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DUN DUN: 'Community' plays 'Law & Order' for laughs, kills off fan favorite

The halls of Greendale Community College looked a lot like the NYPD homicide unit on Thursday night's episode of "Community." That's because the critically-acclaimed comedy delivered a spot-on sendup of crime classic "Law & Order."OK, maybe it wasn't entirely spot on -- after all, the case at hand involved a sabotaged school project rather than a murder -- but from the mock opening to the camera w
NBC / Today

The halls of Greendale Community College looked a lot like the NYPD homicide unit on Thursday night's episode of "Community." That's because the critically-acclaimed comedy delivered a spot-on sendup of crime classic "Law & Order."

OK, maybe it wasn't entirely spot on -- after all, the case at hand involved a sabotaged school project rather than a murder -- but from the mock opening to the camera work to the sounds (DUN DUN!), it was all there.   

There were "Community" equivalents to every "L&O" character. Troy and Abed represented the detectives ("who investigate the crimes"), while Annie and Jeff stood in for the district attorneys ("who prosecute the offenders"). The rest of Greendale's familiar faces filled out vital roles (Captain Shirley, suspects Todd and Star-Burns, Judge Kane), but for the role of the medical examiner (or yam examiner, in this case), they brought in a ringer: "Law & Order's" own Dr. Elizabeth Rodgers.

The show even capped off with a perfect procedural-crime show twist. Just as the gang wrapped up the case of the smashed-yam project, an anonymous phone call delivered a completely "Law & Order"-worthy, out-of-nowhere blow. Spoiler alert: Fan-favorite background character Star-Burns died in a completely unrelated mobile meth lab accident.

The show just won't be the same without his clueless comic relief

What did you think of the lighthearted take on "Law & Order"? And what about that shocker at the end? Share your thoughts on our Facebook page.

 

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