Community is one of the most rewatchable shows ever, so much so that a rumored movie has been long in the works. Most of the cast is expected to return, aside from Chevy Chase. The Saturday Night Live alum has made it clear that he disliked being part of the NBC sitcom, and his stance on the show has created a rift between him and some of the cast members. This includes them not wanting to participate in his new documentary, and the director revealed how hard it was to convince anyone from Community to be interviewed.
The CNN documentary special, called I’m Chevy Chase and You’re Not as a nod to how he would start his Weekend Update bit during the first season of SNL, is premiering on New Year’s Day as part of the 2026 TV schedule. Along with highlighting his personal life and struggles, it will also delve into Chase’s career, including disputes with actors such as the cast of Community. Evidently, getting people from the show to talk about Chase for the documentary was a tough feat, and even though documentary director Marina Zenovich nearly got Community creator Dan Harmon, it didn’t pan out. She told Variety:
Every single person said no. I ran into Dan Harmon at a screening of ‘Deaf President Now!’ and I got his number. I was so excited. I thought it was going to happen, but then he declined.
Chase starred in the series as Pierce Hawthorne in the first four seasons before some behind-the-scenes tension and an alleged drop of the N-word ultimately led to his departure. Since starring in the show, Chase’s comments in recent years have not been kind. Joel McHale and Yvette Nicole Brown both responded to his take on the show, defending the fan-favorite sitcom, so it’s not surprising that the Community cast, as well as Harmon, weren’t on board to talk about Chase for the documentary.
That being said, Zenovich wasn’t completely out of luck when it came to the Community portion of the documentary. She revealed that series director Jay Chandrasekhar agreed to participate, and if he hadn’t, it would have been a completely different story:
I was so lucky to get Jay Chandrasekhar. He has such an amazing delivery, and he was willing to go there. If Jay had said no, I would have been screwed.
What exactly will be talked about when it comes to Community in Chevy Chase’s documentary is unknown, as well as what Chandrasekhar will spill and his own thoughts on Chase’s comments. Perhaps it will shine a light on Chase’s time on Community and give an insight on what people who worked on the show think him. If anything, this will be one portion of the documentary that will likely be pretty entertaining.
As previously mentioned, Chase will not be part of the upcoming Community movie, which still doesn’t have a set premiere date, so it’s unknown when it will premiere. Whether there will be any mention of Pierce is hard to tell, but it can be assumed that there won’t be, since Chase hadn’t been part of the cast since the fourth season. But only time will tell.
The Chevy Chase documentary will premiere at 8 p.m. ET on January 1, 2026 on CNN.
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