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Figuratively, however, Community is about something else entirely. The show’s real subject is mass media, especially the conceits, tropes, and conventions of TV and movies. Just as Jeff and Britta aren’t a real TV courtship, Community isn’t actually a sitcom—not any more than The Onion is an actual news-gathering organization. Community, instead, is a weekly satire of the sitcom genre, a spoof of pop culture in general, and an occasionally profound critique of how living in mass media society can mess up human relationships in the real world.
The Meta, Innovative Genius of ‘Community’ - Hampton Stevens - Entertainment - The Atlantic
Noted for the concision in making the point. It almost makes watching my favorite sitcom feel like homework.
