With TV series and stars hitting the road almost as often as muscial acts these days, here’s a suggestion for another show that ought to spend part of the summer on tour: "Community."
Thanks to our pals at Sony, MoJoe last week was able to catch "Community" stars Joel McHale and Donald Glover live at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. McHale was the headliner, Glover the opening act — and both were amazing enough that an encore, with other members of "Community" ensemble on board, seems a no-brainer.
Roadshows are already commonplace from reality competition series, including "American Idol" and "Dancing with the Stars." And Fox’s scripted "Glee" is touring this summer as well, its musical theme naturally lending itself to a live show.
"Community" might not seem have such a natural hook, but others have already blazed a trail that suggest comedy shows can also do well in concert form.
News Corp., for example, has made big deals out of live shows featuring the cast of "Family Guy" and "It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia." And Conan O’Brien’s "Legally Prohibited from Being Funny on Television" tour has created a whole new paradigm for talk show hosts looking to connect with their audiences.
So why not "Community"?
McHale has long had a bit of a geek cult following for his stellar work on E!’s "The Soup." He’s no doubt expanded that fan base via "Community," which performed well enough in its first season to earn a sophomore outing — and a big crowd at the Mandalay Bay.
Glover, meanwhile, is an equally adept stand-up, with a resume that suggests he could do well with a few musical numbers.
As for the rest of the cast, we’re not sure if everyone could fit into the tour, but there are plenty of obvious roles.
The sublime Yvette Nicole Brown began her showbiz career working as a Motown vocalist. There’s your musical talent right there.
Danny Pudi, meanwhile, has shown this season that he’s a master impressionist (one word: Batman). His Abed character could debut some short films during a tour, too.
And then there are Ken Jeong and Chevy Chase. They’re the two best-known faces on "Community," and as such, it might be harder to get them to go on the road. Jeong seems hell-bent on appearing in just about every funny movie these days, which means he might not have time to tour.
But if Jeong and Chase could find the time, our "Community" summer tour would be even stronger.
Since Sony might be a bit hesitant to devote the needed resources to mount a tour solo — it’s an independent studio, and "Community" is far from a monster hit (yet)– perhaps NBC Universal might lend its support, even though it doesn’t produce "Community." And if NBC didn’t want to sponsor a tour for a show it doesn’t own, perhaps the network could mount a "Must-See TV Tour," with talents from "Parks & Recreation," "30 Rock" and "The Office" also hitting the road.
We’d NBC There in a minute.
