No matter how much we may flood the comments sections of certain episodes, it looks like Community is well and truly done. At least, as a series. In a new interview, Joel McHale confirms the show is over, and it doesn’t matter who wants to keep it on the air, because the actors’ contracts are up, and frankly, you can’t afford them. Here’s his response to the “Is it getting another season?” question:
No. They wanted to. But all of our contracts were up after six years. All the actors on the show, almost without exception — their stock has risen significantly and it’s out of the pay rate that is affordable to make the show. So you’re not going to be able to get Alison Brie or Gillian Jacobs at a normal television salary anymore. There is just not enough money to be able to pay for the show.
Setting aside the startling implication that anyone thinks Alison Brie or Gillian Jacobs should be paid money rather than simply handed the keys to the country, this does seem to be the final nail in the coffin for the TV series. But, lest you think any person within a planetary radius of Dan Harmon is going to let him forget that hashtag, McHale and his fellow cast members are on top of it, as he told Uproxx:
I think what has to happen is that Dan needs to write the script. It’s a tall order for someone. “Go write a brilliant movie script on a beloved show that you’ve been writing for six years. Go! Just go ahead and do that!” I don’t think that is something that’s like, “Let me just have a long weekend.” The cast would do it. We would all do it.
Dan Harmon has already said his piece about writing the movie, but that was almost two months ago, so your anxiety probably needs an outlet. Don’t worry, there’s already a new comments flood, but it could use your help.
UPDATE: TV Guide chief content officer Michael Schneider brings a faint glimmer of hope—or ambivalence, if you weren’t that into the new season—by saying that Yahoo has yet to confirm McHale’s statements on the future of the show: