Community, the cult-favorite sitcom known for its meta-humor, genre parodies, and endearingly dysfunctional study group, has earned a loyal fanbase since it first aired on NBC in 2009.
Created by Dan Harmon, the series became a pop culture staple for viewers drawn to its quirky tone, offbeat storytelling, and heartfelt character arcs.
But in the age of ubiquitous streaming, many fans have noticed something frustrating: Community isn’t always easy to find. Whether it’s a missing season, absent episodes, or the entire series vanishing from a platform, Community seems oddly elusive in the digital space.
Licensing Rights: The Streaming Tug-of-War
Like many TV shows produced before the streaming boom, Community’s availability online depends heavily on licensing agreements between its distributor (Sony Pictures Television) and streaming platforms. These agreements are time-limited and often exclusive, meaning that a show might appear on one service for a while, only to vanish when the deal expires or is renegotiated.
Sony, which owns the distribution rights to Community, has historically licensed the show to multiple platforms at different times. This explains why you might find Community on Netflix in one country, on Hulu in another, or not at all in certain regions.
Streaming rights vary by territory, and Sony—unlike Netflix or Disney—doesn’t have its own streaming service to permanently host its library. Instead, it shops its content around to different buyers. That makes Community vulnerable to periodic removals, gaps in season availability, or region-specific restrictions.
Platform Exclusivity and Content Shifts
Another factor behind Community’s erratic streaming presence is the increasingly competitive streaming landscape. Platforms like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, and Peacock often fight for exclusive access to popular legacy shows, especially ones with passionate fanbases.
At different times, Community has been part of both Netflix and Hulu libraries. In 2020, Netflix gained global streaming rights, which helped spark a resurgence in the show’s popularity. However, Hulu retained rights in the U.S. simultaneously, resulting in a shared (but confusing) streaming arrangement.
As of mid-2025, Community is no longer universally available on Netflix in all regions. In some areas, it’s moved exclusively to Peacock, NBCUniversal’s streaming service. While Sony is the distributor, NBC originally aired the show, giving Peacock incentive to reacquire rights as it builds its nostalgic content portfolio.
This shuffle between platforms often leads to seasons or episodes going missing during transitions. If a streaming service doesn’t renew its full rights or only licenses a subset of episodes, users may find themselves with partial access.
Controversial Episode Removal: “Advanced Dungeons & Dragons”
In addition to licensing complexities, Community’s availability has been impacted by content reevaluation, particularly in the wake of broader social awareness about race and representation in media.
One notable example is the Season 2 episode “Advanced Dungeons & Dragons,” a fan-favorite installment praised for its creativity and character development. In mid-2020, multiple platforms—including Netflix and Hulu—removed the episode due to a scene in which Ken Jeong’s character, Ben Chang, appears in dark makeup while portraying a Drow (a dark elf from Dungeons & Dragons lore). Although the scene was intended as a satire of fantasy role-playing tropes, it drew criticism for invoking blackface imagery.
Sony and the streaming platforms opted to remove the episode as a precaution, stating their commitment to addressing racially insensitive content. The decision sparked debate: some viewers viewed the removal as a necessary correction, while others argued it erased context and disrupted the show’s narrative continuity.
Regardless of where you stand on the issue, the removal illustrates how even complete series runs can be altered retroactively, complicating fans’ efforts to revisit the show in its entirety.
The Yahoo! Screen Season: Season 6’s Unique Journey
One of the stranger chapters in Community’s streaming history involves its sixth and final season, which didn’t air on network television at all. After NBC canceled the show following Season 5, Yahoo! Screen picked it up for one more round of episodes in 2015.
While fans were thrilled to see the #SixSeasonsAndAMovie prophecy inch closer to reality, Yahoo! Screen itself didn’t last. The platform folded shortly after Season 6 aired, leaving distribution rights in a kind of limbo.
Eventually, Sony reclaimed full control over Season 6, but its separate origin means it sometimes isn’t bundled with the rest of the series on streaming platforms. Depending on the platform, Season 6 may be available only as a digital purchase or may appear out of sync with the rest of the series.
This fragmentation often causes confusion among casual viewers who may wonder why they can’t find all six seasons in one place—or who find Season 6 but have no idea it exists due to poor platform marketing.
Global Variation: A Tale of Many Catalogs
Streaming availability also depends heavily on geographic location. While U.S. viewers might find Community on Hulu or Peacock, international audiences often turn to Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, or local services. However, the version of Netflix in the U.K. or Australia may offer different seasons or omit content due to licensing limitations or local broadcasting laws.
What’s more, digital storefronts like iTunes or Google Play may sell Community by the season but still exclude episodes like “Advanced Dungeons & Dragons” based on global standards and guidelines. This lack of uniformity contributes to the perception that the show is “missing” or “incomplete” on digital platforms.
What Does the Future Hold?
With streaming platforms increasingly prioritizing exclusive content and legacy titles, Community’s availability may continue to shift. Peacock currently seems the likeliest long-term home due to NBC’s interest in building out its content library, especially with discussions about a Community movie underway (the long-promised end to the show’s “six seasons and a movie” slogan).
Sony may eventually consolidate its streaming strategy or strike a long-term deal that provides a stable home for the full series, but as of now, viewers may need to jump between platforms or purchase episodes to get the complete experience.