‘Community’ Season 5: Ken Jeong Leaving for Autobiographical Comedy ‘Dr. Ken’?
'Community' season 5 has been tracking streets ahead of its predecessor with the return of both series creator Dan Harmon and a number of fan-favorite guests, but the beleaguered NBC comedy may yet lose another of its stars. 'Hangover' trilogy vet Ken Jeong has begun development on his own NBC comedy, 'Dr. Ken,' loosely based on Jeong's own experiences in medicine, but would the new series "Chang"-e 'Community' even further without one of its most frequent villains?
Deadline first broke news of Jeong's new sitcom vehicle over the weekend, in which the multi-cam 'Dr. Ken' would see the titular actor starring in a loose adaptation about his own earlier days as a license physician, before breaking out in comedy. 'The Internship' writer Jared Stern will pen the project for Sony Pictures TV, which could theoretically allow Jeong to participate in both the series and future 'Community' if the series moves beyond a fifth season.
Elsewhere, ‘Community’ season 5′s likely 2014 return will see ‘Justified‘ star Walton Goggins guest as a mysterious man who causes trouble for the Greendale gang, while ‘Breaking Bad”s Jonathan Banks will take a significant recurring role as a new criminology professor. In addition to LeVar Burton, Oliver’s Professor Duncan and comedian Rob Corddry’s return as Jeff’s lawyer-rival Alan Connor, returning showrunner Dan Harmon revealed at Comic-Con 2013 his intent to draft a second Dungeons & Dragons-themed episode. Chevy Chase will not return for the fifth season, while Donald Glover will eventually depart to develop his own FX series, ‘Atlanta.’
Well, what say you? Would 'Community' suffer without yet another of its most famous stars, or has Ken Jeong earned his own starring vehicle? Check out one of Jeong's early appearances parodying his medical past, and give us your thoughts on 'Dr. Ken' in the comments!