The NBC comedy “Community” returns tonight, against all odds. The wacky sitcom has seemed headed for the graveyard every year, but has enough of a cult following to make it hard for the network to completely cut the cord. I have read that these new episodes are pretty funny.

But will we ever really know if that’s true?

Sure, each one of us will make our own determination whether we enjoy the episodes or not, but that doesn’t always seem to be enough in this day and age, especially for a niche show like “Community.” The need for so many to weigh in – as stridently as possible – seems to drive the eventual legacy of any show. And, for “Community,” that often has nothing to do with the actual show.

The problem with assessing whether this show actually works anymore is that the discussion has turned less to the actual development of a television comedy and more to a deification of creator Dan Harmon. I don’t blame him – he’s a messed up individual who just wanted to make a TV show. He just happened to come around when a brighter light fell on showrunners, making his online conversation and eventual battles with Sony, the show’s producer, fodder for those who need to choose sides.

I love leaning a lot of information about the people who create the shows I enjoy, but it has taken on a whole new life with Harmon. Of course the people who said the show would suck when he was canned before last season said last season sucked. And of course those people are saying the show will be better now that he has returned. But is that because the show did suck last year (it was certainly more uneven, but for all the epic episodes under Harmon, some things just didn’t work at all) and will be better last year?

The problem is that this all goes beyond fans. The online TV critics are often just as much in the bag for Harmon as the people sitting at their computer just waiting to create GIFs of Allison Brie running. And that’s why I don’t know if we will ever find out if “Community” is good anymore. I won’t stop tuning in, but I will more think of this time as a televised referendum on the independence of showrunners rather than plotlines and jokes.