Jeff Winger is finally dealing with his daddy issues. This week, he'll confront his absentee father, William, as played by James Brolin. The veteran actor jumped at the chance to exercise his funny bone on the NBC series Community.

On the outside, Jeff is a narcissistic mess. He has moments of kindness, but they're few and far between. What comes across as cold, however, is just a defense mechanism he developed as a young child. When his father left his family, Jeff cut off his emotions.

This season, Community will tackle his family troubles head-on. Brolin will appear as the dad Jeff barely knew, and their reunion is odd to say the least.

According to Brolin , "The father tries but I just don't think he fits in a lot of places. And a lot of his answers are from left field. I loved every bit of dialogue that they had written. Every once in awhile there's something kind of delicious and fun for an actor who's done a lot of things, and this is one of them.

"From the moment he opens the front door, whatever he says is just off," Brolin continues. "And when Jeff says something and he answers, it's just not on the same track at all. There's probably something very sad about this, but there's something very funny and recognizable about it... Good comedy is about real stuff."

Brolin has a thing for playing estranged fathers. He also appears on ABC's Castle as the title character's dad.

Community airs Thursdays at 8/7c on NBC.