'Community' Is Back So You Can All Stop Complaining Now

The nerd world's favorite comedy returns, Paul Walker is forever, and a look at HBO's latest.

The Call Sheet sifts through the day's glut of Hollywood news to find the stories even non-industry types care about. Today: The nerd world's favorite comedy returns, Paul Walker is forever, and a look at HBO's latest.

OK, listen up Communityheads. (What are Community fans called? Communoids? Communists? Annoying?) Your beloved sitcom will be returning to NBC at 8pm on Thursday March 15th. OK? Satisfied? It's coming back. Who knows for how long, maybe this will be its last run, but at least for now it's back. It's bumping Parks and Recreation from the schedule, which ought to rile up all the Ron Swansonites out there, but frankly they're a little easier to deal with than Communicats, so we'll take it. It's a devil's bargain, but we'll take it. And so begins the countdown to the rage and wailing when the show is outright canceled in three months. (Sorry!!!!) [Splitsider]

Big news out of La La Wood, out of Tinsel Land, today. Venerable actor Paul Walker, known mostly for his chamber pieces The Fast & the Furious and Snow Dogs, has signed a two-year production deal with Universal Pictures. It's a move that will provide housing for his production company, Laguna Ridge Pictures, and sets up the bawdy Elizabethan comedies thrillers Skyscraper and Hours. Of the deal, a Universal exec says: "We’re excited to be the beneficiaries of his creative work as he branches out as a filmmaker." Really, aren't we all excited to be the beneficiaries of Paul Walker's creative work? Haven't we all swooned at him in his Varsity Blues jersey or delighted in his madcap auto adventures in the Fast/Furious pictures or gurgled profanely at his clotheslessness in Into the Blue? Seriously. This was going to be some make-fun-of-Paul Walker thing, but really haven't we done all those things? It's Paul Walker, guys. There is literally nothing to not like about Paul Walker. "Oh no, I don't like pound cake. Really hate pound cake." That's ridiculous. Everybody likes pound cake. Good for you, Paul Walker. Can't wait to watch all these upcoming movies when they're on TNT some Sunday a few years from now. It's gonna be great. [The Hollywood Reporter]

The Smash ratings-watch continues. Last night's third episode dipped another 18% to a 2.3 rating, down significantly from the series premiere's 3.8. So... that's not good. Also only 6.5 million viewers tuned, which puts it in not-so-great network company. This show could be in trouble, you guys. And while that's probably ultimately a bad thing, after last night's jabbering about "that Bruno Mars show at La MaMa" and the revelation that the assistant character is supposed to be a straight person, a lot of our goodwill is gone. Sad, but true. This thing just keeps missing the mark and the arrows are landing farther and farther away from the target and its quiver is almost empty and have we dragged out this archery metaphor long enough? The point is, Smash's future is looking increasingly uncertain and that's got to be a big kick in the breadbasket for NBC. Oof. [Entertainment Weekly]

Jeanne Tripplehorn was great on Big Love and should have won all the Emmys but instead she won none, and now she's doing a two-episode guest starring stint on New Girl as Dylan McDermot Mulroney's ex-wife. Dylan McDermot Mulroney is also a guest star. Meaning she's a guest star for a guest star. So. That's... Sigh. [The Hollywood Reporter]

Here is a sneak peek at HBO's upcoming series Girls, the millennials-take-New York whine comedy from Tiny Furniture writer/director Lena Dunham. In it Dunham plays a listless 24-year-old with no job and no money but a vague ambition to do something and meanwhile Brian Williams' daughter is her friend. We've seen the pilot and it's... well, it's exactly what you'd think it would be. About four people in Greenpoint will totally relate to it and everyone else will find it passingly annoying but oddly watchable, much like HBO's other New York youthquake, How to Make It in America (RIP! Crisp 4ever! Whatever happened with the jeanssss?). Yes, we'll watch it. Because we like to be mad, don't we? Especially when we can be mad at young people with television shows about young people living trendy lives in cool places. Which isn't to say the ire isn't ever warranted, and in Girls' case it most certainly is, but we should at least be honest about our deep, dark motivations. Anyway, here's the preview.