US: Poking fun at community colleges

Community colleges have been the butt of disparaging jokes for almost as long as they've been around, writes David Moltz for Inside Higher Ed. The line about them being nothing more than "high schools with ashtrays" has worn thin through the years, and some educators still do not find such wisecracks funny. Later this year, a community college will not just be the punch line to a series of quirky witticisms; it will be the setting of a prime time situation comedy.

Last week NBC announced its autumn line-up, including "Community", a comedy about a lovable group of "losers" at Greendale Community College, a fictional two-year institution. The show comes from the creative minds of Joe and Anthony Russo, who won Emmy Awards for directing several episodes of the now-defunct Fox sitcom "Arrested Development".
Full report on the Inside Higher Ed site