I've been told never to speak ill of Joel McHale since my sister has a bit of a crush on the host of "The Soup" and the upcoming NBC comedy "Community." So before I get started, I want to clarify that this has nothing to do with Joel, just NBC's marketing department.
It appears the Peacock's marketeers are just as incapable as their boss, Ben Silverman.
"Community" is another "Office"-like show NBC picked up for their "Must See"/"Please Watch" Thursday lineup. It's got a nice cast and it can't be any worse than "Parks and Recreation."
Joel McHale is probably the funniest Joel in show business since Joel Hodgson. So that's a good start. And it has John Oliver. But apparently NBC marketing couldn't quite handle the responsibility and instead decided to alienate its potential audience:
"It's been said that community college is a 'halfway school' for losers, a self esteem workshop for newly divorced housewives, and a place where old people go to keep their minds active as they circle the drain of eternity. Well, at Greendale Community College ... that's all true." (Source: NBC)
So to any of the 6.2 million Americans who are currently enrolled in a community college, congratulations -- you're at a "halfway school for losers." Yes, a full 35 percent of Americans currently pursuing higher education via the community college system have been deemed the intellectual underclass by NBC's marketing department.
Of course these are the same people who brought you such brilliant campaigns as "Chime In" and "If you haven't seen it before, it's new to you." So perhaps we should give them a pass on this.
I get that this is a comedy. And to promote comedy, you need to be funny. But at least if you're gonna do that, get your facts straight. The promo for "Community" offers the following pun: "A place that gives new meaning to the B.S. degree."
The trick with puns is they only work if they make sense. Unfortunately it doesn't here because you can't get a B.S. degree from a community college.
You can only get an Associate's degree.
