‘Community’ Season 5 Cancelled After Five Runs Due To Low Ratings; Producer Confirms In A Tweet; Joel McHale Rolls With The Punches After Successful White House Stint

NBC announced "Community" Season 5 cancelled after its recent run, confirming expectations brought by low ratings. The news was somewhat expected, with reports of the same in the previous year.

An earlier Twitter leak sparked the rumors; executive producer Chris Mckenna blurted last Wednesday that the series was "dead." He attempted to retract the tweet the following day, but with the previous season's dismal ratings (3.7 million viewers), the show's demise was imminent.

The series was rumored to end its run a year ago, saved by overwhelming petition from fans. Creator and producer Dan Harmon expressed his gratitude to the same Friday afternoon, immediately after the announcement.

In a tweet: "Twitter isn't big enough to hold my condolences and more importantly my gratitude to the best fans, cast and crew in TV history. Excelsior." Harmon isn't immune to the tension; he was fired by NBC after the third season, due to tension with executives and the series' suffering ratings.

The series dulled down after the transition, and with mainstays Chevy Chase and Danny Glover out of the cast, fans perceived the succeeding season lost its appeal.

The show has built a cult following in its run, and an attempt to repeat the campaign to renew "Community" for a final season may work. There's a precedent, as a campaign to push through with "six seasons and a movie" was successfully petitioned to NBC's plan to pull the plug (theguardian.com).

"Community" Season 5 cancelled is final, and the satire's star Joel McHale responded to the news on a tweet, with a single hashtag (#darkesttimeline).

The news came in the wake of McHale's celebrated stint at the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner Saturday. Hale followed Barrack Obama's speech with a tirade of satirical, sarcastic humor. Quipped from vanityfair.com: "This will be short and amusing, just like Chris Christie's presidential bid."