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TVGuide.com checked in with executive producer Dan Harmon to see what’s ahead for the students of Greendale. Here are some of the highlights:

TVGuide.com: Congratulations on the Season 2 renewal. How does it feel?
Harmon: Thank you very much. It’s very exciting. The feeling in the production offices is surprisingly normal. I guess we’re so close to the finish line for the end of the season, that somehow the human brain is capable of tucking that news away while we focus on the task at hand.

TVGuide.com: Are you already tossing around ideas for Season 2?
Harmon: No, not at all really. We’ve never profited from thinking ahead on this show. We don’t hatch great schemes. I’m pretty proud to say that Season 2 is a blank canvas at this point.

TVGuide.com: What can you tease for the last few episodes?
Harmon: The last two episodes will be incredibly rewarding to fans of the show and newcomers alike. The very last episode will move in accordance with the school year, so it will be their prom. There’s a transfer dance to honor all the kids who are transferring to real schools, none of which are our characters. It’s essentially a reunion because every single character that ever popped up is at this dance.

TVGuide.com: This raises the question: What happens when your cast starts graduating?
Harmon: That is the scary thing about the show, but I also think that’s part of its secret allure. Jeff needs to replace his four-year degree, so we know that character is at that college for that. What we don’t know is what the other characters’ situations are. One of the first things we’ll do in Season 2 is actually call our shots there and start saying what their situations are.

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The Star-Telegram has an interview with Danny Pudi, who plays pop-culture savant Abed on NBC’s Community. Here are some of the highlights:

On what Pudi knows that Abed doesn’t:

I grew up a huge baseball fan and sports fan. I remember just memorizing baseball cards and statistics as a kid. I’d get the newspaper every day with my grandma, and I’d read the newspaper’s sports section every day, and just kind of memorize statistics. I grew up in Chicago during a beautiful time in terms of sports, where Michael Jordan was winning championships left and right, and I’m a White Sox fan, so it was a great time to memorize statistics and stuff.

On how people react to Abed:

It’s kind of fun to be the voice of so many people. I’ll meet people all the time who’ll say, “Dude, I know someone just like [Abed]!” Or “I’m that guy! I quote movies all the time!” People will quote movies to me on the street sometimes, and I’ll just have to be like, “Yep! Totally!” Even though sometimes I don’t even get ‘em. Because I’m not Abed — but I am Abed. I think everyone can say that they know someone [like him], and I think there’s a little bit of Abed in everyone.

On whether appearing on a show with the very tall Joel McHale makes him feel short:

He doesn’t make me feel short, but he does make me feel like less of a man [laughs]. Joel McHale is, I think, 6-foot-4, and so is Chevy Chase. I’m 6-foot, which is great. One of the things people say often to me on the street is “Wow! You’re much taller than I expected!” Because of my frame — I’m kind of wiry and gangly, and I look like an Indian Gumby — my frame is way smaller than Joel or Chevy’s. Those guys are like real men. I’m kind of like a boy, though. I am married, though. And I think my wife’s happy.

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TV Fanatic has the scoop on how this season of Community is going to end – with a Greendale prom:

“We’re definitely going to give the fans something worthy of a finale,” said producer Dan Harmon. “We follow the school year, so we get to do prom. It has to end with a prom-bang, my homage to a Dawson’s Creek-y vibe.”

Overall, “the last couple of episodes satisfy all the urges you have about Community. We’re batting cleanup with the drama, the sap and the comedy, as well,” Harmon added.

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Katharine McPhee Discussed Her Community Guest-Starring Role with Movie Web; here are the highlights:

What did you think of Community? Were you a big fan?

Katharine McPhee: You know it’s funny. I tell the story, Joel – I got on the show and obviously, you know, I was in a really crazy cycle because I was just coming off of my first promo week of my record being released and so I wasn’t watching any television at that time. And Joel was like so, you know, how do you like our show, you been watching it? And I was like, uh, I’ve seen it but I haven’t been seeing it. And he goes – he was like oh, that’s horrible. He was like, that’s horrible, you’re on our show and you haven’t even watched it. He was like, you’d better go home and watch it. And I swear to you since then I’ve TiVoed and watched, you know, because I haven’t been home – literally watched every episode. And, I just – I just think of – in all sincerity, separate from me being a part of the show for this one episode, I think it’s one of NBC’s best shows on TV right now, because it’s so well written. All the characters are so defined and, you know, I just wish the best for all of them on that show because they really deserve it. It’s a great show.

Will we see you in Community again? Is there a chance for you to come on again?

Katharine McPhee: You know, I think there’s always a chance. I was discussing – no, well I wasn’t discussing. The producers had come up to me – they always have a couple of characters come back and reoccur. And they said, “Well oh, maybe we’ll be able to have you back,” which was always a nice thing to hear. It means you did a good job and – but of course if my show – I got this pilot that I got which was also an NBC show, if it gets picked up I highly doubt I’ll be another guest. I probably won’t be the guest starring on their show because I don’t know if there’s competition within your own networks but, I’m not sure yet.

How was working alongside Chevy Chase? I mean you play his what – his stepdaughter?

Katharine McPhee: Yeah, well speaking of someone who’s funny, he is a fun guy. You never know what’s going to come out of Chevy Chase’s mouth, it’s just like unpredictable. And he’s very sweet. And I was worried like the first day and I’d never met him before and I was like oh, I hope he’s nice. And I get intimidated easily and he was just such a lovely guy – really, really, lovely. I mean everyone was lovely on the show.

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Coming direclty from NBC:

NBC Gives Pickups To Thursday-Night Comedies ‘30 Rock,’ ‘The Office’ And ‘Community’ For 2010-11

Renewals Follow Previously Announced Green-light for “Parks and Recreation” on Thursdays.

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. – March 5, 2010 – NBC has renewed three more of its Thursday-night comedies – “30 Rock” (9:30-10 p.m. ET), “The Office” (9-9:30 p.m. ET) and the freshman series “Community” (8-8:30 p.m. ET) for the 2010-11 season.  The returning programs join the previously announced “Parks and Recreation” (Thursdays, 8:30-9 p.m. ET) that also will return for next season.

The announcement was made by Angela Bromstad, President, Primetime Entertainment, NBC and Universal Media Studios.

“We are happy to give these early pickups to these critically acclaimed, incredibly funny comedies,” said Bromstad.  ”As a result, we look forward to continuing our rewarding partnership with the respective creative teams and talented show-runners for ‘30 Rock,’ ‘The Office’ and ‘Community’ as they all consistently deliver quality shows.”

First-year comedy “Community” is averaging a 2.7 rating, 7 share in adults 18-49 and 5.9 million viewers overall so far this season, with “Community” originals winning the time period among adults 18-34 and men 18-34.  Since moving to the Thursday 8-8:30 p.m. (ET) half-hour on October 8, “Community” has improved the time period by 24 percent versus NBC’s adult 18-49 average earlier in the season.

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Dan Harmon, an executive producer of NBC’s “Community,” filmed himself telling his cast that the freshman year sitcom had been picked up for a second season. We already know the good news, but here is the cast’s reaction:

Source: NY Times

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We hope you enjoyed last night’s episode – we really missed Community.

NBC has three mini episodes for us in which Annie’s instituted a policy of 90 second study breaks to keep the group focused.
Enjoy!

Mini Episode #1
It’s time for a 90 second study break…stop using your brain.

Mini Episode #2
Another 90 second study break gives the group a chance to have a little fun.

Mini Episode #3
Stupidity comes at all ages.

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Community cast and creative team will be at the Paley Center on Wednesday, March 3, 2010 7:00 pm PT

Get tickets here.

IN PERSON:
Joel McHale, “Jeff Winger”
Chevy Chase, “Pierce”
And additional members of the cast and creative team.

Boasting a crack ensemble cast led by Joel McHale as wisecracking disgraced lawyer Jeff Winger, Community follows the misadventures of a quirky group of students at Greendale Community College, an institute of less than higher learning. Creator Dan Harmon’s cult credentials are impeccable—he’s behind Channel 101 and The Sarah Silverman Program, among other alt-comedy favorites—and Community is an intriguing and wholly successful move into mainstream, ready-for-primetime entertainment. A critical and popular success, Community delights with its rapid-fire, off-kilter comedy, its fundamentally humane heart, and a perfectly deployed Chevy Chase as ragingly inappropriate moist towelette tycoon Pierce Hawthorne.

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TV Squad has an interview with Alison Brie, on of the stars of ‘Community’. Here are the highlights:

What are we going see from Annie coming up?
Well, I think we’re gonna see Annie maturing a little bit more, and she develops a love interest in the next couple episodes. You see her mature in certain ways, I think, and just in terms of how naïve she is, I think you do kind of see her growing.

Was it tough to play someone who’s 18 and just out of high school?
No! I don’t know why it’s easy for me to connect with that part of myself. And you know, it wasn’t that long ago, so it’s easy, and it’s fun for me to connect with that part, that sheltered girl that is having her first crush and her first kiss, and try to relive those moments through Annie.

Whereas ‘Community’ (compared to “Mad-Man”) is more free-flowing jokes?
Absolutely. It’s just a crazy free-for-all. Again, we do have great respect for the writing and for the work, but because it’s a comedy, I think they want us to have that much fun all the time, and it trickles into the episodes, you know?

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One of the best and, surprisingly, underrated new shows of the season, Community, still hasn’t been picked up for a second season by NBC. The problem? Selling soap.
Community features the “biggest band of misfit schoolmates since The Breakfast Club,” which finds itself alluded to more than once on the show. Their leader, Jeff, is an ex-lawyer (The Soup’s Joel McHale) who’s more interested in the social aspects of community college than making the grade.
Jeff’s friends at Greendale Community College include Britta (Gillian Jacobs), the object of his attention; Abed (Danny Pudi), a pop culture junkie; perfectionist teen Annie (Alison Brie); jock Troy (Donald Glover) and Pierce (Chevy Chase), the oldest member of the group. The show also stars Ken Jeong who plays mean-spirited Spanish professor Senor Chang.
The show’s gotten critical support but when it comes to viewers, but Community falls in the middle of the 130 network programs on the five networks.
Last week, from 8-8:30 p.m. ET, Community (2.3/7 in 18-49, 5.2 million viewers overall) matched its highest 18-49 rating since January 14 and is currently reporting its biggest overall audience since that same date. Thursday’s Valentine ’s Day themed episode was up 35 percent versus NBC’s 18-49 average in the time period this season prior to the Community debut in the slot (2.3 vs. 1.7).

Read the full story on Satellite TV Guru