海角大神

As if free health care, all-you-can-eat poutine and a Tim Hortons on every corner weren鈥檛 reason enough to want to drop everything and visit the Great White North, Netflix Canada recently announced that COMMUNITY seasons one thru three are now available for streaming in their entirety. How do we know this you ask, well aside from being a longtime Netflix Canada subscriber (DAMAGES FTW!), we recently had the pleasure of chatting one-on-two with series stars Gillian Jacobs and Yvette Nicole Brown, who were only too happy to dish about their favorite episodes, behind-the-scenes antics and what life is like at Greendale in a post Dan Harmon world.

With COMMUNITY now available on Netflix Canada, is there a specific episodes, or a favorite one that you鈥檇 recommend newbies start with?
听Yvette Nicole Brown: Since Netflix Canada is streaming all three seasons, I would suggest that you start at season one, wouldn鈥檛 you say Gillian?
听Gillian Jacobs: I think our first stand out episode would be Halloween season one.
听YNB: Yes! I also think the paintball episode would be a good choice. If you鈥檙e trying to introduce someone new to the show I would show them the paintball one or Halloween, but if you鈥檙e trying to experience the show for yourself, I would go for the pilot and take a ride.

What about in terms of your character鈥檚 specifically?
听YNB: I really loved the Halloween episode, because it鈥檚 the one where I worked with Gillian for the first time.
听GJ: I think Jeff and Shirley season one.
听YNB: Really, you think? Alright, we鈥檒l go with Jeff and Shirley, the gossip episode.

Unlike many actors who shall remain nameless, both of you seem to really know your show inside and out. Do you watch it?
听GJ: Totally! I鈥檝e seen every episode of the show.
听YNB: I鈥檝e seen every episode, some episodes more than once because I鈥檓 also a fan of the show. Especially if it鈥檚 a scene that I鈥檓 not in I tend to watch more than the ones I鈥檓 in because we weren鈥檛 there when it was taped and I鈥檓 a fan of these people and want to see how they brought it to life.
听GJ: I remember this moment in season one where Donald [Glover] went, 鈥淚 think you know I have a thing for butt stuff,鈥� which was a scene that neither one of us was in and I just remember watching that over and over and over, it made me laugh so hard. It was so unexpected because it wasn鈥檛 in the script, it was just an improv that Donald had done.

The show has such an amazing track record when it comes to fans picking up on things that take on a life of their own (See: Pulling a 鈥楤ritta,鈥� Streets ahead, #sixseasonsandamovie). Can you as an actor to read the script and predict what things will have a second life online?
听GJ: I don鈥檛 know if you can predict it. THere are certainly things that we as a cast have fallen in love with that we repeat to each other endlessly that I don鈥檛 think are any fan鈥檚 favorite. In season one, Shirley said, 鈥淚鈥檓 gonna die by a werewolf.鈥�
听YNB: We made a song.
听GJ: Before the rap, we were the only people saying it.
听YNB: We鈥檝e been doing it since season one.
听GJ: And it wasn鈥檛 anything the fans knew about or ever caught on. We also love to say Jim鈥檚 [Rash] lines over and over again, 鈥淥h Jeffrey,鈥� or 鈥淪ave a dance for Jeffery,鈥� it鈥檚 just this thing that amuses us on set.

Moving on to the awkward portion of this interview, how does Dan Harmon鈥檚 exit affect the show鈥檚 fourth season? One imagines that things must be different when a showrunner with a vision as unique as Harmons is no longer steering the ship.
听GJ: They changed all the character names, we don鈥檛 go to community college anymore鈥�
听YNB: [Laughs] That鈥檚 the best answer I鈥檝e ever heard!
听GJ: It鈥檚 all of our intention 鈥� and this includes the new writers, returning writers, cast and crew 鈥� to keep the show true to what Dan Harmon created and what he would want. We have the utmost respect for him and it鈥檚 no ones intention to change it. Dan is not writing the episodes anymore so that is inherently going to make it different but I don鈥檛 think the show is betraying itself or moving away from what it was that people loved about it. We love the show as much as the fans do so we would never want to participate in the betrayal of COMMUNITY. We want nothing more than continue to give you quality episodes of television so that鈥檚 all of our fervent goal and desire.

One thing that the show has not 鈥淏ritta鈥檇鈥� this season is the guest stars with Malcolm Mcdowell, Matt Lucas and Tricia Helfer already confirmed.
听GJ: We haven鈥檛 worked with Matt Lucas or Tricia Helfer yet but Malcolm Mcdowell is lovely.
听YNB: He鈥檚 a legend.
听GJ: Very funny.
听YNB: And very approachable. You would think that someone who is that famous, British, proper, would be standoffish. But he鈥檚 not, he鈥檚 just a silly fun man.
听GJ: We鈥檙e very comfortable joking around him.

What surprises can you let slip about the upcoming fourth season?
听YNB: We see Pierce鈥檚 mansion in the season opener, a Halloween episode and it鈥檚 a sight to behold. We鈥檙e also going to meet Jeff鈥檚 father, it hasn鈥檛 happened yet but we鈥檙e going to meet him. There鈥檚 also some Britta/Troy developments鈥� picture that鈥� instagram?!
听GJ: What?
听YNB: That was a reach.

Speaking of social media, is it fair to say that Twitter has played a fairly substantial role in keeping COMMUNITY on the air?
听GJ: Yeah definitely. It鈥檚 a way for us to directly communicate with the fans, for them to communicate with us and I think they also used it to rally amongst each other to support the show.
听YNB: They鈥檙e very organized.
听GJ: I think seeing things from our show trending as the episode is airing has been not only good for the network and studio but for us as well. It makes us feel so incredibly good when we see that happen because we鈥檙e not a ratings blockbuster. And not just Twitter, but Tumblr, Reddit, we鈥檙e very much a show of the internet. All these things have really embraced the show and helped spread the word.

Does it ever weird you out that a fan can grab any frame of your show and turn it into an animated GIF that will live on the internet in perpetuity?
听GJ: This is not nearly the raciest thing I鈥檝e been a part of so any GIF fans are going to make of me on COMMUNITY is tame compared to films I鈥檝e done! What鈥檚 strange though is that how things have changed over the course of our career. You used to feel like you did something, it existed in time and maybe there鈥檚 an image of it somewhere, but now it鈥檚 instantaneous.
听YNB: It鈥檚 forever now, it鈥檚 a video, a remix, a GIF, a meme, the creativity of the people that watch the show baffles me to this day. There鈥檚 a lot of ways they can use their gifts and they choose to use them to draw us and make videos, posters, fan art, my mind can鈥檛 wrap my head around it, it鈥檚 amazing.

Is there anything in particular you鈥檇 like to see for your characters this season?
听GJ: I鈥檇 like to see Britta continue to work her therapy skills on people鈥檚 minds. I enjoy her unconventional approach to the art of therapy. Also, anytime she gets to make a fool of herself, I鈥檓 really happy.
听YNB: I鈥檇 like to see Shirley continue with her sandwich shop. I鈥檇 like to see more of [Shirley's Husband] Malcolm-Jamal Warner, for creative and personal reasons (Kidding!) And if anyone graduates this year I kind of hope it鈥檚 Shirley. I think it would be nice to realize that Shirley has actually been studying all these years, never opened a book mind you, she鈥檚 a savant!

And finally, since you鈥檙e here to promote COMMUNITY on Netflix Canada, what鈥檚 in your queue?
听YNB: I just started watching鈥�
听GJ: TEEN WOLF鈥� TEEN WITCH [Laughs]
听YNB: Shut Up! I just started watching BREAKING BAD, on Sunday I started watching when I should have been packing for this trip鈥� just one more episdoe鈥� it was so good. Also, FAMILY GUY, those two on Netflix I鈥檓 all over every single episode from start to finish.

The TV Addict staff blogs at The TV Addict.