I have to admit that before even seeing NBC's new show Community, I was really hoping for it to be good. After all, it was created by the people who worked on The Sarah Silverman Program and two of the directors behind Arrested Development, and it stars Joel McHale and Chevy Chase. Needless to say, I was excited. Still, I knew that in order to write a proper review of the show, I couldn't let my excitement write this article; I'd have to approach the show with a journalistic attitude. Yet even with this neutral approach, after seeing the show I can say that my expectations were definitely met.McHale, the human embodiment of snarkiness, is perfect as Jeff Winger, a character who is the fictional embodiment of snarkiness: He's the kind of person you know you should hate, the kind who believes "You have Asperger's" is an appropriate comeback. Despite this, McHale adds a certain likeability to Jeff that just makes you root for him.

According to the show, Jeff actually used to be a lawyer but was disbarred after the state bar realized the truth behind his "degree from Columbia" ("And now I have to get one from America," is Jeff's response to the situation). This takes him to Greendale Community College, where one of his former clients (John Oliver) is the head of the psychology department. He pretends to be a Spanish tutor to get close to Britta, a 28-year-old high school dropout who wants to get her life back on track. This plan soon backfires when the study session with Britta turns into a group filled with people looking to Jeff for help. Among those in the "study group" are Pierce (Chevy Chase), a seven-time divorce and moist towelette entrepreneur; Abed (Danny Pudi), a pop culture-obsessed 20-something who wouldn't seem too out of place at Brandeis; Shirley (Yvette Nicole Brown from Drake & Josh, a fact I can't believe I'm admitting I know), Troy (Donald Glover), a former high school quarterback and prom king; and Annie (Alison Brie), a stressed-out girl who thinks that she should be at a more "distinguished" institution. Jeff eventually takes up the role of semi-leader, making him, to quote Abed, "like Bill Murray from Stripes or Meatballs."

Judging by the show's pilot, it looks like Jeff is going to try to get away from his old ways and attempt to actually work for something instead of lying and cheating, though only time will show us how succesful he'll be. However, I'm really curious to find out more about the different group members. The first episode gave us a taste of who they are and what they desire, but it left me wanting to know more and gave me a reason to come back next week.

The show is well written and definitely well acted. A small thing that caught my attention is the realism of the chatter that breaks out at times. Instead of having one-at-a-time dialogue, there is a jumble of people trying to make a certain point or say something, which just feels very realistic. It makes me want to watch the episode over again just to pick up on what everyone said. I hope they keep this small quirk as the series progresses.

Overall, Community has a good ensemble cast that will be interesting to follow. The opener didn't have too many laugh-out-loud moments, but the characters were always entertaining. Also, knowing the immense talent behind the show, I think this is definitely something to keep an eye on.