Chevy Chase Leaves NBC’s Community

After a tumultuous last year of drama and controversy surrounding Chevy Chase’s feelings on Community, Chase has finally decided to cut ties and leave the show, Deadline first reported earlier today.

Chase will appear as Pierce in the 11 episodes he’s already filmed out of the total 13, according to Deadline. Oddly enough, the finale was filmed out-of-order, so the two episodes Chase won’t appear in will actually be mid-season, presumably episodes 11 and 12, though this hasn’t been confirmed.

Community has already had a rough year even without the now-infamous negative remarks Chase has made about the show. Showrunner Dan Harmon was fired before season 4 began, and then the show was put on indefinite hiatus until it was settled to be premiered on February 7 (despite Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas-themed episodes on the roster.) Bad things do come in threes, it seems (or maybe fours, or even fives in this case.)

Chase was originally one of the primary actors featured on initial promotional materials alongside Joel McHale, brought in to be sort of a “big name” to help carry the show when it premiered. As the show progressed, though, his character faded a bit by wayside as the rest of the ensemble proved to be be more than capable. Though the Pierce character may rank fairly low on the “fan-favorite” spectrum, he’s had his share of hilarious moments of physical comedy and even genuine pathos as his character grew towards a particularly strong, though brief, defining moment in last year’s finale.

How his absence will affect the group dynamic—or if it will even affect it this season—is something we’ll just have to see. After all, the show still hasn’t been renewed for a fifth season, and if Pierce is only missing for two episodes, and not what could be the series finale, then it may not have much impact. It’s entirely possible that we won’t see a definitive departure written into this season at all.

On the bright side—and this might be a stretch—but perhaps having one less (probably hefty) salary will mean the budget can be slashed enough for NBC to justify a fifth season. If it does get renewed, then things might be interesting. Either way, it’s going to be easier to tell once it finally premieres come February 7.