare a prize. Jeff leaves for a nap and awakens to chaos across the campus as everyone fights to win.

He learns that the dean's prize is priority registration for classes next semester, and he plays to win. Everyone on campus participates, and Greendale is torn apart by paintball battles and warring factions. The study group bands together, and after Jeff and Britta are separated from the group, they sleep together for the first time. To stop the destruction of the school, the dean allows Chang to enter the game.

The episode parodies "Die Hard," "The Matrix," "Rambo," and a myriad of other key action flicks. Jeff leans heavily into the John McClane role right up to the end, delivering some expected and much-deserved payback on the dean. "Modern Warfare" is everything that makes "Community" a standout series, and it's the best episode of them all.