‘Community’ Rumor Du Jour: Dan Harmon Could Come Back
Last year, right around this time, 'Community' fans were shocked and awed that the show would return for season 4... but without series creator/showrunner Dan Harmon. The fourth season was wobbly, and Harmon's presence was sorely missed, but now there's word/a ray of hope that he could be brought back for the recently announced fifth season.
This comes from Deadline, and they suggest that it could be Harmon's acrimonious relationship with Chevy Chase that partly caused his dismissal. With Chase having walked off the show during Season 4 (with two episodes left in the season), they posit there may be some possibility of Harmon returning for the new (and possibly final) season now that Chase is gone.
The biggest reason to doubt this is that Harmon wasn't let go just because he argued with Chase. It's been made public that his working methods led to episodes being turned in at the very last second, and that he fought hard against the studio. And though the show has continued to have low ratings in the fourth season, it still performed strong to the 18-34 demographic, which is the demographic most coveted by advertisers. Though many fans hate-watched 'Community' this season, it's possible they will continue to with or without Harmon.
But if they are going to do a fifth season, there's no single fan of the show who wouldn't want Harmon back, and if NBC does get Harmon to return in any active capacity, it would definitely engender goodwill. Here's hoping this is true.