La Araña Discoteca

For those of you who are like me and don't really keep up with current television (I mean, I'm the girl who never saw an episode of Sex and the City until--literally--a year after the first movie came out) but really want to be culturally aware, Hulu is a total godsend. If it wasn't for Hulu, I would never have been able to watch Community, a sitcom on NBC that is about to enter its second season.

This is a show about a community college, which I think resonates with me since I'm still a student. But there's more to it than that. The jokes are funny and the cast is funnier. Danny Pudi is the adorable, sympathetic Abed, living with what would appear to be Asperger's, a much-maligned and misunderstood disorder, and Pudi's portrayal is never disrespectful. Gillian Jacobs is the prickly but lovable Britta. Alison Brie is a formerly-pill-addicted goody two-shoes who's also a real sweetheart. Yvette Nicole Brown is the motherly conscience the others. Chevy Chase is the always politically incorrect but good-hearted Pierce, the oldest of the group. Donald Glover is the (super-cute) semi-dumb jock. John Oliver occasionally appears as a professor, and Ken Jeong is the really completely ridiculous and super-funny Spanish teacher. But the highlight of the show is definitely Joel McHale as the leader of the pack, Jeff.

He is often mistaken for Ryan Seacrest, and he can be insensitive, but he is really the uniting force of the misfit pack of students in his study group--the role model, the older brother, the big man on campus, and the dream boat. And while he tries so very hard to stay above it all, he is really the deepest character of the bunch.And McHale is kind enough to work in tandem with his fellow castmates, never outshining or upstaging them.

Each episode corresponds with a college course: Spanish, criminal law, debate, pottery, and so on. Episode 1.23, "Modern Warfare," is the funniest shit I've seen in a really long time. No, I mean it. I couldn't stop laughing. The send-up of Die Hard particularly killed me, as Die Hard is one of my very favorite movies. I highly recommend watching the first season--or at least what you can catch of it on Hulu--before the second season premieres in September. I guarantee you will find at least something to like about it.

In the meantime, for your viewing pleasure, I've included a video of my favorite moment from the series (so far). Enjoy!

-Cate-