Though NBC canceled Community in May after five seasons, the comedy has gotten a reprieve from an unexpected place — Yahoo.
The show will return in the fall for 13 episodes during its sixth season, fulfilling half of its #sixseasonsandamovie promise.
Sony, Community's producer, shopped the cult comedy actively, but found no buyers on cable or at Netflix or Hulu. With the hold on the show's cast expiring today, June 30, Yahoo swooped in. According to Vulture's Josef Adalian, talks with Hulu fell apart over the show's budget, but cash-rich Yahoo made it work.
For its part, Yahoo, under its video umbrella, Yahoo Screen, has recently committed to trying to challenge the streaming services (which also include Amazon). In April, Yahoo's CEO Marissa Mayer announced that the company had picked up two new full-length comedy series for eight-episode seasons. They will be ad-supported like Hulu, not a subscription service such as Netflix or Amazon Prime.
In addition to the cast, Community creator Dan Harmon will also be back. In the press release announcing the Season 6 renewal, he was quoted: "I look forward to bringing our beloved NBC sitcom to a larger audience by moving it online. I vow to dominate our new competition. Rest easy, Big Bang Theory. Look out, Bang Bus!"