While the name Michael K. Williams may not instantly ring a bell, those who are frequent viewers of HBO programming will surely remember Omar Little from The Wire and Chalky White from Boardwalk Empire. Williams is the man behind both those characters and today Vulture is reporting that he’ll add another show to his resume, NBC’s Community. The role will be that of Greendale’s new biology professor and Williams is currently set for a three episode arc.
“The general idea with this season is to add … a certain amount of groundedness and reality to the series. Because the detractors of our show complain that there’s a distancing that takes place because we have such a silliness and far-fetchedness … So I asked myself, ‘What is the opposite of that?’ And it’s certainly The Wire. I [recently] watched all five seasons, and I wanted to bring a little bit of that mentality and apply it to the Community recipe,” said series creator Dan Harmon.
Although it’s only a short arc, the actor could potentially have his time on Community extended. The only issue is Boardwalk Empire, which he is still attached to. If he wanted more time for Community, it would need to be cleared with HBO.
Michael K. Williams is a fine actor who has done some solid work on both The Wire and Boardwalk Empire. I’m sure he’ll be great on Community but the real question is, will fans of NBC’s popular comedy series recognize Williams? I think it’s safe to say that most of the people that watch shows like The Wire and Boardwalk Empire probably don’t watch Community.
Either way, as a fan of Williams’ work and Community, I’m definitely looking forward to this and hopefully his arc will be extended for more than just three episodes.
