NBC has announced that show creator Dan Harmon has been replaced as showrunner of Community as it moves into production on its 13-episode fourth season. Taking his place are TV scribes David Guarascio and Moses Port as co-showrunners and executive producers, previously having worked together on Just Shoot Me.
Before the official announcement, in a seemingly political dodge, NBC Entertainment chairman Bob Greenblatt told reporters that Harmon will still have some involvement in the show. “I expect Dan’s voice to be a part of this show somehow,” said Greenblatt. “I’m just not sure if that means him running it day-to-day or consulting on it.”
Dan Harmon, however, took to his own blog to cut through the nonsense and set the record straight:
Why’d Sony want me gone? I can’t answer that because I’ve been in as much contact with them as you have. They literally haven’t called me since the season four pickup, so their reasons for replacing me are clearly none of my business. Community is their property, I only own ten percent of it, and I kind of don’t want to hear what their complaints are because I’m sure it would hurt my feelings even more now that I’d be listening for free.
You may have read that I am technically “signed on,” by default, to be an executive consulting something or other – which is a relatively standard protective clause for a creator in my position. Guys like me can’t actually just be shot and left in a ditch by Skynet, we’re still allowed to have a title on the things we create and “help out,” like, I guess sharpening pencils and stuff.
You can read Harmon’s full post on the topic by clicking here.
WHAT! SHIT. GRR.