NBC’s ‘Community’ season 5: Dan Harmon on Donald Glover’s exit, story plans

It’s not very often that you see a Comic-Con interview that is strictly all about a showrunner, but that is precisely what you got courtesy of Dan Harmon and “Community.” Harmon has easily become the most polarizing man in his position on TV, an evil TV genius that produces amazing content and drives network executives up the wall and then some. He also knows this show in a way that no one else does.

So what is the current progress on season 5, which will be missing Chevy Chase? Harmon tells TVLine’s Michael Ausiello that the progress is ongoing, and the ideas are quickly being put into place for this shortened season:

“We have broken about six stories, I think. Conceptualized almost all 13 with a few gaps where it says on the whiteboard ‘normal episode.’ There’s only 13, so it filled up pretty quickly with the things that we wanted to do.”

-When it comes to Donald Glover’s exit, he said some positive things about the actor, as sad as it was to only have him for the first five episodes: “He has my absolute full support doing what he wants to do … Troy is like the left arm being removed from your body … You have to manage it and handle it.”

-Harmon also explained that he wants to do something themed around a “disaster movie,” but he still has to find a way to make the entire concept work so that there is just not magma flowing down the hallway.

-While we don’t necessarily know if Jeff Winger’s graduation will be undone, Harmon wanted to find a way to bring him back to the school and shore back up the identity of what Greendale should be as an institution.

-As for a possible replacement for either Troy or Pierce within the group, there are no specific plans; instead, he wants to have it feel organic to the story.

If you want to read more on Harmon’s recent quotes, including a compliment that Chevy actually paid to him recently, be sure to head on over to the link here.

Photo: NBC