Abed Nadir

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Abed Gubi Nadir (Arabic: عابد القوبي نادر‎ ‘Ābid al-Qūbī Nādir) is a fictional character on the NBC/Yahoo! Screen sitcom series Community, created by Dan Harmon and portrayed by Danny Pudi. Emotionally reserved and socially inept, Abed is a student at Greendale Community College and one of the first members of the study group. He is a pop-culture enthusiast, with extensive knowledge of TV shows and movies, as well as a passion for filmmaking. Because of his knowledge of television norms, Abed usually serves as the self-aware bridge between Community and the real world, often pointing out the motifs and precedents taking place in each episode, usually without breaking the fourth wall. Despite his lack of social skills, Abed is generally beloved by members of the study group and enjoys a close bond with Troy Barnes (Donald Glover).

Concept and creation[]

Dan Harmon based the character of Abed on himself resulting in Abed likely having Asperger's like Harmon does

While writing the character of Abed, Community creator Dan Harmon realized through research that he might have Asperger syndrome. He consulted a doctor about it and concluded that he himself is on the spectrum.^[2] Harmon had this to say on the matter on a podcast hosted by Kevin Pollak.

I know I'm not normal, but I think the important thing is that [...] I started to discover that I had a lot more in common with Abed than I did with Jeff.^[3]

Character biography[]

Background[]

Abed Gubi Nadir was born to a Palestinian father from Gaza and a Polish American mother. He is fluent in English and both of his parents' native languages^{[citation needed]}. His mother left the family when Abed was six and Abed assumed his father blamed him for it. This led Abed to distance himself from his father and submerge himself in American pop culture, resulting in his extensive knowledge of film and TV. Abed's father runs a falafel restaurant and initially only allowed his son to take classes at Greendale that would help him take over the business one day. Abed later convinces his father (through a homemade film) to allow him to study film. In "Heroic Origins", it was revealed Abed received a restraining order from a local theater for standing outside the theater and telling moviegoers not to watch Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, with two of the people he talked to being Shirley Bennett's (Yvette Nicole Brown) sons. He was also forced to attend therapy and during one of the sessions spots Annie Edison (Alison Brie) stealing a prescription pad. He then immediately informs the doctor, which likely led to Annie being expelled from high school for her Adderall addiction.

Personality[]

Abed's straightforward attitude and lack of social skills have led some to believe that he has Asperger's syndrome, which Jeff (Joel McHale) declared to him during the pilot, although Abed has apparently never heard of the term.

Examples of his lack of social skills include failing to pick up emotional cues and sarcasm in conversations and his analytical approach to his friends, although he has shown the ability to have sympathy for his friends. Beginning at the end of season 3, Abed begins to participate in therapy sessions with Britta (Gillian Jacobs).

Because of his encyclopedic knowledge of TV and movie motifs, Abed usually compares situations faced by the characters to other shows by pointing out various storylines, character development, and dynamics taking place. His abilities have even led to him successfully predicting actions and situations made by his friends, as shown in "Debate 109". This allows Abed to serve as the self-conscious bridge between the show and its audience, and he has made numerous meta-references alluding to the show. For instance, he refers to the school years as "seasons", and he points out the events unfolding in "Cooperative Calligraphy" will lead to a bottle episode. He claims that his ability to recognize motifs stems from television's predictable nature and that he is simply using these motives to understand society and his friends better. Abed has also shown to be a skilled athlete, dancer, and singer. In the episode "Horror Fiction in Seven Spooky Steps", Abed is revealed (unbeknownst to the characters) to be the only member of the study group that does not have sociopathic tendencies according to the results of a psychological test. However, Jeff may or may not have sociopathic tendencies as well as he admitted he filled in the test randomly.

Interests and hobbies[]

Abed has a passion for filmmaking and often takes part in making documentaries about the lives of the characters, many of which are the subject of numerous episodes in the series. He enjoys role-playing characters such as Batman and setting up situations paying homage to films such as My Dinner With Andre ("Critical Film Studies"). However, his fondness of role-playing did land him in debt once, forcing him and other members of the study group to participate as impersonators ("Contemporary Impressionists").

Abed is a fan of the British sci-fi show Inspector Spacetime (a parody of Doctor Who) and often participates in its fandom along with Troy. The two would fantasize and play out sequences from the show inside their "Dreamatorium" until it was turned into their bedroom. He also enjoys watching the shows Cougar Town and The Cape, with Danny Pudi appearing in a cameo as Abed during the season 2 finale of Cougar Town.^[4]

In season 5, Abed returns to Greendale after a failed stint as a filmmaker and decides to re-enroll in classes to learn how to work with real people. In the series finale "Emotional Consequences of Broadcast Television", Abed reveals that he is moving to Los Angeles to work as a production assistant for a TV show.

Relationships with others[]

Abed generally gets along with members of the study group and the Save Greendale Committee, although his social ineptitude and certain actions sometimes annoy and frustrate the group. One example including when it was revealed during Pierce's will reading that Abed has installed tracking devices onto all members of the study group ("Cooperative Polygraphy").

Abed's closest friend in the study group is Troy. Although they initially appeared to be at odds with each other, they gradually formed a close bond with each other. The two often appear during the credits of each episode doing various skits, with one noted recurring activity being the mock morning news program Troy and Abed in the Morning. After initially living with Pierce (Chevy Chase) during season 2, Troy then moves in with Abed in season 3 and was later joined by Annie at Apartment 303. The two often partner for class assignments and numerous activities. However, the friendship isn't without conflicts, as the two notably had a feud (and an eventual large scale pillow fight) over the construction of their pillow forts on campus in the episodes "Digital Exploration of Interior Design" and "Pillows and Blankets" until a truce was arranged by Jeff. During season 4, Abed was able to assist Troy in breaking off his relationship with Britta. In season 5, after Troy decides to leave Greendale to earn Pierce's fortune, Abed arranged for a school-wide game of 'the floor is lava' to send off Troy. After Troy departs, Abed struggled to adjust from his absence and deals with isolation. He was able to slowly learn to work with other people such as criminology professor Buzz Hickey (Jonathan Banks), but had a minor breakdown in "Basic Story" when he realized that there is no story of conflict at Greendale. By season 6, Abed has grown close to Annie and Britta, the latter of whom moved into their apartment. He also connects with Frankie Dart (Paget Brewster), the consultant hired to assist the Save Greendale Committee. He sometimes adopts alternate personalities that Annie is attracted to, as shown in the season 2 finale, 'For a Few Paintballs More'.

In "Herstory of Dance", Abed attempts to pull off a classic sitcom trope of balancing between two dates set up by Annie and Shirley during the corresponding Sadie Hawkins and Sophie B. Hawkins dances. He, however, falls instead for a coat check girl named Rachel (Brie Larson). Abed forgets about her until in season 5 and apologizes for his mistake and officially asks her out, later even trying to get her to move into his apartment.

Reception[]

Danny Pudi portrays the character

Critical response[]

The character of Abed Nadir has received acclaim from critics and viewers alike and is generally considered to be one of the most popular characters in the series. In 2011, Paste ranked him at first in their list of the 20 Best TV Characters of 2011, describing him as "the show's emotional center" and saying "his pop-culture obsessions and antics with his buddy Troy have made for some of the show's finest moments."^[5] Emily VanDerWerff, who served as TV editor for The A.V. Club when Community originally aired, called Abed one of the most original characters of the decade and praised the show for finding "a different way to do a sitcom character."^[6]

The phrase "Six Seasons and a Movie", uttered by Abed when Jeff argues that The Cape will be canceled, became a rallying cry for the Community fanbase when the show was on the verge of being canceled itself.^[7]

Though the show never confirms if Abed has Asperger's syndrome, many critics have praised the show for its portrayal of Abed within that context and for allowing Abed to establish relationships and undergo character development nonetheless.^[8][9][10] When writing Abed's character in 2011, Dan Harmon discovered that he himself might actually have Asperger's as well.^[11] He later stated on a podcast with Kevin Pollak that he knew he was not normal, and that he discovered that "I had a lot more in common with Abed than I did with Jeff."^{[citation needed]}

Awards and nominations[]

For his portrayal of Abed, Pudi has been nominated for several awards, including three Critics' Choice Television Awards for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series,^[12][13][14] one TCA Award for Individual Achievement in Comedy,^[15] and three EWwy Awards for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy (winning one in 2012).^[16][17][18]

References[]