Community makes such sheer amounts of pop-culture references that it's impossible not to invoke this trope in relation to someone. Some examples are listed below.
- On the school's website
, Pierce's favorite movie is listed as Fletch. Also, Production Posse extra D.C. Pierson's character's favorite book is listed as The Boy Who Couldn't Sleep and Never Had To. - The show has a habit of taking potshots at Glee. Iqbal Theba (Abed's father) is a Recurring Character there playing the school principal. Luke Youngblood (Magnitude) guest starred in its Season 2 Christmas Episode. Both Ken Jeong (Ben Chang) and Jim Rash (Craig Pelton) made guest appearances there during its final two seasons, as Brittany’s father and a casting agent respectively.
- American Idol references are made every time Jeff is told he looks like its host Ryan Seacrest. Pierce's ex-stepdaughter Amber (whom Jeff hooked-up with) is played by Katharine McPhee, the fifth season runner-up.
- At one point Shirley refers to the "Gerard Butler movie poster with the guy's heart over his wiener." That movie poster is for The Ugly Truth, a movie Yvette Nicole Brown (who plays Shirley) starred in.
- While working on his skills as a ladies' man, Abed does a pretty spot-on impression of Mad Men protagonist Don Draper, which Annie really enjoys. Alison Brie, who plays Annie, is widely known for playing Trudy Campbell on the show.
- Troy is seen wearing Spider-Man pajamas. Several actors have appeared in Spider-Man media:
- Troy's actor himself inspired the creation of character Miles Morales, whom he voices in Ultimate Spider-Man (2012). Glover also plays Aaron Davis in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
- Joel McHale (Jeff) has a minor role in Spider-Man 2.
- Martin Starr (Prof. Cligoris) plays Mr. Harrington, the teacher of the eponymous character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
- Tricia Helfer (a guest-star in Season 4) voices Felicia Hardy / Black Cat in The Spectacular Spider-Man.
- The footage of Troy in the pajamas (or at least a blurred clip or artistic recreation of it) would later be used in Spiderman Into The Spiderverse.
- Star Wars has been the most referenced media in the show. Donald Glover (Troy) plays Lando Calrissian in Solo, while Jim Rash voices Flix in Star Wars Resistance, and Giancarlo Esposito plays Moff Gideon in The Mandalorian.
- The Terminator franchise has been referenced a lot in the show. Robert Patrick, who plays the Big Bad in Terminator 2: Judgment Day, guest stars in Season 5.
- Friends has been mentioned quite a few times. Paget Brewster (Frankie Dart) plays a Recurring Character in its fourth season, Jim Rash (Craig Pelton) guest starred on its Grand Finale, and Betty White (June Bauer) guest starred on its Spin-Off Joey.
- Abed has a DVD set of Lost according to "Abed's Uncontrollable Christmas." The Black Rider in Season 2's paintball finale is played by Josh Holloway, one of the main cast members of the show.
- The pilot episode is filled with references to The Breakfast Club and in "Contemporary American Poultry", Abed references Sixteen Candles. Anthony Michael Hall, who stars in both of those films, plays the bully that picks a fight with Jeff in "Comparative Religion."
- The Smurfs franchise is occasionally mentioned by the characters. Danny Pudi (Abed) voices Brainy Smurf in Smurfs: The Lost Village, while John Oliver (Ian Duncan) voices Vanity Smurf in The Smurfs, The Smurfs 2, and The Smurfs: The Legend of Smurfy Hollow.
- The biology teacher in Season 3 is played by Michael K. Williams from The Wire, which was referenced multiple times in the first season by Troy and Abed. In "Basic Lupine Urology", Williams even says Omar's classic line "a man's gotta have a code."
- Game of Thrones was mentioned in Season 4. Martin Starr, who plays a political science professor in Season 3, has a minor role in the show's final season.
- Britta mentions the Law & Order franchise in Season 4. Many of the cast have appeared there:
- Both Chevy Chase (Pierce) and Keith David (Elroy Patashnik) guest starred on Law & Order.
- Both Giancarlo Esposito (Gilbert Lawson) and Michael K. Williams (Prof. Kane) are frequent guest stars in the franchise.
- Paget Brewster (Frankie Dart) is a frequent guest star in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
- Gillian Jacobs herself has guest starred in Law & Order: Criminal Intent.
- The Harry Potter franchise has been mentioned a few times. Luke Youngblood (Magnitude) plays a minor character in the first two films in the film series.
- In "The Science of Illusion," Shirley briefly calls Annie Hannah Montana. Alison Brie once made a guest appearance in that show.
- Vice Dean Laybourne is played by John Goodman. Abed once stated that he loved The Big Lebowski.
- The 'Floor is Lava' episode has Chang letting slip that his same-sex celebrity crush is Nathan Fillion, a minor cast member on the aforementioned Lost and the main lead of Firefly (another favorite show of Troy and Abed). Guess who plays Greendale's head custodian (in the very next episode, no less)?
- The show's "Six Seasons and a Movie!" rallying cry originated from Abed referencing The Cape, a series starring Keith David. David provides voice-over for the blanket-pillow fort mockumentary episode. Come season six, he joins the cast as Elroy.
- In Season 3's first episode, Starburns earns the boot from Professor Kane's biology class by asking him if said professor and him could maybe be partners in crime as scientist and drug dealer, to get "a Breaking Bad type of thing going", thus spawning a couple of instances of this trope throughout the series:
- The most prominent example is obviously criminology professor Buzz Hickey, played by Jonathan Banks, who portrays Mike Ehrmantraut in both Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul.
- Giancarlo Esposito, who plays Gustavo Fring, also shows up in the show as Pierce's half-brother, Gilbert Lawson. In addition, the film Do the Right Thing, in which Esposito also appeared, was mentioned by Abed in "Paranormal Parentage", not two sentences after his character Gilbert was mentioned.
- You may also recall the familiar face of Matt L. Jones (Badger) appearing in a couple of episodes, as the unnamed "stoner friend" of Vaughn who is later also shown to be a coffee delivery guy.
- The most egregious example happens in Season 5, where series co-creator Vince Gilligan portrays Devon, the host of the "Pile of Bullets" VR game Annie, Abed and Rachel are playing.
- Parodied in "Contemporary Impressionists" with Vinnie the celebrity impersonator manager (played by French Stewart), mentioning he started off his career as an impersonator of...French Stewart.
- The final episode makes a Take That! to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, a franchise in which several of the show's cast and crew have been involved in:
- Show creator Dan Harmon was a script doctor for Doctor Strange (2016).
- Show producers and directors The Russo Brothers also produced and directed several of the films, namely; Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame. Joe Russo even appeared in the last film.
- Composer Ludwig Göransson was also the composer for Black Panther (2018).
- Michael K. Williams (Marshall Kane) has a minor role in The Incredible Hulk (2008).
- Danny Pudi (who plays Abed) cameos as a Mission Control in Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
- Patton Oswalt (who plays Jeff's doctor in a Season 2 episode) plays a Recurring Character in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D..
- Enver Gjokaj (Lukka) is a main cast member on Agent Carter and the final season of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D..
- In Captain America: Civil War, Jim Rash (Craig Pelton) plays the Dean of M.I.T while Julianna Guill (the head cheerleader in the Season 2's paintball finale) plays Tony Stark's assistant.
- Donald Glover (Troy) plays Aaron Davis starting in Spider-Man: Homecoming.
- Martin Starr (Prof. Cligoris) plays Peter Parker's teacher.
- Walton Goggins (Mr. Stone) plays one of the Big Bad Ensemble in Ant-Man and the Wasp
- Brie Larson (Rachel) plays Carol Danvers.
- Ken Jeong (Chang) and Yvette Nicole Brown (Shirley) both have cameos in Avengers: Endgame as a storage guard and a S.H.I.E.L.D. staff in The '70s, respectively.
- With Spider-Man: No Way Home officially connecting the Spider-Man Trilogy via The Multiverse, Joel McHale (Jeff) as Mr. Jacks in Spider-Man 2.
- Abed mentions his love of Cougar Town throughout the first two seasons. Brian Van Holt (Bobby Cobb) appears as a prisoner in Season 6.
- Britta references The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, apparently not noticing how much Alan Connor or Professor Duncan look like the show's correspondents, Rob Corddry and John Oliver.
- Scrooge McDuck is referenced by Troy in a Season 4 episode. Several of the main cast and its guest stars voice characters in the DuckTales reboot, which also features Scrooge McDuck:
- Danny Pudi (Abed) voices Huey Duck, with Paget Brewster (Frankie Dart) voicing his mother Della Duck.
- Jim Rash (Craig Pelton) voices Gyro Gearloose.
- Giancarlo Esposito (Gilbert Lawson), John Hodgman (Dr. Heidi), and Jason Mantzoukas (Matt) voice F.O.W.L. agents The Phantom Blot, John Rockerduck, and Steelbeak, respectively.
- Paul F. Tompkins (Robert) voices Gladstone Gander.
- Chris Diamantopoulos (Reinhold) voices Darkwing Duck and Storkules.
- Keith David (Elroy) voices The Headless Man-Horse.
- Dean Pelton references The Office (US) in the Season 5 finale. Ken Jeong and Yvette Nicole Brown each had a minor role in an episode of that series.
- Jeff mentions Parks and Recreation in an episode of season 6. Jonathan Banks appears in an episode of that show as Ben's father. Other Community guest stars that also appeared on Parks and Rec include Patton Oswalt, Jason Mantzoukas, and Nick Kroll.
- The Karate Kid series is frequently mentioned throughout the show, even getting a stage adaptation in a final season episode. Both Michael Ironside (Norbert Archwood) and Walton Goggins (Mr. Stone) were in The Next Karate Kid with the former playing the Big Bad, while Jacob Bertrand (young Jeff) is a main cast member of the Sequel Series, Cobra Kai.
- Abed references "Scrubs" on multiple occasions. Eliza Coupe (Agent Vohlers) and Travis Schuldt (Rick/Subway) were both recurring characters on Scrubs, while Lauren Stamile (Professor Slater) was a one-off patient.
