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Community
S1.E18
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IMDbPro

Basic Genealogy

  • Episode aired Mar 11, 2010
  • TV-PGTV-PG
  • 21m
IMDb RATING
7.9/10
3.5K
YOUR RATING
Fran Bennett, Gillian Jacobs, and Donald Glover in Community (2009)
  • Comedy
It's Family Day at Greendale. Pierce tries to build a relationship with his stepdaughter, but she has eyes for Jeff instead. Britta gets in trouble with Troy's Nana, and Shirley's kids cause... Read allIt's Family Day at Greendale. Pierce tries to build a relationship with his stepdaughter, but she has eyes for Jeff instead. Britta gets in trouble with Troy's Nana, and Shirley's kids cause problems for Abed's father.It's Family Day at Greendale. Pierce tries to build a relationship with his stepdaughter, but she has eyes for Jeff instead. Britta gets in trouble with Troy's Nana, and Shirley's kids cause problems for Abed's father.
IMDb RATING
7.9/10
3.5K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Ken Whittingham
  • Writers
    • Dan Harmon
    • Karey Dornetto
  • Stars
    • Joel McHale
    • Gillian Jacobs
    • Danny Pudi
Top credits
  • Director
    • Ken Whittingham
  • Writers
    • Dan Harmon
    • Karey Dornetto
  • Stars
    • Joel McHale
    • Gillian Jacobs
    • Danny Pudi
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 2User reviews
    • 4Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Photos80

    Joel McHale and Katharine McPhee in Community (2009)
    Ken Jeong, Joel McHale, Dino Stamatopoulos, Tom Yi, and Katharine McPhee in Community (2009)
    Ken Jeong and Tom Yi in Community (2009)
    Joel McHale, Craig Cackowski, and Katharine McPhee in Community (2009)
    Fran Bennett, Gillian Jacobs, and Donald Glover in Community (2009)
    Donald Glover in Community (2009)
    Katharine McPhee in Community (2009)
    Yvette Nicole Brown and Danny Pudi in Community (2009)
    Ken Jeong, Joel McHale, Tom Yi, and Katharine McPhee in Community (2009)
    Fran Bennett, Gillian Jacobs, and Donald Glover in Community (2009)
    Joel McHale, Craig Cackowski, and Katharine McPhee in Community (2009)
    Gillian Jacobs and Donald Glover in Community (2009)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Joel McHale
    Joel McHale
    • Jeff Wingeras Jeff Winger
    Gillian Jacobs
    Gillian Jacobs
    • Britta Perryas Britta Perry
    Danny Pudi
    Danny Pudi
    • Abed Nadiras Abed Nadir
    Yvette Nicole Brown
    Yvette Nicole Brown
    • Shirley Bennettas Shirley Bennett
    Alison Brie
    Alison Brie
    • Annie Edisonas Annie Edison
    Donald Glover
    Donald Glover
    • Troy Barnesas Troy Barnes
    Ken Jeong
    Ken Jeong
    • Ben Changas Ben Chang
    Chevy Chase
    Chevy Chase
    • Pierce Hawthorneas Pierce Hawthorne
    Jim Rash
    Jim Rash
    • Dean Peltonas Dean Pelton
    Lauren Stamile
    Lauren Stamile
    • Professor Michelle Slateras Professor Michelle Slater
    Iqbal Theba
    Iqbal Theba
    • Gobi Nadiras Gobi Nadir
    Fran Bennett
    Fran Bennett
    • Nanaas Nana
    Kwesi Boakye
    Kwesi Boakye
    • Elijah Bennettas Elijah Bennett
    Tom Yi
    Tom Yi
    • Rabbi Changas Rabbi Chang
    Katharine McPhee
    Katharine McPhee
    • Amberas Amber
    Craig Cackowski
    Craig Cackowski
    • Officer Cackowskias Officer Cackowski
    Tyrel Jackson Williams
    Tyrel Jackson Williams
    • Jordan Bennettas Jordan Bennett
    Dino Stamatopoulos
    Dino Stamatopoulos
    • Star-Burnsas Star-Burns
    • Director
      • Ken Whittingham
    • Writers
      • Dan Harmon
      • Karey Dornetto
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      According to the DVD commentary for this episode, guest star Fran Bennett was in reality an influential acting coach for series star Alison Brie.
    • Quotes

      Annie Edison: How much effort do I rate?

      Jeff Winger: For you, I'd break a light sweat.

      Annie Edison: Good. I need a favor. Help Pierce with his step daughter?

      Jeff Winger: You're becoming dangerous, Annie. It's those doe eyes.

    • Connections
      Referenced in Cougar Town: A Thing About You (2011)
    • Soundtracks
      Greendale is Where I Belong
      Performed by Ludwig Göransson

    User reviews2

    Review
    Top review
    6/10
    In honor of "Community"- a review of every episode. (S1;E18- "Basic Genealogy")
    (This is the eighteenth part in an ongoing series, in which I am writing brief reviews of each and every episode of Dan Harmon's beloved cult- comedy "Community." Originally conceived as a response to NBC's cancellation of the series before it was revived for its final season on Yahoo.)

    One of the more important Pierce-centric episodes in the first season of "Community", "Basic Genealogy" is unfortunately a tad flat in comparison to the excellent earlier installments of the season. While it does indeed still excel at times thanks to the trademark humor and wit that makes "Community" such an infectious watch, it just feels as though the elements at play don't properly work together, leading to an inconsistent and troubled tone. The result... a middling and sadly mediocre episode in the otherwise excellent series.

    It's family day at Greendale Community College, and Pierce (Checy Chase) hopes to impress his visiting step-daughter Amber (guest star Katharine McPhee) by roping Jeff (Joel McHale) into a scheme to try and build himself as more important and impacting a presence than he really is. However, things take an amusing turn when Jeff finds himself highly attracted to Amber, causing some tension. At the same time, Shirley (Yvette Nicole Brown) runs afoul Abed's (Danny Pudi) father (Iqbal Theba) and Britta (Gillian Jacobs) finds herself in a quandary after accidentally offending Troy's (Donald Glover) abusive grandmother. (Fran Bennett)

    While the episode boasts a handful of highly amusing and wacky comedy set-pieces that inject a much-needed sense of humor, I can't help but feel that everything occurring is a tad too disconnected. It features more a jumbled mish-mash of amusing vignettes than a well thought- out and compelling storyline, causing a bit of a rift as an audience member. Its repeated attempts at manufacturing drama also often fall flat because it so randomly jumps back and forth between ongoing subplots, you never get more than a moment or two with any specific character at a time.

    It really is a shame, as this is an invaluable opportunity for Pierce to be showcased and to grow as a character- something that I found doesn't happen too often, as he is generally saddled as little more than a comedic foil in many episodes. Chase is a brilliant and talented performer, and his perfect comedic timing is something of a revelation, so it's just so disappointing than when he finally gets an episode to be the more-or-less main focus, it's such an uninspired effort. Thankfully, this is remedied in future episodes, where he is given more room to stretch his legs both comically and dramatically... it's just a shame we have to wait a bit longer for that to happen.

    "Basic Genealogy" is one of the lesser efforts in season one. It squanders potential consistently, and is really only worth watching for the occasional joke or far-out physical comedy gag. I give it a middle of the road 6 out of 10.
    helpful•12
    19
    • TedStixonAKAMaximumMadness
    • Nov 19, 2016

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • March 11, 2010 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Filming locations
      • Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA
    • Production companies
      • Krasnoff Foster Productions
      • Harmonius Claptrap
      • AGBO
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      21 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Stereo
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.78 : 1

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