'Community' star Chevy Chase says NBC show 'wasn't funny enough for me'
Turns out, Chevy Chase doesn't look back fondly on his "Community" days.
The "Saturday Night Live" alum, 79, who played Greendale Community College student Pierce Hawthorne in the 2009-2015 cult series, said on Monday's "WTF with Marc Maron" episode that he wasn't a fan of the show's comedy.
"I honestly felt the show wasn’t funny enough for me, ultimately," he told Maron. "I felt a little bit constrained. Everybody had their bits and stuff, and I thought they were all good. But it just wasn’t hard-hitting enough for me."
"I didn’t mind the character," he said of playing Pierce, the oldest member of the study group the show centered on. "I felt happier being alone, in a sense. I just didn’t want to be surrounded by that table, every day, with those people. It was too much."
The "National Lampoon's Vacation" star parted ways with "Community" in 2012, and Pierce died in Season 5. Chase had a tumultuous history with the show and clashed with show creator Dan Harmon, who left day-to-day oversight of the series after the third season.
"I haven't seen (Dan) since then. I have no idea if we're OK," Chase told Maron. "He was kind of a pisser. He was angry."
"Yeah, he called, said he was sorry," Chase added. "I love him now," he said with a laugh before asking Maron what Harmon has been up to.
Chevy Chase has not signed on to the 'Community' movie
The comedian has not been involved with "Community" since his departure.
He did not join his former cast members in a 2020 charity table read of the Season 5 episode "Cooperative Polygraphy" and was not announced as part of the cast for the upcoming "Community" movie, which Peacock greenlit last year.
Joel McHale, Alison Brie, Gillian Jacobs, Ken Jeong, Danny Pudi and Jim Rash signed on to reprise their roles.
"Community," which ran from 2009 to 2015, wasn't a ratings giant but developed an enthusiastic following based on the show's masterful use of meta-humor and the appeal of the study group members, a varied assortment of characters who combined to make an engaging comedic class.
Several years ago, Chase also criticized "SNL," from which he emerged as a breakout comedian in the '70s, for having "the worst" humor "in the world."
"I'd have to say that, after the first two years it went downhill," he told The Washington Post in 2018. "Why am I saying that? Because I was in it? I guess ... I didn’t see the same fun thing happening to the cast the next year."
Six seasons and a movie!'Community' fans will finally get a movie, thanks to Peacock
Contributing: Bill Keveney, USA TODAY