'Community' Cast Gets Animated for NBC.com and Hulu

CULVER CITY, Calif., March 3, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The cast of "Community" is getting animated in new short form programming that is set to debut Wednesday, March 7 on the free, ad-supported Hulu; the Hulu Plus subscription service and NBC.com, with new shorts appearing on consecutive days. The three promotional shorts, titled "Abed's Master Key" parts I, II & III, feature the animated alter-egos and voices of the "Community" series regulars and run approximately two minutes in length. Dave Seger ("Ikea Heights") & Tom Kauffman ("Ikea Heights") wrote the animated shorts.

In the three-part sequence of "Abed's Master Key," Dean Pelton hires Abed as his temporary assistant. Entrusted with a Greendale Master Key, Abed abuses his power to help his friends, and after Britta confronts Abed, she heads down the same dark path.

"These animated shorts are a vital component to our multi-pronged campaign aimed at driving awareness to the show's return to NBC on March 15," said Chris Van Amburg, senior vice president of U.S. marketing, Sony Pictures Television. "The 'Community'  actors and team were eager to lend their voices and support to an effort intended to engage their loyal fan base that has rabidly kept the show thriving via flash mobs, fan art, viral videos, dedicated fan sites and on Facebook and Twitter." 

On Thursday, March 15 at 8/7c, "Community" returns to the NBC lineup with the episode, "Urban Matrimony and the Sandwich Arts," in which Andre (Malcolm Jamaal Warner) and Shirley (Yvette Nicole Brown) plan to remarry, throwing Annie and Britta into wedding-planning mode. Jeff, meanwhile, prepares a speech while Troy and Abed practice acting normal. Elsewhere, Pierce and Shirley present a sandwich-shop proposal to Dean Pelton.

Created by Dan Harmon ("The Sarah Silverman Program"),  "Community" is a smart comedy series about a band of misfits who attend Greendale Community College.  At the center of the group is Jeff Winger (Joel McHale, "The Soup"), a fast-talking lawyer whose degree has been revoked.  With some help from his fellow classmates, Winger forms a study group who eventually learn more about themselves than their course work. Also among the series stars are comedy legend Chevy Chase ("Chuck"), Gillian Jacobs ("The Book of Daniel"), Yvette Nicole Brown ("Rules of Engagement"), Danny Pudi ("Greek"), Alison Brie ("Mad Men"), Donald Glover ("30 Rock"), Ken Jeong ("The Hangover") and Academy-Award® winning screenwriter Jim Rash.

"Community" is a Krasnoff Foster Entertainment, Harmonious Claptrap, Russo Brothers production, Universal Media Studios production in association with Sony Pictures Television.  Harmon serves as an executive producer along with Russ Krasnoff ("The Soloist"), Joe Russo ("Arrested Development"), Anthony Russo ("Arrested Development"), Garrett Donovan ("Scrubs"), Neil Goldman ("Scrubs") and Gary Foster ("The Soloist").

A teaser of the animated shorts is available today on NBC.com, Hulu and Hulu Plus.

For embeddable clips and full episodes from "Community," please visit NBC.com's official show site: http://www.nbc.com/community/.

Please follow us on  http://www.facebook.com/nbccommunity  and at  http://twitter.com/nbccommunity.

SOURCE Sony Pictures Television