Updated November 6, 2019 8.3K votes 1.6K voters 30.5K views
Voting Rules
Vote up the most plausible theories about 'Community.'
Community has some of the most active and dedicated supporters on the internet, so it's no surprise there's a rich world of Community fan theories breaking down Dan Harmon's genre-bending sitcom. The best fan theories about Community almost feel like plotlines from forgotten episodes, showing why Greendale Community College was one of the richest sitcom settings of all time.
While there are plenty of TV fan theories out there, Community invited fans to think big with the potential connections between the Study Group and their classmates.
Depending on which timeline you're in, Dan Harmon created Community in 2009. It ran for five seasons on NBC, with the sixth season on Yahoo, and worked through its reshuffling both behind and in front of the camera. All along this tumultuous journey, fans stood by the show and created a rich world of Community conspiracy theories capable of giving small moments a worthy backstory.
Redditor /u/Brinner has a theory on why Abed is the only character who breaks the fourth wall:
Abed knows he's in a TV show; he's the only one who noticed all the cameras all around them, but he doesn't mention it except to break the fourth wall once a season to let us know he knows.
1,004 votes
2
928 VOTES
The AC Repair School Stopped The Zombie Outbreak To Save Troy
Redditor /u/splingles has a theory on how Greendale survived the Dean's Season 2 Halloween party:
Troy never actually lowered the temperature during the zombie outbreak. The AC Repair School, who had been watching him all along, saved the day in order to spare Troy.
928 votes
3
691 VOTES
Duncan Is Actually A Great Psychologist... He's Just A Broken Person
This one's a long one, so buckle up. Redditor /u/awesomeness0232 believes Professor Duncan is genuinely a great psychologist:
Unfortunately, Duncan's run in the show is pretty limited, and after he disappeared in Season 3, he never really goes back to any therapy-related plot threads (that I can find or remember). However, the few times that he's asked to step up as a therapist, he is able to pretty consistently diagnose his patients accurately.
Perhaps his sad emotional state has [led] him to his alcoholism, or perhaps it's the other way around, but I assert that if not for his lonely and depressed state, Professor Duncan would be a very successful therapist, as he clearly has a brilliant mind for psychology.
Redditor /u/regi-ginge has a thorough origin theory for Annie's Boobs:
In the Community episode "Heroic Origins," it is revealed that Britta freed a monkey from the medical facility where Annie was stealing prescription pads and Abed was getting therapy. She also says that "if it bit someone, it could make them a tiny bit psychotic."
In "Contemporary American Poultry," Abed gets Troy a monkey, named Annie's Boobs, which later escapes and makes it' home in the air vents of the school. Benjamin Chang also lived in the vents for a period, just before he became a power-hungry warlord.
My theory is that the monkey Abed gives to Troy is the same one that Britta freed before they all met. Whilst they [were] living in the vents together, Chang was repeatedly bitten by the monkey, and that's what drove him to insanity.
Redditor /u/brigodon theorized the empty seat at the study group table remains empty intentionally for the viewer to make them feel like a part of the group. He provided alternative theories about the extra chair being meant for Jeff's ego or to simply accommodate the occasional guests.
Redditor /u/alfiekong piggybacked on this idea by pointing out how marketing companies leave an empty place at the dinner table in advertisements to make consumers feel welcome.
Redditors /u/Seaniard, /u/splingles, and /u/DGWilliams pieced together a theory about Rich from "Beginners Pottery" as the Black River Ripper, the serial killer Buzz Hickey could never pin down as a cop.
