ita,

some arguments that people were making is that Sony has a moderate history of pushing shows to 100 eps if the can. The thinking behind this is that while it has 88 eps now (with the planned 13 ep 4th season, that the new showrunners might be more amenable to pushing for an additional 12 with a lower budget (and other concessions) than Dan Harmon likely would have been.

I agree that 100 isn't magical from my perspective (and while I have the DVDs sitting on my shelf) from S1 and S2, but apparently Sony likes this number.

t,

you are more optimistic than I am, and I appreciate that. I just feel some despair in thinking the creative minds behind "Just Shoot Me" are now the showrunners for "Community."

Yeah, I'm trying to ignore the Just Shoot Me connection because it distresses me.

100 episodes used to be magical from a syndication perspective, but that is no longer the case. I don't think it has any particular value anymore, and if there is a syndication number it is now 88, but shows have also made it to syndication with significantly fewer. Three and a half seasons gets you to just eighty four episodes if my arithmetic is correct, which is neither. So why would there be any particular benefit to Sony?

fyi. the last remaining writer on the show from S1 is leaving also.

Yeah, and Chris McKenna is responsible for such classics as "Paradigms of Human Memory" and "Remedial Chaos Theory." That's going to hurt.

I just feel some despair in thinking the creative minds behind "Just Shoot Me" are now the showrunners for "Community."

Aren't they also the creative minds behind Happy Endings, which I've heard is pretty awesome?

ita,

as I understand it, Sony likes to get blood from rocks.

P-C,

Have not watched "Happy Endings."

I like Happy Endings, but I don't want Community to become more like Happy Endings.

as I understand it, Sony likes to get blood from rocks

I'm still not understanding...they won't get 100 episodes from this move, so what does this move have to do with 100 episodes?

I'm reading a comical amount of people saying "What were they thinking?? Why are they messing with the proven formula?"

Didn't they notice the part where the ratings are for shit, and NBC doesn't seem to like the show? Why would anyone in charge be tied to the status quo?

ita,

I think they are holding the possibility they may try to get as close to 100 as they can. maybe they want to get 88? I think it is reasonable to think that they might want to get past the initial 13.

You know, knowing that Sony and NBC are also negotiating with/maneuvering around each other makes the whole thing make more sense in my head. I don't know why that was so hard for me to grasp.

I think it is reasonable to think that they might want to get past the initial 13.

You're actually the first person I've seen suggest that so far.

They may have a specific deal in mind that they're trying to hit a given number of eps for, but my point was that not only is 100 not magical, neither is 88 anymore. Maybe "as many as possible" is a target, but there's no obvious reason they can't go into syndication right now.