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Stella (TV series)
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Stella was a television series that originally ran June 28, 2005 - August 30, 2005 on the American television channel Comedy Central, created by and starring Michael Ian Black, Michael Showalter, and David Wain, the three members of the sketch comedy troupe of the same name and former cast members of MTV's The State. Stella, as a comedy troupe, has existed since 1997. It has a large fan base and plays to sold out shows across the USA. The show aired on Tuesdays at 10:30 PM, EST.
On September 6, 2005, after 10 episodes, Stella had its timeslot filled by Mind of Mencia. Currently, Comedy Central rarely shows reruns of the program. On March 8, 2006, the following message was posted on Stella's official website: "The STELLA series was on Comedy Central last summer. The network has officially decided not to renew it for a second season," thus effectively cancelling the series. The first season DVD was released on September 12, 2006. Episodes have also been available on iTunes.
Contents
- 1 Characters
- 2 Plot
- 3 Episode list
- 4 Allusions
- 5 Recurring elements
- 6 DVD Release
- 7 External links
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Characters
Main
Recurring
- The Girls Downstairs
- Justin Lord as the important guy (Co-op Board President, The Mayor, Don Robinson, Justin Lord)
Plot
Stella is an adaptation of the
Stella comedy troupe's stage show and short films. The series follows Michael, Michael, and David, three infantile men who always dress in suits, live together in a New York apartment, and seemingly have no jobs. The show is somewhat a mix of sketch comedy and a sitcom; there is some semblance of a plot for each episode and recurring characters, but the show purposely ignores continuity and often becomes surreal.
The trio made 28 short films before the TV series, which were shown as part of the live show. The shorts were made during 1998-2002 (one of which has only been released as an easter egg on the series' first season DVD set). The shorts cover various different topics such as searching for Santa, mustache growing, pizza eating, and other absurd situations. The group cleaned up much of its material for the show, as much of the humor in the sketches and short films was often derived from taboo or adult topics like necrophilia and dildos.
The show, like much of modern sketch comedy, employs the techniques of absurdist humor, pioneered by the Marx Brothers, Eugène Ionesco and The Goodies (who also rode a trandem), amongst others. Notable guest stars include Paul Rudd, Sam Rockwell, Topher Grace, Tim Blake Nelson, Alan Ruck, Janeane Garofalo, and Edward Norton.
Episode list
| Episode # | Title | Original airdate | Code
|
| 1 | "Pilot" | June 28 2005 | 101 |
| The guys are kicked out of their apartment after finally pushing their landlord too far. |
| 2 | "Campaign" | July 5 2005 | 103 |
| When Michael Ian Black decides to run for president of the resident's board, David is left on the outs doing menial internship work. |
| 3 | "Office Party" | July 12 2005 | 105 |
| The guys get invited to one of their neighbors' office party and run afoul of a couple of stereotypical office jerks. They plot their revenge at the next company picnic. |
| 4 | "Coffee Shop" | July 19 2005 | 102 |
| When the girls downstairs have a fight, the guys tell them the story of the time their friendship was almost destroyed by their competing coffee shop jobs. |
| 5 | "Paper Route" | July 26 2005 | 104 |
| After running over the paper boy, Kevin O'Malley, the guys take over his paper route, but get discouraged after getting beaten up by bullies. They set out to teach the bullies about the power of friendship. |
| 6 | "Meeting Girls" | August 2 2005 | 107 |
| The guys dance in a bar and become popular. While they are there, Michael Ian Black and Michael Showalter get dates and David does not. Problems ensue, and soon, Michael and Michael move out, and David is forced to replace them with new roommates as they begin their lives with their new significant others. David's new roommate Jeremy in this episode is played by Josh Charles and a scene from this episode was filmed at Alfred Lerner Hall. |
| 7 | "Camping" | August 9 2005 | 106 |
| Tired of working, the guys take a vacation to the forest, where they quickly get lost. |
| 8 | "Novel" | August 16 2005 | 108 |
| Inspired by famous author Jane Burroughs (who is played by Janeane Garofalo), the trio tries their hand at writing. They show their manuscript to Jane, who steals it, with the intention of publishing it under her own name. |
| 9 | "Vegetables" | August 23 2005 | 109 |
| The guys decide to grow their own vegetables on their apartment floor to save money. |
| 10 | "Amusement Park" | August 30 2005 | 110 |
| The guys are excited to go on a trip to the amusement park to alleviate their irritation with each other, but the trip is ruined by rainy weather. The girls downstairs recommend visiting a psychiatrist, who commits them after they have a fight in his office. |
Allusions
Stella is riddled with allusions to the creators' earlier works. The most prominent of these are to the movie Wet Hot American Summer. Some of these include:
- The appearance of Janeane Garofalo (Beth), Paul Rudd (Andy), Elizabeth Banks (Lindsay), and Joe Lo Truglio (Neil).
- The song "Higher and Higher" by Theodore Shapiro and Craig Wedren in the episode "Office Party."
- The sign behind Michael Black's coffee stand in "Coffee Shop" reads "Gene's Two Way Radio", a reference to the character Gene in Wet Hot American Summer.
- Constant references to the Wet Hot American Summer script:
-In the episode "Novel":
David: "Listen, Jane--"
Jane: "Please, call me Jane."
David: "Okay, Jane it is."
This is a recreation of the dialogue between camp director Beth(also played by Garofalo) and associate professor Newman(David Hyde Pierce).
-In the episode "Meeting Girls":
Michael Black (to a woman he's dancing with): "I want you inside me."
Coop says this same line to Katie in Wet Hot American Summer.
Recurring elements
Although the series lasted only one season, the trio had been working together honing their act for years (through the live show and the original, more vulgar Stella short films). As such, by the time the TV show came to be, the trio had a strong sense of who the 'characters' were and a unique comic sensibility.
Recurring elements in the show include:
- The trio shouting "yay!" in unison any time something good happens (inversely, they "boo" in unison when something bad happens).
- Group discussions about God (Showalter often offers that God could be "a table or a leaf" etc.)
- The trio singing "who is it?" in unison whenever somebody rings the doorbell.
- Using fake moustaches as a means of disguise. (see the "Pilot" "Office Party" "Paper Route" and "Meeting Girls" episodes)
- Mention of "Marcus", a person whom none of them actually know.
- David Wain being the "odd man out" of the trio, as the two Michaels exclude him. (See the "Election," "Meeting Girls" and "Novel" episodes)
- Michael Showalter being the "emotional" one of the group, often overeacting to situations.
- Michael Showalter saying "We don't have this money." or "What I did was wrong and I'll be the first to admit it."
- Absurd time frames. The group often changes in extreme manners over a short period of time, such as full grown beards or strong relationship bonds. Very often this is hidden until someone brings up the point that something happened "just 2 days ago!"
- David Wain being the Casanova of the three, attracting and making out with different women at a moment's notice (See "Pilot", "Camping Trip" and "Coffee Shop" episodes). The one exception is the "Meeting Girls" episode, where only David has no girlfriend.
- Michael Ian Black being the evil, conniving one of the group, the first to resort to murder and the first to betray one of the friends.
- The title screen and theme music appearing abruptly, often contrasting with and interrupting whatever is going on in the scene.
- "The Important Guy" in many episodes, actor Justin Lord appears in a position of power (Co-op board president, mayor, music producer)
- The three learning a lesson about the importance of friendship.
- Winning awards or prizes at the end of an episode, even if their actions have not been in any way worthy of praise.
- Wearing suits at all times, even in innapropriate situations such as bathing and working out.
- The trio vocally harmonizing (badly).
DVD Release
Season Releases
| DVD Name | Release Date | Ep # | Additional Information
|
| Season One | September 12 2006 | 10 | "History of Stella" documentary, "Comedy Central Presents - Stella", Deleted scenes, Extended takes, Bloopers, Easter eggs (see below).
|
The DVD also contains three easter eggs, including a "lost" Stella short. To access them, one must insert disc two and enter the Special Features menu, start the "Comedy Central Presents" feature, and let that feature finish (i.e. by seeking rapidly forward). The silhouettes below will now turn into a three-entry, horizontal menu, with the cursor position being marked by the appearance of a hat and mustache on each silhouette. The three easter eggs are:
- A Stella short that has never been released on the Internet or on any bootleg DVD (previously seen only at the January 9, 2002 Stella performance); this is titled "Bar" and features H. Jon Benjamin.
- A montage of outtakes from the opening of the "Meeting Girls" episode. (the guys yelling "IT'S FRIDAY NIGHT")
- A reel of Comedy Central's advertisements for the Stella TV show.
