Donald Glover says nothing can last forever – not even “Community.”
The actor-writer — promoting his new drama “Atlanta,” which premieres Sept. 6 on FX — said he enjoyed his time on NBC’s cult comedy “Community” but was not disappointed when the show (briefly) returned on Yahoo without him. (The company later shut down the Yahoo Screen platform “Community” aired on, following a reported $42 million loss.)
“I just like endings,” Glover — who also uses the stage name Childish Gambino as a hip-hop performer — told reporters Tuesday at the Television Critics Association summer press tour in Beverly Hills.
“I think everything should have death clauses,” he added. “Humans have death clauses. Like, one day Trump is gonna die.” The reference to the controversial GOP presidential nominee drew laughter from the audience.
Glover made it clear that he wasn’t slamming “Community” or its executive producer Dan Harmon. “I had so much fun on ‘Community,’” he said. But “I’m glad things end because it forces us to progress.”
Fans of Glover’s comedy may not quite to know what to make of his latest project, “Atlanta,” a comedy with dark dramatic elements about aspiring rapper Earn Marks (Glover). The show has sudden tonal shifts that Glover says were deliberate.
“The thesis with this show is to show people how it feels to be black,” Glover said. “There really isn’t a limit I felt to how abstract it could get,” although “there has to be some grounded nature to it.
“If you have something grounded on some level, you can go anywhere,” he added. “What was important to me was that this show was personal and had a specific take. That’s all you can really ask from a show nowadays.”
As for the fans, Glover is philosophical. “Some of them will be like, ‘Ah that’s cool.’ Some of them will be like, ‘I hate this thing. I don’t get it.’ That happens a lot.”