Stella (American TV series)

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 apparently have no jobs. The show is a mix of sketch comedy and a sitcom; there is a central plot for each episode and recurring characters, but the show ignores continuity and is often surreal.

The trio made 28 short films between 1998 and 2002, which were shown as part of the live show. The shorts cover various 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 employs absurdist humor. Notable guest stars include Paul Rudd, Rashida Jones, Sam Rockwell, Topher Grace, Tim Blake Nelson, Alan Ruck, Janeane Garofalo, Elizabeth Banks, and Edward Norton.

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), Zak Orth (J.J.), A.D. Miles (Gary), Joe Lo Truglio (Neil) and Ken Marino (Victor).
• 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.
• In the episode "Novel", there is a direct recreation of dialogue between the camp director Beth and Professor Newman from Wet Hot American Summer.
• In the episode "Meeting Girls" Black says to a man in the bar, "Hi, I'm Michael Ian Black. I love the '80s!" in reference to his appearances on the VH1 television program.

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, usually as a means of disguise. (see the "Pilot", "Office Party" 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). This happens in all of their live performances.
• Michael Showalter being the "emotional" one of the group, often overreacting 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 two 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. Although, at the end David admits to sleeping with Black's 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. He even once coerced David and the other Michael to resort to cannibalism.
• 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, CEO and president of Ultimate Amusement Inc.)
• 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 inappropriate situations such as bathing and working out.
• The trio vocally harmonizing (poorly).
• Breaking of the fourth wall, usually by looking directly into the camera.
• Simple camera tricks (e.g. in "Camping" Michael Showalter cracks raw eggs into a frying pan, which is panned offscreen and back on, and meanwhile the pan has been replaced with fully cooked eggs.)
• The three mention Simon & Garfunkel throughout the series, (See "Campaign", "Office Party" and Novel")
• The guys saying, in unison, "We did it! We did it TOGETHER!"
• The guys suddenly breaking into choreographed song or dance numbers.

Season Releases

• StellaFans.com
• Collected Stella links
• "Stella: The New Marx Brothers" --Rolling Stone interview
• "A Streetcar Named Hilarious" --The Phat Phree interview
• "Stella" --The Onion interview
• "Stella"—Brian M. Palmer interview
• "Gag Order" --Slate.com article
• Stella: season 1 episodes
• Stella at IMDb
• Stella at TV.com