A lot of angst and worry has filled Twitter and other online communities because of Sony’s decision to cut “Community” creator Dan Harmon loose from the show last week. With last Friday’s decision, the production company and NBC president Bob Greenblatt turned #sixseasonandamovie into #threeseasonsandapinkslip.
I have seen some people wonder if this would stand as Harmon’s swan song since the move not only reflected NBC and Sony’s opinion of the show’s meta weirdness, but also Harmon’s management style. His beef with Chevy Chase was not an unusual way of acting from most accounts.
Personally, I think we’ll hear a lot more from Dan Harmon in the future, and not just because he’s prone to share his thoughts on his blog and Twitter. In fact, I think this might spur Harmon to even greater things than creating a cult television classic. Greenblatt might have done Harmon a favor by not calling him.
We’re looking at a television landscape where TBS has rescued “Cougar Town” from ABC, and Hulu has announced more than one new original series. Fans have DVRs and are comfortable with watching a series completely online. The potential of a blackball by NBC doesn’t quite carry the weight it once did. In fact, Adult Swim has already ordered a pilot which Harmon co-created.
Harmon created a show which brought together close anywhere from 2.5 to 5 million viewers. That doesn’t get the traditional networks excited, but cable and online properties might roll out the red carpet for his next venture if only for a short-term gain from those curious to see what Harmon will come up with next. Comedy Central has given Matt Stone and Trey Parker tons of freedom for three million viewers a week.
After the news broke, plenty of creative people stood by Harmon’s side. He has a cadre of writers and actors who praised him. I bet they understand you take the good with the bad. I’m sure executives somewhere understand that and will put up with Harmon’s antics to get a taste of his talent on their network or through their streaming service.