NBC has closed the book on “Community,” canceling the Sony Pictures TV comedy after five seasons of underwhelming ratings, even with the rabid fan base the show has fostered via social media.
Sony TV is likely to shop the series to other outlets. The show’s hard-core fan base seems tailor-made for content-hungry digital outlets like Amazon, Netflix and Hulu, who are less sensitive to the mass audience ratings demanded by a broadcast network.
Sony Pictures TV declined comment on the cancellation or plans to find a new home for the show.
Hulu already has digital rerun rights to “Community,” which would probably complicate a deal for new episodes on a rival service. Sony owns the Crackle comedy-centric Internet vid site which could be a logical fit. Comedy Central carries “Community” repeats for linear TV.
“Community” never caught fire for NBC in a way that justified its renewal at a time when the Peacock is doing a top-to-bottom makeover of its comedy profile.
This time last year when the show was on the fence for renewal, it was no secret that Sony TV was approached by other outlets about a pickup should NBC pull the plug. In addition to the digital contenders, plenty of cable networks might well make a play for the niche audience that would surely follow the show to a new home.
