NBC has finally announced when its troubled sitcom Community will return. The show will be taking its Thursday 8pm timeslot back on January 2nd, 2014. Back to back episodes will air that night from 8pm to 9pm, and the show will just be airing one episode a week at 8pm after that. Parks and Recreation, which currently occupies that slot, will be moving back to 8:30 come January. The move to bring Community back was made as a result of NBC canceling Welcome to the Family, its lowest-rated comedy, after only three episodes.
Community ends its fourth season in May, and NBC opted not to put it on the fall schedule this year. Dan Harmon will be returning as showrunner after he was fired following Season 3. Chris McKenna, who wrote for the first three seasons and whom Harmon called “the hands-down best writer of all the seasons†will be returning also and serving as co-showrunner. The new season will also see some changes in the cast, as Chevy Chase departed at the end of Season 4 and Donald Glover will only appear in five of the season’s 13 episodes before leaving. Should be an interesting, weird season!