For one brief, shimmering period of time on NBC, Community would air on the same nights. The former, a workplace comedy, and the latter, a community college comedy with a found family, didn't have much in common when it came to characters or plot lines. Instead, the commonalities revolved around the hilarious endeavors and the heart they were always rooted in.
While that heart, should Greendale ever meet Scranton, would lead to some characters striking up potential friendships, there is also a great deal of bombast and zaniness. When those elements collide, a friendship might be hard to come by.
Would Work: Troy And Jim
Throughout The Office, Jim Halpert is shown to be consistently trying to bond with his coworkers (and bosses, in the case of David Wallace) over sports. Most of the time, it's never reciprocated, but he might have a shot with Troy Barnes.
The Amazing Race was one of his favorite sports.
Wouldn't Work: Jeff And Ryan
On paper, it might seem like Jeff Winger and Ryan Howard could hit it off. Both are metrosexual hipsters who care more about the image they give off than the substance within them. (Jeff winds up with much more of an arc than Ryan does, though.)
However, their mutual shallowness would never allow for a genuine friendship to arise. They would never be able to feel comfortable with one another and would likely focus on one-upping one another.
Would Work: Annie And Pam
Annie Edison and Pam Beesly both occupy similar archetypes on their respective shows and they both yearned for connection beyond just wackiness and emotional walls between the people they knew.
They might find solace in one another. Both had their strong emotional bonds, but occasionally felt like outsiders to some of the more interior cliques. This understanding could lead to a beautiful friendship between the two cardigan-lovers.
Wouldn't Work: Abed And Kelly
There is a famous episode of Community in which Abed Nadir befriends the "popular" clique of students at Greendale and then systematically dismantles them from within by calculatingly attacking their insecurities.
It seems unlikely that it would go any differently if he built an acquaintanceship with The Office's resident "mean girl," Kelly Kapoor. She once tried to cyber-bully someone she met at the mall. Abed's flip-switch demeanor would be too nuclear in the annex.
Would Work: Britta And Dwight
Britta Perry and Dwight Schrute are kind of the inverse of Jeff and Ryan. On paper, they seem like complete opposites who could never build a connection. But the two are such eccentric dabblers in impostor syndrome that a begrudging respect could easily blossom into companionship.
They might be initially standoffish, but when they see how the other remains strongly committed to their convictions, it's easy to imagine a curt nod and some potential scheming.
Wouldn't Work: Shirley And Michael
There were plenty of Dunder Mifflin employees who built up a tolerance for Michael Scott, even though he could be an insufferable boss. Shirley Bennett, on the other hand, would have no such patience for his inane behavior.
Shirley does show off an air of sweetness at first blush, but she never makes a secret out of how she feels towards her friends. Michael wouldn't even get the chance to be her friend because Shirley would eschew him from her life entirely.
Would Work: Pierce And Andy
What Pierce Hawthorne and Andy Bernard have in common is that they are both so desperate to be liked that their temperament occasionally gets the better of them. This, in turn, makes it harder to like them, and a vicious cycle results.
But in each other, Pierce and Andy might find an end to their trust-fund loneliness. When outsiders collide, a mitigating friendship can result. Considering both serve as pseudo-villains during various points of their respective series, maybe a friend was all they needed.
Wouldn't Work: Dean And Darryl
Dean Pelton also has a debilitating need to be liked by the people he loves. This leads to him losing all sense of boundaries and acting over the top when trying to force his way into friend groups.
This is the kind of energy that Darryl Philbin never really has time for. He prefers an efficient friendship that doesn't waste his time or annoy him. The Dean would just be too much and might actually end up derailing Darryl's life if he tries to hard to be inserted into it.
Would Work: Chang And Creed
Sometimes, two chaotic characters just fit well together. At least, that'd be the case for Ben Chang and Creed Bratton. When they struggle to find friends in the typical places (not that they always mind), it's because no one can handle their chaos.
That's why what they need is each other. The only Community character who could withstand Creed's potentially criminal nature is Chang because Creed is the only one who'd be unphased by Chang's unpredictable demeanor.
Wouldn't Work: Magnitude And Toby
Magnitude is a one-man party who loves to yell, "Pop! Pop!," and dance with his companions. It's the kind of energy that just would not vibe with Toby Flenderson, who prefers a steady, predictable life and monochromatic business suits.
They wouldn't be adverse to one another. It's just that Magnitude and Toby are at different places in their lives and they have isolated interests. A friendship couldn't mesh between these two.