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Case Closed: The Law & Order Noise Is Chung Chung, Okay?

Jen Chung

Published Apr 26, 2012

Modified Apr 26, 2012

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Jen Chung

Published Apr 26, 2012

Modified Apr 26, 2012

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As the Community fans who also love Law & Order excitedly await tonight's very special L&O-inspired episode, "Basic Lupine Urology," there's a very real debate occurring online. No, it's not Britta-Jeff 'shippers vs. Annie-Jeff 'shippers or Britta-Troy 'shippers vs. Troy-Abed fanfic'ers or Dan Harmon vs. Chevy Chase. It's much more serious: It's about what onomatopoeia describes the noise between L&O scenes.

Community star Joel McHale Tweeted, "#BONGBONG is good too. #NBCCommunity"—earning the outrage of a certain Lennie Briscoe fan (hello, look at her freaking Twitter wallpaper) who insisted, "It's #CHUNGCHUNG." So McHale Tweeted, "What do you think it should be? #CHUNGCHUNG #BONGBONG #DUNDUN or #CHANGCHANG for tonight's Law & Order themed #NBCCommunity" Well, may we present the people's case for "Chung Chung"?

Why it's not "Doink Doink": That sounds stupid when you say it and it looks stupid when you write it.
Why it's not "Dun Dun": It's always "Dun Dun DUN"—never just "Dun Dun."
Why it's not "Bong Bong": Listen, Lieutenant Van Buren's weed was MEDICINAL—for her cervical cancer.
Why it's not "Thunk Thunk": This is about justice, not about how ADA Serena Southerlyn randomly mentioned she was a lesbian when she was kicked out of the DA's office.
Why it's not "Chang Chang": Sort of makes sense for this special episode of Community, sure, but overall there's too much association with the very un-NYC P.F. Chang's.

By process of elimination, it's obviously "Chung Chung." Plus, as we keep pointing out, there was a t-shirt created in 2004 by Glarkware with the following description:

"Chung Chung." It's a noun. It's a verb. It's an adjective. It's an interjection. It's the humble yet commanding not-quite-music cue that keeps your most beloved cop shows chugging -- or, really, Chung-ing along, from one bogus New York address to the next, moving us inexorably toward the last five minutes we just absolutely will not believe.

Wearing "Chung Chung," the shirt, will let you express your affection for the best and most memorable element of that beloved cop show -- not the revolving cast of tic-y law-enforcement officers in the station house and the court house; not the cases "ripped from the headlines" and clumsily not-really fictionalized; not the bit players who keep mysteriously reappearing in episode after episode in different identities so that as soon as you see them, you know they must be the killers just because they've been on so many times -- but the "Chung Chung" sound that really has no reason to exist at all, and yet is so integral to the show that it should get its own screen in the opening credits.

Community airs tonight at 8 p.m. on NBC.

Tagged

chung chung

community

joel mchale

Law & Order

nbc

Jen Chung

Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

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