Stella

I'll admit that I wasn't expecting much when I first heard about this strange show, after all, the ads for it didn't really explain much about the show except that it was supposed to be hilarious, but who would buy into that just because they said so? I later found out that by doing this it would only make the show better. I first thought that this would be another flop that Comedy Central would come out with in an attempt to boost ratings since Chappell left. I decided to watch it that night out of total curiosity and after hearing how funny it was. It was incredible. It's one of the few funniest shows to come out this year. Its random based humor was perfect. It was definitely one of the better half hours of my life sitting in front of a television. I truly hope that this is one of the few shows to stay a while on Comedy Central.

In the post-Friends era where the "sitcom is dead," the new Comedy Central series Stella proves that great comedy is about innovation, not repetition. It's a difficult task to describe what makes the Stella trio of Michael Ian Black, David Wain, and Michael Showalter so side-splittingly funny. Perhaps it's that one never knows what they will do next. The three ne'er-do-wells find themselves propelled from one exceedingly far-fetched situation to the next (being caught "in tableau", enjoying various dipping sauces for food they've found in the dumpster). This series will appeal to drama geeks, fans of 80s pop culture, dark humorists, and anyone sick of the rote, by-the-numbers that constitutes typical sitcom material. It finds a welcome home at Comedy Central, and will soon stand alongside other eccentric hits such as South Park, Chapelle Show, and Reno 911.

after a string of filler and hyped failures and like the-prank-show-whose-name-i-don't-remember and hollow men, finally something for a shorter attention span. i've seen stella doing stand up on comedy central and didn't like them, so imagine my surprise and delight when the pilot turned out to be brilliant.

each scene features random clichés (mostly Hollywood conventions) that are fully developed within 10 seconds to 5 minutes. another joke starts before you realize the last one's over, and they are stringed together like this to form scenes within the show. the characters are completely nonchalant about the rules of their world. while all three actors are men, they switch between masculine, feminine, even animal clichés. the show's distinguishing schtick is that random sketches combine to form a storyline.

the show is relentlessly committed to its absurdity and satire. the underlying idea is not unlike traditional spoof comedies ranging from monty python to mel brookes films to the more recent scary movie series, but this is more shamelessly random and faster. the 3 guys are really good. i had a great time with the pilot. my only concern is as the show progresses, how they will be able to come up with as much material for every episode in order to not resort to running jokes.

best show introduced on the network since chappelle. but not for everyone.

In many ways, Stella reminds me a refined late-night long-form improv set out of Chicago. There are numerous winks at the audience and stylized imitations of clichéd genres. Yes, it's alternative comedy but if you really let the premise flow with you, there is some very witty writing. The consequences of everyone's actions are very minimal but at the same time it's a show that tries to exist in a world of satire. Ultimately, it's about the three friends as they explore the world. (Albeit, a world filled with wacky antics.) Still, the basic tenets of improv are always being reinforced: the "Yes and.." nature combined with a concentration on the relationship between the characters.

This show really took me by surprise. It's just so off-the-wall and different that most people don't know how to react to it at first. David Wain is by far the funniest of the trio. It's like they took all the expected cliché sections of movies and sitcoms, then replaced them with craziness and absurdity.

It's really a lot to take in the first time. I don't think this is for everyone, but give it a chance, you may find yourself coming back for more. And anyone who only watched it for 5 minutes and decided to write a review deserves to have their review taken off this site. The jokes are clever and in some cases subtle.