One week after announcing that she was leaving Community, Yvette Nicole Brown has been upped to a series regular on CBS’ The Odd Couple reboot. Community fans have been through a lot lately, and in their vulnerable state may be inclined to take this news personally. But we’re here to tell you everything is okay. Here’s why:
We knew this was going to happen.
Brown was reportedly released from her Community contract for personal reasons, namely to care for her ailing father. However, she made it clear from the beginning that she intended to continue her role on The Odd Couple, going to far as to thank Sony for making the transition possible.
This doesn’t change things that much.
Brown’s promotion from recurring role to series regular formalizes her commitment to The Odd Couple, placing her under contract for an entire season rather than a few episodes at a time. But her (supporting) role on the show—Dani, Oscar Madison (Matthew Perry)’s assistant—remains the same.
She wasn’t lying about needing time off.
Brown’s schedule on The Odd Couple will be much less demanding than on Community, simply due to the different shooting styles of each show. Community is filmed single-camera style, and Brown has to be on set throughout the entire, usually very long shooting day. The Odd Couple will be a multi-camera sitcom, which in practical terms means a lot less waiting around between setups. Brown estimates the difference in workload will be 20 hours a week on The Odd Couple vs. 80 on Community.
So just be cool.
Brown went on the defensive on Twitter over the weekend, saying:
Now who wants a mini-pie? Anybody? No?