So Long, Star Burns

Well, Community is one episode closer to the end of the season, and the May 3 episode was a good step on the way there. Not only was this one of the most endearing episodes in a long time, it was also hilarious. Add that to the fact that there are some serious casting changes going on, and I’m feeling pretty good about how season 3 is shaping up.

If you haven’t heard, fan favorite Alex “Star Burns” Osborne is leaving the show, in his role as an actor at least. Few people know this, but Osborne is actually a writer on the show (he previous wrote on Saturday Night Live), and he only ever turned up on camera because the original actor who was supposed to play Star Burns backed out at the last minute. They needed someone willing to sit in the chair long enough to apply those ridiculous side burns, and he stepped up to the plate. He thought he’d fill the role for one episode, but fans responded well to him, and he ended up sticking around for three seasons! Unfortunately, the actor who plays Star Burns isn’t a fan of being on the screen, especially since he still pulls double duty as a writer each week. They decided to give him an out, and wrote in a very amusing death for him (I won’t ruin it, if you haven’t seen it).

Besides this, there’s the fact that two other background actors (Garrett and Neil) are also leaving the show. They work behind the scenes as executive producers. They’ve been given a lucrative new deal at 20^th Century Fox, and are calling it quits all together. This is all disheartening news, but on the bright side, I can’t help but wonder if this is why Vicki has finally returned (yay!). Oh, and let’s not even rehash the controversy surrounding Chevy Chase – will he stay or will he go? Who knows?

I’m just glad that Dean Pelton isn’t going anywhere. He was simply cracking me up tonight, in only a few a words - “Who wants to dance?” In addition, I was loving the further developments between Troy and Britta. I am usually hesitant to embrace seemingly “creative” romances, but I do like this one, and I kind of wish they’d speed up! Talk about a quirky couple.