Community is one of the most underrated tv shows to ever exist. Starring Alison Brie, Donald Glover, and Joel McHale, the show follows a band of misfits who are trying to get another lease on life by earning a college degree. At the center is a disbarred lawyer (McHale), who forms a fake study-group in the hopes of getting closer to an environmental activist. However, this ‘breakfast club’ turns out to be the best thing for all as they continue to grow together.
Jeffrey Winger (McHale) may have appeared a narcissistic lothario at the beginning but he soon became a pillar and friend of the Greendale community. It just took him a while to get here. Here are 5 moments he proved to be a great friend (& 5 where he could have been better).
Worst: Made fun of Britta’s boyfriend (S1 Ep4)
The whole reason Jeff created the fake study group was to get closer to Britta (Gillian Jacobs). So when she began to date Vaughn (Eric Christian Olsen), he became disheartened. Although he tells Britta he is supportive of their relationship, Jeff and Shirley (Yvette Nicole Brown) make Vaughn feel unwelcome.
Britta decides to confide in Jeff about her and Vaughn’s relationship, showing him a poem Vaughn wrote for her. Jeff decides to take a picture of it and shares it with Shirley; they then share it with the group. Whilst the study group continues to make fun of Vaughn, he enters the room with Britta. This causes Vaughn to break up with Britta, who then blames Jeff.
Best: Stops Britta’s expulsion (S1 Ep5)
When Britta is caught cheating on her Spanish quiz, she faces a disciplinary tribunal. Jeff volunteers to defend Britta after realizing she could be expelled.
Britta believes Jeff is only defending her because he wants to sleep with her. However, Jeff is quick to reassure her that he does like her and would be “psyched to be her friend”. Jeff is also able to save Britta from expulsion after convincing the panel that she deserved another chance. Britta’s not happy with having to attend weekly counseling but is thankful for giving her a chance to earn her degree.
Worst: Ditches Annie’s Day of the Dead Halloween party (S1 Ep7)
In “Introduction To Statistics”, Annie (Brie) holds a Day of the Dead party to get extra credit. The study group would also get extra credit if they attend, too. Jeff promises Annie he will go but decides to ditch it halfway to pursue Professor Slater (Lauren Stamile).
When Annie asks if Jeff would share the first dance with her, she is hurt and slightly embarrassed to find that he had already left. Britta and Abed (Danny Pudi) try to get him to come back but are unsuccessful. He was also going to ignore Pierce’s (Chevy Chase) drug-induced freak out until Troy had to stop him from walking away. Luckily, he redeems himself by the end.
Best: Stands up for Abed (S1 Ep12)
The series’ first Christmas episode arrived in season 1 and it was quite unusual. Where most shows would celebrate the holiday with a festive dinner or movie, we got to see a fight.
When Abed takes a selection of winter doodles for the study group, he manages to upset another student (Anthony Michael Hall). Jeff decides to intervene when Mike (Hall) begins to get aggressive with Abed. However, his sarcastic remarks seem to wind Mike up further, leading to a fight. Shirley’s influence rubs off on Jeff when he changes his mind. He admits to Mike that he won’t fight because her friendship means more.
Worst: Behavior towards Annie and Britta (S2 Ep1)
After Britta’s love confession and his kiss with Annie (“Pascal’s Triangle Revisited”), Jeff begins season 2 in a predicament. He is insensitive and cruel towards Britta and he doesn’t handle Annie’s crush very well either. Instead of talking through the issues with both women, he goes down the less mature route.
Jeff decides to play a game of chicken with Britta, not realizing his behavior was also affecting Annie. When it is revealed that he slept with Britta, Annie punches Jeff. Since the study group decided to not get involved with each other in season 1, they are annoyed that Jeff would jeopardize their friendships.
Best: Pop ’n’ lock-athon (S2 Ep2)
In the episode “Accounting for Lawyers”, the study group wants to attend a dance competition. However, they first attend an office party Jeff was invited to after realizing his former colleague got him disbarred. Jeff doesn’t believe them so the group decides to find the evidence to prove it.
Jeff then goes back to Greendale to help the group win the pop-n-lock-athon. Although he would still like to work for the firm, Jeff says he would rather hang out with people who care about him and his future. He appreciates the group having his back.
Worst: Ruined Troy’s Birthday (S2 Ep10)
The study group decides to take Troy out for his 21st birthday. This is not a very good episode for Jeff as his competitive nature with Britta ends up ruining Troy’s night. The first incident occurs at the beginning when he and Britta argue about which bar they should go to.
Troy looks to Jeff and Britta for advice; yet, because the two of them can’t stop arguing Troy is not happy. The night is further ruined when Troy discovers Jeff and Britta have been bragging about the same bar. A good friend would have asked Troy what he wanted to do since it was his birthday. Instead, he had to look after them because they couldn’t handle their drinks.
Best: Stands up to Pierce’s dad (S3 Ep6)
The episode “Advanced Gay” sees Pierce’s bigoted father introduced to the show. Pierce decides to hold a Pride party after a drag queen’s song makes his business sales increase. However, Pierce’s dad (Larry Cedar) intervenes and cancels the party.
Jeff is seen to clash with Cornelius (Cedar), encouraging Pierce to rebel against his father. When Pierce fakes a heart attack, Jeff confronts Cornelius about his bigoted and homophobic views. He also calls him out for being a terrible father . Hearing all this, Pierce gains the courage to tell his father how he feels about him.
Worst: Neglecting Shirley (S3 Ep15)
When Britta reveals she is still hung up on an ex-boyfriend who worked in the carnival, Jeff becomes obsessed with finding out why. He invites Shirley to tag along to the carnival so they can get a look at Britta’s ‘Blade’ (Kirk Fox). Shirley then asks Jeff to go on a ride with her after, which Jeff agrees to.
However, Shirley is annoyed when Jeff spends the whole night quizzing Blade. She then storms off to find Pierce after Jeff refuses to give up his obsession. Since Pierce ended up at Abed and Troy’s apartment, Jeff should have at least called her at the end to see if she was okay.
Best: Making up with Annie (S4 Ep3)
This episode sees several members of the study group take a road trip to an Inspector Spacetime convention. Jeff only agrees to come after Annie offers to go skiing with him; however, their plans change when the slopes are closed. Annie is upset when Jeff decides to ditch her at the convention.
Jeff’s growth is shown when he confronted Annie about her strange behavior. Instead of getting annoyed with Annie’s fantasy, he decides to talk to her about it. He also takes into consideration how he hurt her feelings and decides to make it up to her by staying. Season 1 Jeff wouldn’t have even considered this so it shows how far he has come.
