For many of us, today has been at least 3 months in the waiting.  NBC has been trying to figure out what to do with its current Thursday night line-up for some time now.  Lots of half-seasons and strange season premiere dates and double-shipping of episodes.  And somewhere in the final seasons of 30 Rock (RIP) and The Office (how is that going to end) and trying to get other shows to work, critically-acclaimed but sorely under-watched Community has been lost and finally found.

The rub, of course, is that the show lost its show-runner at the end of last season.  With the loss of Dan Harmon, I can’t help but be a little concerned for tonight’s season premiere.  Say what you will about him, the guy knew how to create an unrepeatable show that demands repeated viewings.

Andy Greenwald, who I mention often on this site, posted a perspective on the show after following it last season and seeing the first two episodes of this new, shorter season.  In it, he confirms some of my fears.  Of course the show will feel different; the question becomes a matter of how different.  Maybe a show without Harmon is like Saved by the Bell without Zack and Kelly, ER without Edwards and Clooney, and The Office without Steve Carell.  Check out the article here.  It’s very well-done and makes many nods to the best the show had to offer in its first three seasons.

I’ll be hopeful tonight; I’m looking forward to seeing the study group and where the show goes in whatever time it has left.  If there’s one thing for certain, it’s that Community can always surprise you.