An exeptionally witty, original and overall brilliant episode of television. This had me crying of laughter the whole way through and is by far the best episode of the series this far. Definitely streets ahead of a lot of american sitcoms I have seen
10 Reviews
In honor of "Community"- a review of every episode. (S1;E21- "Contemporary American Poultry")
TedStixonAKAMaximumMadness2 January 2017
(This is the twenty-first 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.)
Greendale goes "Goodfellas" for this often funny send-up to mafia flicks that packs in plenty of big laughs even if it has a few oddball moments that don't quite add up. With sharp writing and clever direction, not to mention a big focus on fan-favorite character Abed, "Contempoarary American Poultry" is a another fine addition to the excellent first season of the cult-favorite "Community." Though it might not be my personal favorite, it's definitely a great half-hour of television entertainment. And what more can you ask for?
Chicken Fingers are all the rage at Greendale Community College, but the study-group can't seem to catch a break with the tasty treat. Soon enough, Jeff (Joel McHale) and Abed (Danny Pudi) hatch a plan to take over the school's supply of chicken, and they quickly work with the rest of the group and form a sort-of "chicken mafia." But as you can guess, things don't work out quite as perfectly as they might have seemed at first...
With the show's decidedly heavy leaning on meta-humor, the mafia styled story works exceptionally well, and makes a lot of sense "in universe." You get to see all the tropes and clichés play out with the most unlikely of subject matter, and you'll get many a laugh out of the proceedings. The acting is also completely on-point here, and it's nice seeing Abed sort-of become the "Don of Chicken Fingers." It's a great comedic storyline for the character, and provides endless entertainment value. I do think a few of the jokes can come off as a bit forced and strained, which is where it loses a point for me, but all in all, this is "Community" near its comedic and high-concept best.
I give "Contempoary American Poultry" a near-perfect 9 out of 10.
Greendale goes "Goodfellas" for this often funny send-up to mafia flicks that packs in plenty of big laughs even if it has a few oddball moments that don't quite add up. With sharp writing and clever direction, not to mention a big focus on fan-favorite character Abed, "Contempoarary American Poultry" is a another fine addition to the excellent first season of the cult-favorite "Community." Though it might not be my personal favorite, it's definitely a great half-hour of television entertainment. And what more can you ask for?
Chicken Fingers are all the rage at Greendale Community College, but the study-group can't seem to catch a break with the tasty treat. Soon enough, Jeff (Joel McHale) and Abed (Danny Pudi) hatch a plan to take over the school's supply of chicken, and they quickly work with the rest of the group and form a sort-of "chicken mafia." But as you can guess, things don't work out quite as perfectly as they might have seemed at first...
With the show's decidedly heavy leaning on meta-humor, the mafia styled story works exceptionally well, and makes a lot of sense "in universe." You get to see all the tropes and clichés play out with the most unlikely of subject matter, and you'll get many a laugh out of the proceedings. The acting is also completely on-point here, and it's nice seeing Abed sort-of become the "Don of Chicken Fingers." It's a great comedic storyline for the character, and provides endless entertainment value. I do think a few of the jokes can come off as a bit forced and strained, which is where it loses a point for me, but all in all, this is "Community" near its comedic and high-concept best.
I give "Contempoary American Poultry" a near-perfect 9 out of 10.
Community's Turning Point
abbywhiting3 February 2021
This very episode is what transformed Community from good to great. The foundation of movie troupes and love letters to cinema lovers is unearthed in "Contemporary American Poultry", and from here on out, Community will continue to produce episodes of great fun.
One of the funniest episodes
zhyarazadd1 June 2021
What makes Community special
brendoom18 May 2021
The previous episodes of season 1 are all really funny and I love them but this episode is when Community becomes the show we know it as. Homages to great movies, making fun of tropes, being meta and generally being hilarious and witty with an emotional bit at the end contributing to Jeff and Abed's relationship (one of the most underrated relationships in the series) and their character development too. Great episode, tied for my favorite of season 1 with Garden Warfare.
10
noahgiovanniprz5 June 2021
Pre-Critical Film Studies
safenoe10 January 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Contemporary American Poultry is more than about chicken. It's about community, the community of Jeff, Abed, Troy, Shirley, Britta, Annie and Pierce, and their care and interaction with each other.
Abed was on fire with his pop culture cinematic references, being a prelude to Critical Film Studies, one of the best ever episodes of Community.
Abed was on fire with his pop culture cinematic references, being a prelude to Critical Film Studies, one of the best ever episodes of Community.
High concept fun
anarchistica20 August 2022
Near the end of the season we get one of the first episodes which present an alternative movie-inspired reality throughout. It's goofy, it's unrealistic, and it works, somehow. Also the first episode to feature Troy's pet monkey called "Annie's Boobs". A stupid joke like that could easily have bombed, but it works... somehow.
Classic Dan Harmon!
samwutoski7 August 2023
Warning: Spoilers
To be honest this felt like a rick and morty episode to me because of the whole concept of this episode. I loved how he used chicken fingers as the currency to run a community college and chose abed to be the the boss of the whole operation. I also liked the last scene where abed kind of gets a special episode and jeff bonds with abed and understands that his self esteem may not be great as he has had issues connecting with people and the only way he could communicate and see people talk to him or rather listen to him was because of the chicken fingers. This combination of absolutely hilarious concepts and a pretty decent arc to a character is what screams dan harmon to me.
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