NOOOOO!!!
Given the bizarre and off-the-wall nature of Community, it should come as no surprise that the series has inspired countless memes that continue to be referenced all across the Internet.
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General
- Six seasons and a movie.Explanation A memorable gag in an early episode is Abed's fanboying over The Cape, a short-lived primetime superhero drama, with the culmination being his exhilarated declaration that it will last for "six seasons and a movie!" (the joke being that The Cape had already been cancelled in its first season by the time that episode aired). The line later became a rallying cry for the fandom every time Community was Screwed by the Network, and sure enough the series lasted for six seasons and, years later, a a direct-to-streaming movie
. - Whovians were quick to latch onto the Doctor Who Affectionate Parody "Inspector Spacetime" from the third season premiere.
- Just so you know, you have now created [X] different timelines! ExplanationIn "Remedial Chaos Theory", Abed tells Jeff this to Jeff when he suggests rolling a die to decide who should get pizza.
- Of course I did, [Insert Name Here].
- Dammit, [Insert Name Here], there are no other timelines!
- Wait, there are other timelines?
- Troy walking into the burning apartment. Explanation"Remedial Chaos Theory"'s "darkest timeline" is kicked off when Troy eagerly leaves to grab the group's pizzas; by the time he returns everything has descended into pure chaos. The scene is commonly used as a reaction meme to demonstrate being out of the loop about a recent and/or sudden event, usually a disastrous one.
- This is the Darkest Timeline. ExplanationEvil Abed posits in "Remedial Chaos Theory" that the events of the housewarming party must have been the worst of the six/seven versions, making them the darkest timeline. It has since been used in reaction to bad events, implicitly saying there are better timelines out there.
- Dan Harmon is a genius and I will die protecting his vision.◊ ExplanationAfter series creator Dan Harmon was fired as showrunner at the end of Season 3, this mantra sprung up around the place in support, often accompanied with a .gif or image of Annie saying the same thing about the Dean in "Documentary Making Redux". To which a few interesting and (probably) unintentional layers are added when you remember that the clip being used is, in context, the result of Annie experiencing a stress-related nervous breakdown as a result of the Dean's increasingly tyrannical, preening and out-of-control behavior as his creative baby spirals rapidly out of control. While people have tended to be more inclined to support Harmon than not (particularly in regard to things like his feud with Chevy Chase and his being fired from the show) some reports have suggested — including, it should be acknowledged, those of Harmon himself — that this isn't an entirely unfair summary from how Harmon would conduct himself on set.
- Responding to bear jokes with "Too soon." ExplanationIn Analysis Of Cork-Based Networking, Chang suggests a dance themed around the phrase "bear down", which gets changed to "fat dog" when Neil points out that there was a bear attack at a birthday party recently.
- Using the MeowMeow Beenz rating system from "App Development And Condiments" (for example, a fan describing something they've seen which they like with "Five MeowMeow Beenz").
The Greendale Seven
- "Winger speeches". ExplanationJeff Winger is an impressive orator known for being persuasive and passionate in the delivery of his arguments even if he doesn't really believe what he is saying is true. This skill is what made him a formidable attorney and it's an ability which has served him well in his time at Greendale. Although he has sometimes used his way with words for manipulating others, often he will break out his patented Winger speeches to bring a meaningful resolution to a conflict involving the study group.
- Britta'd it. ExplanationThe members of the study group often use Britta's name to describe something being ruined or a mistake being made. The phrase later appeared in the fourth issue of Deadpool vs. Thanos in 2015.
- “I can excuse racism, but I draw the line at X” ExplanationWhen everyone in the group is reacting to the racism of Pierce’s dad, at one point, he reveals that the hair on his head is actually ivory, which prompts Britta to say “I can excuse racism, but I draw the line at animal cruelty”. People use snowclones of it usually to make fun of people with Skewed Priorities, often following the format of "I can excuse arson and murder but I draw the line at jaywalking".
- "Oh, Britta's in this?" ExplanationThe Dean's flippant response to Britta being in the Christmas pageant and singing horribly off-key. Expect it to crop up whenever Gillian Jacobs appears in anything. An occasionally-heard variation is “oh, Britta’s not in this?” for circumstances where Britta and/or Jacobs is expected to appear but doesn’t (e.g. the Funko Pop! line).
- "I need help reacting to something." ExplanationAbed's stoic response to Dean Pelton showing up at the apartment in pajamas, used to voice one's absolute confusion and inability to process what they are seeing.
- "The Lord is testing me." ExplanationShirley finding out no one in the study group shares her religion. Used to voice one's stern disapproval of something or their patience reaching its end.
- "It's December 10th!" ExplanationShirley's response to one of the bullies claiming "It's Christmas!" in a desperate attempt to gain her sympathy during the fight in "Comparative Religion". Especially popular around the holidays.
- "Annie's pretty young, we try not to sexualize her." ExplanationJeff's way of telling Buddy to knock it off when he begins singing about the 18-year-old Annie's "luscious fanny" in Season 1. Similar to "Oh, Britta's in this?" with Gillian Jacobs, expect the quote to make an appearance in the comment section of any media associated with Alison Brie, though it's especially common in scenes where Brie does Fanservice.
- "That just wrinkled/This is wrinkling my brain."
- "I have the weirdest boner." ExplanationTroy's response to Jeff whispering in his ear about how attractive Annie is is typically used to describe some form of curious arousal. It's also the inspiration for the subreddit of a similar name; /r/ConfusedBoners, which has the quote at the top of the page.
- MY EMOTIONS! ExplanationTroy's cry after telling a fake story about being molested by his uncle has been used as a GIF to describe extreme bouts of happiness, anger, sadness, etc.
- Man, Donald Glover is an awesome rapper. He should do it more often. ExplanationA tongue-in-cheek response to Troy showing off his musical skills rapping alongside Abed in Season 3, the obvious irony being that Glover also has a successful career as rapper "Childish Gambino".
- What an amazing rapper. Troy wasn't bad, either!ExplanationA common follow-up to the joke is for the writer to indicate they were referring to Abed being an outstanding rapper instead of Troy.
- Streets ahead.Explanation Pierce's attempt at a catchphrase. Is also British slang for something that's superior.
- And if you don't know what that means, you're clearly streets behind.
- "First of all, gay. Second of all, stupid." ExplanationPierce's response to finding out he was excluded from playing Dungeons and Dragons.
- Pillow Man. ExplanationPierce charging into the fray while wearing a full-body suit made of pillows in "Pillows and Blankets" is frequently set to music designed to make it significantly more epic.
Chang
- Chang squinting. ExplanationChang sarcastically squinting at a really "tiny piece of paper" used by Britta to cheat on a Spanish test. Used to describe something so small it can't be seen by the casual observer (such as disclaimers at the bottom of commercials) or a depressingly/self-deprecatingly low amount of something (like one's number of Twitter followers).
- "I'll allow it." ExplanationChang enabling Mike to continue harassing Jeff in the middle of class during a test. Frequently used to voice approval to a controversial yet intriguing opinion in fandom.
- I am a man who can never die. ExplanationChang's epic declaration after faking his death to psych out the Spanish class at the start of the second semester.
- Hah! GAYYYYYYYYYYYYY! ExplanationChang's response to Jeff saying that the most important tool to survival is respect.
- Replacing a word with "Chang". ExplanationA reference to Chang's constant habit of Smurfing.
- "I'm literally dying." ExplanationChang's exasperation at having to wear both a wig and a bald cap while playing Jeff playing Dean Pelton in the latter's commercial for Greendale.
Dean Pelton
- "This better not awaken anything in me." ExplanationMuch like Troy's "I have the weirdest boner." meme, this scene from the Dean is commonly applied in reaction to something someone has found quite strangely arousing.
- GAY MARRIAGE!!!Explanation In one Halloween episode, Dean Pelton (dressed as a sexy female devil) bursts into the room waving a chainsaw and cackling "GAY MARRIAGE!" to scare people. Popular when making fun of homophobic conservatives and their thoughts on LGBT individuals.
- Replacing a word with "Dean". ExplanationMuch like Chang above, a reference to the Dean's Running Gag of inserting his name into random words.
- Oscar winner Jim Rash, ladies and gentlemen.ExplanationJim Rash won an Academy Award for writing The Descendants, so fans like to point out the irony whenever Dean Pelton does something ridiculous. Which, needless to say, is often.
- "Jesus wept! For there were no more worlds to conquer!" ExplanationA mangled combination of an apocryphal story about Alexander the Great and a Bible verse, "Lawnmower Maintenance and Postnatal Care" sees Dean Pelton use this phrase multiple times while using the VR system
Other Characters
