Oh … oh my. This could get interesting.
A little background: As you probably know by now, the deal for Dan Harmon to return to Community for Season 5 is “all but done,” meaning it’s been semi-formally announced and is basically just awaiting the green light from the lawyers. (Although, given what a soap opera the past couple years have been, I wouldn’t be all that surprised to see the whole thing get ruined at the last minute when it’s revealed that the deal was actually being negotiated by Sony’s evil twin, Count Lucifer von Sonington, as part of an intra-family power play.) Harmon was asked to elaborate on the status of everything at a recent event he was co-hosting, at which point we learned (a) he claims to have not watched any of the most recent season, and (b) Sony apparently likes to light things on fire just to watch them burn.
Perhaps the most intriguing news: “Sony said they’re very interested in recording me watching it as a commentary track” for the Season 4 DVD set, he said. His co-host for the evening, Rob Schrab, asked if the DVD commentary could also include a visual in the corner of the screen of Harmon’s facial expressions as he watches the season he was aced out of.
“I think I can do anything,” Harmon responded. “It would move Season 4 DVDs, for sure. But I’ll be checking it out soon, and then I’ll figure out what we’re doing for Season 5.”
If this happens, it can go one of two ways.
The first way involves Dan Harmon — mercurial, outspoken, tortured artist — biting his tongue a little and being as diplomatic as possible as he pounds through the only season of the show he didn’t produce. This version would still be pretty fascinating in a “I think I might have done this instead, and here’s why,” “I liked this scene a lot because it was something I hadn’t considered” kind of way, but probably wouldn’t have all the fireworks people are expecting and/or hoping for.
The second way involves Dan Harmon showing up to the recording studio three or four sheets to the wind and just letting fly with every insult, backhanded compliment, and 30-minute rambling manifesto about the state of comedy in America that pops into his head, all of which will be killed by Sony before it gets on the DVD. It will then be leaked to World Star Hip Hop in its entirely sometime early next year, causing a week or two of pure, unfiltered showbiz chaos.
Either way is cool with me.
(via THR)
