Customer Reviews

Stella - Season One

5 star:		(44)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I hate to just throw another five stars at Stella with the other reviewers, but it deserves nothing less! The comedy is brilliantly simple, which is hard to find in TV these days. The plots are simple and predictable enough that the ridiculousness of the jokes becomes the focus of each episode. It's amazing how few television shows take the absurdist route these days, but at the same time; I would have never guessed that three men in suits that act like toddlers could make me seriously laugh. The three main actors are hysterical in their unusual relationship with each other.

I watched much of the show's first season, and immediately decided that it was some kind of independant group that had come up with their own plots, and would stay away from the mainstream. However, they score huge credibility with great guest stars (Jeanine Garofalo, Paul Rudd I believe?), that play off of the absurdist comedy with some strange touch of realism. I can't recommend this show enough.

I love this show. I watch much less Comedy Central now that it's off. The series plays like a modern-day Marx Bros. with an absurdist twist and some fun celebrity cameos. Nice extras on the DVD, especially the "History of Stella" documentary, which features great footage from the live shows.

People who hate this show are probably the same people who have made Larry the Cable Guy a ratings sensation on Comedy Central. Get 'er done! Gaaharf, gaaharf! It's a shame that there's no room for a smart show like Stella when Redneck Comedy Hour is on like five times a day.

Somebody call Marcus!

Two years ago a friend convinced me to see this trio of comedians from MTV's The State perform at a comedy club in Boston. Thank goodness she did, because it was perhaps the most hilarious evening I have ever spent watching something that I can hardly describe! The best I can come up with is "team stand up" but that can only offer a glimpse into the brilliant, original work of Black, Showalter and Wain. These guys have such great chemistry (that's what happens when you work with someone for decades) and freshness, I can't recommend them enough. The show follows more of a narrative than their live act but the essence is the same: three grown men in suits that live out a live-action cartoon. Time, space, all the traditional tenets of reality don't apply for these guys. Just sit back, keep an open mind, and enjoy the lunacy of STELLA!

I couldn't wait for the DVD so I bought the show from iTunes so that I can watch it on my Video iPod.

DW: hey, where'd you get that?
MB: i was looking for my insoles which you borrowed and never returned, david!
MS: oh yeah, you're one to talk mike, what about that taco you borrowed?
MB: you said i could have that taco! you told me i could have that taco.
MS: you said, "can i borrow a taco?"

and so forth...

i want you boys to go back to your the first argument you ever had. what do you see?

i see a village...
...people
...the village people

best episode...amusement park. but i can't wait for them all. mine is preoredered already, do the same...

Stella only lasted for a season on Comedy Central, but it's one of the funniest things they've ever done next to TV Funhouse (and I've watched every show on this channel all the way back in the Higgins Boys and Gruber Days).

The humor used in this show is unlike any I've ever seen before, and it is something you'll laugh at every time. I can't really describe what they do or how it's funny, but I used to look forward to this show more than any comedy on the air, even Chapelle (Though it's apples and oranges there). Stella manages to have a humor that is amazingly intelligent and witty while simultaneously being ludicrously stupid at the same time. The one liners, the strange events, the bizarre plotlines, the hot neighbors, it's comic gold.

The cast is superb (all veterans of MTV's "The State" and the force behind "Wet Hot American Summer" as other reviews have mentioned). If you like either of those shows or the folks in charge of Reno 911, you'll probably dig on some Stella. I'll cut this review short because this show is something that has to be seen to be understood.

Stella is one of the most hillarious shows I have seen in a long time. With a comedy trio like Michael Ian Black, Michael Showalter, and David Wain how could you possibly lose? If you like the movie Wet Hot American Summer, you will love this show, rest assured. Buy this DVD, watch, love it. You would be a fool not to.

This had to be one of the funniest ORIGIONAL shows I have ever seen. These guys have thier own unique style of comedy. Nothing in any episode is predictable. You can't tell what's going ot happen next and IT ROCKS! It's one of those shows that you can watch the episodes over several times and the jokes don't lose thier magic on you. One funny example of the comedy style I recall is Micheal Showalter cracks some eggs into a pan (shells and all; cooking breakfast in a hurry. Camera pans away for a second while he says "C'mon guys we're gonna be late", camera pans back to the pan in his hand with 2 perfectly fully cooked sunny side up eggs. That's just a small tinsy taste of what to expect though. Buy the DVD, watch the SHOW.

This is the type of comedy that the American audience needs! Unfortunately most either didn't care or were too used to the overused humor of the average sitcom to understand the pure brilliance of this comedy creation. The writing is indeed random, yet with a level of sophistication that rivals comedic gems such as The Office or Arrested Development(also too quick and subtle for the majority of today's laugh-track audience). From their over-the-top shtick to their subtle looks at the camera I laughed nearly to the point of tears. Only 10 episodes is not enough, and I hope they find a way to do more direct to DVD episodes on the side for their Stella fans. Buy this DVD and give Stella the chance they didn't get from Comedy Central. "We don't have this money" is no excuse! (sorry- that's been in my head all day making me laugh. If you're a Stella fan you understand why. I tried thinking of a quote that fits more with this review, but the way Showalter delivers that line is all I can currently think of:)

I've been following Stella from afar for a few years now. I live in England, I'm English and sometimes comedy doesn't translate well across the pond. But this is probably one of the funniest things I've ever seen.

I love comedy, and have a broad range of tastes, so maybe that's why I lapped up every ounce of hilarity to be squeezed from this glorious show. But you have to give it a chance, you can't watch a single episode in isolation and dismiss it.

Sure, there's more than a hint of self-indulgence and a great measure of self-gratification evident in the antics of our 3 heros and their alter-egos. But that's what makes it funny. Maybe some people don't like to invest their time in their entertainment any more, maybe they can't be bothered to get to know the perfomers and their scope and multi-talented endeavours. Well that's their loss, because that's why this nugget of comedy gold shines out like a beacon in a river of dross.

Put in some groundwork people, don't be lazy. Fast food is one thing, but that kind of instant gratification doesn't apply here. Stella needs to enjoyed like a gourmet dinner. And best of all, it's calorie free.

One of the best short lived comedy shows recently. If you have ever seen the Stella comedy group or movies starring Michael Showalter you will enjoy this. Even in just in one episode so much happens that the story is pointless and just the randomness become hillarious. It's also great to see adults that have never grown up and still really act like children.