‘Community’ Planning A Claymation Christmas Special

If there was any doubt that Community was the most creative show on television, this years Christmas episode will be done using stop-motion animation. That’s right, like the classic Christmas specials Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.

According to creator and executive producer Dan Harmon, “It’s going to be like a timeless Christmas classic in the stop-motion medium that used to give us so much happiness as children,”  He continued to explain that the whole episode will be stop motion and written as a continuation of existing story lines.”There’s a reason for it to be stop-motion animated, but it’s not a dream. It still exists within the reality of the show,” Harmon said, noting that characters will be able to refer to the episode’s events afterward.

The episode will be written by Dino Stamatopoulos, who also plays the character Star-burns in the series. This will be one of many guest writers and directors that we can expect this season.

This episode is also just one of several upcoming special episodes, including what Harmon called “an extravagant and insane” Halloween episode and a completely space-themed episode. “Second season, we’re coming out of the gate with episodes that I refuse to wait to do,” Harmon said. “We’re doing stuff that you shouldn’t be allowed to do in an entire season.”

Am I the only one who is concerned that being risky could jeopardize the longevity of this great show? Do you think it’s worth the risk?

The new season of Community premieres on Thursday, Sept. 23 at 8/7c on NBC.