If you're a fan of NBC's cult comedy Community, then last night was a big night for you, not just because it was the 84th Annual Academy Awards, but because Community's own eccentric dean (played by Jim Rash) accept an Oscar for screenwriting (while paying tribute to Angelina Jolie's leg in the process). Rash co-wrote the screenplay for The Descendants, which was adapted from the book of the same name by Kaui Hart Hemmings. Considering how consistently Community is overlooked by big awards (I'm talking to you, Emmys), it was incredibly satisfying to see one of its cast members awarded the most coveted prize in Hollywood. Suck on that, Big Bang Theory(Pardon my crassness, but you have to appreciate the small victories when they come along.)! The ratings-challenged Community returns to NBC on Thursday, March 15th, and I've taken the liberty of suggesting some ways in which NBC and Community could use Jim Rash's Oscar win to promote the show and hopefully lure some new viewers.
1.)An Oscar-Themed Community Episode. Sure, this would have been great to do this, you know, before the Oscars -- but wait! Community was off the air during the weeks leading up to the Oscars, so that wouldn't have worked anyway. Well, better late than never. Can you imagine Abed hosting an Oscar party? He would just be an endless stream of obscure facts and movie references! (Even more so than usual.)
2.)Have the Dean Dress Up Like an Oscar Statue. A skin-tight gold bodysuit? I'm pretty sure Dean Pelton already owns one of those. Just slap some gold paint on him, and you've got an red carpet ready ensemble -- and it wouldn't even be the craziest thing we've ever seen the dean wear.
3.)Plays on the Name "Oscar." There are so many things you could do with the name Oscar. Could Oscar be the dean's new pet dalmatian? Or the new latin lover that distracts the dean from his infatuation with Jeff Winger? "There's a new man in my life, and his name is Oscar." That line alone has a myriad of possible scenarios that could go with it. Run with it.
4.)Write It Into the Show. Picture this: Dean Pelton has finally finished his novel Time Desk, and now the book is being adapted into a future Oscar-winning film. You can't go wrong with Time Desk and the Academy Awards.
5.)Have Jim Rash Carry His Oscar Around on the Show. Don't explain it. Maybe don't even acknowledge it. Just have Dean Pelton randomly tote around a gold statuette.
The possibilities are endless! If nothing else, I think it's definitely time to cash in on the notoriety of the Oscars by running Community promos announcing it as an "Academy Award-winning comedy." Sure, it might be considered misleading or mildly inaccurate, but that's nothing that can't be fixed with some small print at the bottom of the screen. Community needs all the help it can get. But in the end, after Community's six seasons and a movie, I hope that that movie wins an Oscar, and that Angelina Jolie's leg will be the one to present it.