Community ran for six seasons. While fans are still missing a film to round out their desire for six seasons and a movie, they still have 110 remarkable episodes of television to look back on. But of course, some episodes are more deeply revered than others. Community's premise is fairly simple: seven misfits form an unlikely bond when their paths cross at a struggling community college. The leadership of showrunner Dan Harmon and the direction of the Russo Brothers pushed the show to its creative zenith, making it an under-the-radar hit with its small but dedicated fanbase. They worked together to make the show more than just a sitcom, taking on theme after theme with ambitious episodes that flipped Community on its head.
These episodes, while often gimmicky or odd, were what made Community special. It was above all else ambitious, stepping outside of its usual sitcom rut to deliver a satirical take on any number of genres. A community college isn't the most thrilling setting for a comedy show at first glance. However, Community's decision to not let its setting limit it was what made the show so beloved by fans. Its later seasons were rockier, and the show might never get its promised finale film. But its best episodes are still well worth watching, whether out of nostalgia or with fresh eyes. Here is a ranking of Community's best episode based on IMDb ratings.
The only episode from Season 5 to make the list, "Geothermal Escapism," marks the last appearance of Troy Barnes, as portrayed by Donald Glover. Desperate to stop his best friend from leaving Greendale, Abed throws a school-wide game of The Floor is Lava, offering up a reward to make sure it goes on as long as possible. This quickly results in a fully altered landscape, as the entire student body develops improvised methods of not touching the floor. While it fills its runtime with spectacle reminiscent of the show's famous paintball episodes, it's buoyed by the emotional bond between Troy and Abed. Troy's final departure is one of the Community's most heartfelt moments, marking the beginning of his journey to find out who he really is, away from Abed, the rest of the study group and even Greendale itself.
Like most gimmick episodes, "Conspiracy Theories and Interior Design" is mainly appealing because it revamps Greendale's entire campus. When sleeping over at Abed's dorm, Troy and his best friend start a blanket fort, only to be disappointed when it doesn't live up to their childhood dreams. They start borrowing pillows and blankets from other dorms, and it quickly swallows up a huge chunk of campus. Seeing the Greendale campus not only at night but also waddled in the comforting embrace of pillows is something else, and the concept returns in Season 3 for a rare two-parter. The episode also features an enjoyable A-plot that sees Annie pull Jeff into the mysterious world of Greendale's night school after he tries to fake a credit.
"Basic Lupine Urology" doesn't change Greendale at all, but it does parody a specific genre and even a specific show: Law & Order. After discovering that their yam had been squashed in the middle of the night, the study group splits up to find the culprit and bring them to "justice." Abed and Troy form the standard detective duo. Shirley is their captain, and Jeff and Annie act as prosecutors. While the episode's plot is standard and mundane, it's the combination of that mundanity with the over-the-top flair of crime shows like Law & Order that give it some extra spice. It also helps that there's a number of stylistic touches throughout the episode, including a variant on the normal opening credits.
"Digital Estate Planning" comes almost at the tail end of Season 3, dealing with the matter of Pierce's inheritance and giving his father a chance to appear posthumously. Cornelius' assistant, Gilbert, brings the study group to a video game setup. They're then informed Pierce's inheritance is trapped behind the end of the game, which Cornelius designed to test Pierce's worth. They decide to cooperate but face a greater challenge when it's revealed Gilbert is Pierce's half-brother, with his own claim to the inheritance if he can beat them in the game. The majority of the episode is lovingly animated in a retro 16-bit style, with bright landscapes and game design reminiscent of a cross between Mario and Terraria.
"Emotional Consequences of Broadcast Television" is Community's final episode. The episode revolves around the end of yet another school year, as many of the former study group depart from Greendale. They retire to a nearby bar and speculate about what the "next season" of the show will be like, in another one of Abed's meta jokes. Their pitches are comedic and provocative but also oddly hollow. But despite that bittersweet twist, the episode gives both the cast and fans a chance to say goodbye to a show that's brought them so much joy.
"Advanced Dungeons & Dragons" is a great episode because it doesn't take the easy way out. Dungeons & Dragons is a game of fascinating fights, swords, sorcery and storytelling -- all of which takes place entirely in the imagination. Community's writers could easily have gone to a visual representation akin to "Digital Estate Planning," but let the episode be about the game as it's played instead. Its appeal is entirely in seeing the study group play the game to cheer up Neil, who had been having suicidal thoughts after being bullied about his weight. But those wanting to see the episode will have a hard time. It was taken down from most streaming services in 2020 due to a blackface joke where Chang cosplays as a dark elf.
This is Community's third paintball episode and the immediate follow-up to "A Fistful of Paintballs." While both are excellent, "For A Few Paintballs More" is the weaker of the two. It abandons its predecessor's Western theme to parody Star Wars instead, with Greendale's students teaming up to take on the invading City College and win the paintball competition so that they can use the money to clean up the campus. It doesn't have the same tight emotional tension as "A Fistful of Paintballs," but it also has more balls to juggle since it serves as Season 2's finale. It does an admirable job of balancing action and story and only fails to meet the spectacularly high standard set by the show's previous successes.
"A Fistful of Paintballs" has a heavy burden on its shoulders since sequels are typically never better than the original. That's true when looking at its place on this list, but it manages to accomplish different things from its Season 1 contemporary. The episode is a culmination of the season's overall arc, which sees Pierce growing more and more alienated from the study group as a result of his villainous behavior. They choose to hold a vote on whether he should join them next year, voting anonymously via a deck of cards. The audience is only told the cards the characters chose at the beginning of the episode, with the unfolding drama giving context and weight to seemingly random titles. That drama and the episode's Western theme work in perfect concert, giving it a darker and more grounded vibe than most other Community episodes.
While "Remedial Chaos Theory" is a gimmick episode, it doesn't rely on stunts or spectacles. Its premise is straightforward, if a bit odd. Abed and Troy host a housewarming party for their new apartment. When one of the study group has to get pizza, Jeff rolls a six-sided die to determine who does. The rest of the episode explores the six different "timelines" that ensue, each with a different character absent. The resulting episode is a perfect clockwork machine of clever writing and narrative efficiency. Despite their parallel nature, each timeline builds on the one that came before it, as scenes that would play out the same are skipped to highlight new outcomes while saving time. There's not much more to say beyond a recommendation to watch it in action. "Remedial Chaos Theory" is heartwarming, clever and exactly why Community is so great.
While not the first Community "theme" episode (that honor goes to "Contemporary American Poultry"), "Modern Warfare" is the show's first paintball episode and the first to go all-in on a massive change. It almost abandons the idea of the show taking place in a community college entirely, choosing to cover the campus in paint as the students battle it out for Priority Registration in a parody of action films. It's not as well-written as "Remedial Chaos Theory," but "Modern Warfare" is celebrated more for the ground it broke than for the episode itself. It's the first step down a path that gave the show so many entries on this list.
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