Recently released was the first and only season ever produced of Stella for Comedy Central. It was a show marketed as "Dumb comedy dressed in a suit" and it struggled to find an audience, disappearing after only ten episodes. I always wondered what happened to it after the first season ended last summer. It was a show I tried to catch every week. There was something about it that just drew me in.
How do you describe a show like Stella? It stars three longtime friends Michael Showalter, Michael Ian Black, and David Wain playing characters with the imaginative names of Michael Showalter, Michael Ian Black, and David Wain. Their characters are friends and roommates who do everything together. Each week we were brought into their world, where they would go on a series of adventures. They go to a company picnic for a company where they do not work, take a job as paper boys to face off with a 10-year old bully, and even start a garden in their apartment to resolve their debt. They are always dressed in suits and have a childlike innocence about them.
Stella was a bizarre conglomeration of sitcom and sketch comedy that never did things the easy way. It was a show that left me scratching my head the first time I saw it. The setups were bizarre, nonsensical, and very funny, a series that demands that you invest yourself in their adventures. Never ones to settle for the easy or obvious jokes, Michael, Michael, and David play off of each other and create something truly unique.
It is rare to come across a show that is unique and as quirky as this, and I can completely understand why there are only ten episodes. This style of comedy is not for everyone. Actually, it is probably for a very small portion of the public. This is not mainstream, has no mainstream tendencies, and in no way, shape, or form would ever be seen on network television.
Stella is one of the more fringe shows you are likely to see. Despite my thoughts of its narrow range of appeal, I urge all of you to sample its zaniness on these disks. Something that is very refreshing about it is how innocent it is. The show never goes for vulgarity, or sexual innuendo, rather they all exhibit a sense of wonder. Children in suits are playing adults who are not really sure how they are supposed to act.
Article comments
1 - triniman
I have the first episode and thought it was hilarious. Haven't seen anything else but I will likely get this dvd.