12 Most Rewatchable Episodes Of Community

There are good shows, and then there are the shows that are so well made, you can watch them on repeat. NBC's cult classic "Community" is one of those feel-good experiences you can't stop going back to. But that doesn't mean every episode is a banger. There are some real duds in the lineup, and plenty of enjoyable options that, while well done, don't warrant endless looping. So, which episodes are the ones you definitely want to hit on a rewatch?

We've done our homework and sorted through the lengthy list of top-rated episodes from "Community." There are 20 with a rating over 9.0 on IMDB alone, let alone dozens of rewatch-worthy candidates in the 8.0 range. We took those top options and picked an elite dozen worthy of your endless attention. Here they are, presented in the order in which they aired. Take your pick, settle in for a nostalgic time, and get ready to laugh.

We're starting with a semi-deep cut episode. The cleverly titled Season 1 episode "Debate 109" (which is the ninth episode of Season 1 — see what they did there?) was one of the first flashes of the truly timeless entertainment that "Community" was capable of. The episode comes half a season into the show, which means characters are still forming, but they've had a chance to find their sea legs.

In exchange for a parking spot, Jeff Winger (Joel McHale) reluctantly agrees to help Annie (Alison Brie) and the Greendale debate team. The group is about to take on their rival, City College, led by their all-star arguer, Jeremy "Soulpatch" Simmons (Aaron Himelstein). Jeff's laissez-faire approach and Annie's quick thinking ultimately save the day for Greendale.

Don't forget the fact that this is one of the first episodes that showcases Abed's (Danny Pudi) ability to tell the future through his enigmatic yet inspired movie-making. Pierce (Chevy Chase) also tries to hypnotize Britta (Gillian Jacobs) in one of the weirder therapy sessions to ever hit live television. Add it up, and this one is full of the quirky, on-brand stuff that makes this show endlessly rewatchable.

Two episodes into our list and we've already hit the first of the themed episodes that make this show so mesmerizing. "Contemporary American Poultry" was one of the first times the writers and cast showed they could come together to produce absolutely phenomenal topical episodes on any number of themes. In this case, the theme is the Mafia. The episode follows the study group as they search for a way to infiltrate the Greendale cafeteria to get in on the highly coveted stash of chicken fingers. This leads to a crime-inspired story that sees each member of the group play their part in setting their little family up for a meteoric rise — and a spectacular fall.

Abed and Jeff are at the center of the illegal activity as they shepherd their little crime posse. Jeff assumes his natural position of power at the head of the shenanigans. But as Abed narrates the experience, he slowly gains his own agency. He's the one operating in the school's kitchen. From there, he begins bribing teachers and eventually even challenges Jeff's authority. In the end, it comes out that all Abed wanted was for people to like him. In the outro, we discover that the entire episode is him telling Dean Pelton (Jim Rash) the story in excruciating detail just to answer the question of who stole a box of hair nets from the kitchen. Classic "Community" misdirect.

Next up, we have yet another themed episode. This time, though, things go sky high with one of the best NASA homages ever penned for the screen. The bulk of the episode takes place inside the tin can relic perfectly titled "The Kentucky Fried Chicken Eleven Herbs and Space Experience." That cleverly named Winnebago, combined with the fake slo-mo astronaut shot from early in the episode, was the sign that this one was going to be on repeat.

A quick reminder of the setting: Rival City College is about to launch a space simulator, so Dean Pelton counters the move with Greendale's own half-baked space program. This requires cleaning up the extremely dated, aforementioned KFC-space-themed RV. The study group is given the job as punishment for a prank, and before you know it, everyone is locked in, and they're being towed to an undisclosed location.

Abed and the Dean provide remote support, helping the group escape the faux space pod in safety. From there, they save the day with a less-than-heavenly entrance just in time to foil City College's star-inspired takeover plans. This one has plenty to laugh at. Really, though, the intense commitment to the bit is what gives it that immersive degree of comedic drama, which is where "Community" always shines.

"Community" leaned into episodic formulas from time to time, including the bottle episode format. The most iconic example from the show's annals has to be Season 2's "Cooperative Calligraphy." Abed literally calls it out for being a bottle episode. His words, to be precise, are: "I hate bottle episodes. They're wall-to-wall facial expressions and emotional nuance. I might as well sit in a corner with a bucket on my head."

The episode opens with the study group being invited to a puppy parade. Long story short, everyone is held up when Annie kicks up a stink about a missing pen. The group overreacts along with her, locking themselves in the study room to find the culprit. The result is a raucous reveal of endless group secrets. From Abed charting menstrual cycles to monkeys in air vents, the endless stream of fun little quips and random moments is incredibly entertaining despite the limited bottle episode setting.

The big reveal, of course, is Shirley's pregnancy test, but that isn't what makes this one so easy to rewatch. It's the self-awareness, the almost-break-the-fourth-wall moments, and reckless bottle episode energy that is particularly entertaining here. The fact that you can basically watch it completely out of context also makes it a really easy one to pop on, no matter the time or place.

This next one isn't a top-rated episode. Nor is it the first one you might think of if it isn't December. Even then, there are four "Community" Christmas episodes to choose from. So why does "Abed's Uncontrollable Christmas" make our list?

This intervention-focused episode follows the study group, led by Professor Ian Duncan (John Oliver), as they try to help the titular character after his parents have broken up. The key factor that sets this one apart? It's all in stop-motion animation. Where most of this show impresses with the writing and acting, this is one of those moments where the production value takes the limelight: The creation of "Abed's Uncontrollable Christmas" took place over four months with 70 animators working on 19 sets with 66 puppets. 

They needed every second of that production time, too: The final completed shots of the episode were done just a day before it aired. The incredible feat makes this quiet homage to Rankin-Bass seasonal television specials one of the most impressive things the people behind "Community" ever produced. Knowing about all the hard work that went into it changes the way you see it and makes every rewatch that much more special.

Season 2 is the rewatchable gift that keeps on giving. Just three episodes after "Abed's Uncontrollable Christmas," we get "Advanced Dungeons and Dragons." This one is another themed installment, and it's not exaggerating to say that it is absolutely epic. That is literally the tone that the fantasy tabletop role-playing game-inspired episode is meant to deliver, and it does so in spades.

The Greendale gang shows up ready to learn how to play D&D as a way to help Neil (Charley Koontz) shake off his depression with a rousing round of one of his favorite games (the guy even has a well-developed character named Duquesne who comes with his own sword). The table-top shenanigans that ensue are gut-busting on every level. Characters die unexpectedly, villains antagonize in the nude, and heroes take unspoken actions to unlock flocks of pegasi.

The thing that makes this one so rewatchable is the rampant, fast-paced energy as the game plays out. The writers seamlessly weave the inexperience of the study group and their intervention-based ulterior motives into the chaotic context of the game. And don't forget Abed's stellar Dungeon Master skills. There's a lot to like here, and it's just as good on the tenth viewing as it is on the first.

This episode makes the cut for a unique reason: the way it confidently explores stories that are completely out of context for the audience. It starts with the discovery of Troy's (Donald Glover) monkey, Annie's Boobs, living in the vents. This unveils a smorgasbord of trinkets the primate had stolen, leading the study group to a walk down memory lane. Here's the thing that makes this one special, though. Most of these "memories" are completely new to the audience.

At one point, the group remembers being shot at in a ghost town. They also sorrowfully reminisce over filling in for the Glee Club that died in a bus crash. Jeff and Britta's love life is put on full display (including stop-motion memories that tie in with "Abed's Uncontrollable Christmas"). Jeff and Troy are shown in a barber's class. The group is shown in front of a destroyed house. Pierce steals at least four flu shots to become "a living god." We see way too many iterations of Dean Pelton's eccentric costume choices.

The pièce de résistance, though? The montage-heavy Jeff Winger speech at the end. The clip consists of a string of different Winger monologues, most of which are more memories of things that never actually happened in previous episodes of the show. This heavy tip of the hat to "other things" happening off-screen isn't just funny, but it adds a fascinating sense of depth, too. The study group clearly gets up to a lot during their time at Greendale — and, apparently, we don't even see the half of it.

There are four paintball-themed episodes of "Community." Three of these are incredible, with the last one falling a bit flatter than the rest. We weren't going to fill up three of the 12 slots on this list with paintball-related episodes, but that doesn't mean they're not worth rewatching. On the contrary — Season 1's "Modern Warfare" is one of the highest-rated of the entire show. But when it comes to rewatchability, we're going to go with the two-part special at the end of Season 2, with a special emphasis on the first one: "A Fistful of Paintballs."

This one steers hard into the low-budget spaghetti Western concept as Greendale devolves into a wasteland of Wild West antics that would make Clint Eastwood proud. From Annie's makeshift hideout to Jeff's insecure competitiveness with the Black Rider to Pierce's lawless oasis, the episode is dripping with drama as the battle for a $100,000 prize intensifies.

Of course, you need to follow this one up with the "Star Wars"-inspired sequel "For a Few Paintballs More," where things come to a head and Greendale is once again saved from the machinations of City College Dean Spreck (Jordan Black). Toss in the fact that this pair of "Community" episodes is what made Kevin Feige notice the Russo Brothers and bring them on to direct in the MCU, and the rewatch value here becomes crystal clear.

This next one is another of the highest-rated episodes of the entire show. In fact, Season 3's "Remedial Chaos Theory" is one of the best episodes of television ever created, period. It's clever, manic, insightful, insane, and perfectly paced. It exhibits all of the hallmark frenzy of Season 3 — the one that ends with Señor Chang (Ken Jeong) turning dictator and taking over Greendale by force.

The episode is all about pizza and alternate timelines. The chaos begins when the study group is at Troy's and Abed's housewarming party for their apartment. When the pizza arrives, Jeff suggests rolling a die to see who should go get it. The result of this reckless act is six different timelines. Some are offbeat. Others are chaotic. Still others get really, really dark. Guns go off. Fires erupt (literally). And in the midst of the pandemonium, Norwegian troll dolls hauntingly watch from the flames.

The thing that makes this one so good is its ability to stand alone as a complete, unimprovable chapter in the "Community" archives. You don't need a lot of context. You don't need to keep up. You just need to lean in and go along for the ride. Bonus points for the fact that the anarchy of this single episode sets up several recurring storylines and jokes that keep coming up over and over again throughout the season that follows.

Community's themed episodes keep showing up in this list for different reasons. In the case of "Pillows and Blankets," it's the ability to own the homage to the hilt. The 14th episode of Season 3 is an out-of-left-field Ken Burns-inspired tribute that is as confident as it is quirky. It comes on the heels of an episode brimming with tension between Abed and Troy as they attempt to build the biggest pillow and blanket (respectively) forts in history.

The build-up boils over in this episode, as Abed's pillow-powered, high-quality operation runs up against Troy's blanket-focused push for glory. The campus-wide event is, in a nutshell, a knock-down, drag-out fight between the two sides as they attempt to take up as much space as they can for their respective projects.

The key here, though, is the way the story is told. The Civil War documentary style format casts the study group and their compatriots as saints and soldiers on the battlefield. We get everything from narrated diary entries to interactive battle maps. This one encapsulates the show's ability to riff on other genres and use homages to tell stories in uniquely effective ways.

Season 3, Episode 20 marks a culmination in the Pierce storyline. Following the passing of his racist, bitter, distant father, the emotionally stunted Boomer finally stands to inherit his family's moist towelettes empire. There's one catch, though. His father has designed a video game (in ironic mockery of his son's desire to invest in that industry). Pierce has to beat it if he wants to unlock his family's wealth. He's been conveniently asked to bring seven of his closest friends on this quest.

The episode that follows is an action-packed romp full of the show's trademark clever dialogue, primarily seen through a 2D lens. With the study group at his back, Pierce sets out to conquer an 8-bit video game like no other. As they go along, early enemies like erotic hippies give way to a more sinister threat from Pierce's unexpectedly revealed half-brother, Gilbert (Giancarlo Esposito). 

Despite the high stakes of Pierce's situation, the best part might be Abed. He branches off from the group and falls in love with an NPC (non-player character). Along with being immensely entertaining, the side quest ends up playing a critical part in defeating Pierce's father in the form of the game's ultimate boss.

You'll note that this list quickly drops off after Season 3. In fact, after that, we only deemed one episode genuinely on the same level of rewatchability as the other episodes we've covered. It's not to say that all of the latter half of the show's six seasons and 110 episodes are bad. They just don't have the same pizzazz and energy as the earlier seasons — with one important exception: Season 5, Episode 5, "Geothermal Escapism."

The episode channels the same feel and flow as the paintball episodes. However, in this case, rather than paint, the school turns on itself over a hyper-dramatic game of Hot Lava (aka The Floor Is Lava). Spurred on by the prize of Abed's $50,000 copy of the comic book "Space Clone," the epic encounter leads to a "Mad Max"-toned grudge match with plenty of post-apocalyptic pushing and pulling.

Of course, the extra degree of drama here is the fact that the event is Abed's goodbye present for Troy. In typical Abed fashion, the Hot Lava competition ultimately translates to him processing the loss of a friend and learning to let loved ones go. The overall experience is fun, hilarious, and heartwarming. It leaves you wiping away a tear as Troy sails off to his destiny, and it's the most rewatchable bright spot in the entire second half of the show.