A lot of comedy on TV isn't that funny, but survives for years on solid ratings. "Stella" was one of Comedy Central's best shows from the summer of 2005, but low ratings killed it after one season.
Now that the three-man sitcom/sketch comedy hybrid is available on DVD, we all get a second chance to appreciate the absurdist humor of trio Michael Ian Black, Michael Showalter and David Wain.
"Stella" is about three impulsive, suit-wearing friends who live together in an apartment. Over the course of the season they write a novel, fight teenage bullies, open rival coffee shops and get lost in the woods.
The DVD set features 10 episodes, an interview with the guys and a video of their standup routine filmed for "Comedy Central Presents." Also included are audio commentary and a blooper reel.
The group has been working together since they met at New York University when they were 18. After graduating they appeared on a show called "The State" with several comedians that went on to do "Reno 911," another popular Comedy Central program. After "The State" was over Michael, Michael and David did standup together as "Stella." The routine incorporated video shorts and these led to the idea of doing a TV show.
Creative conflicts tend to end up in the scripts.
"We've been friends long enough that to get mad about something creative doesn't threaten the project," said Black, who acted in the NBC sitcom "Ed."
On the show, the three engage in a lot of emotional male bonding, but Wain said the group has no hidden agenda.
"Sometimes it's the one who points out the homoeroticism that's actually the homo," he said.
Still, the transition from standup to an FCC-regulated cable show meant the group had to be more careful with what appeared onscreen.
"I wanted to have a woolly mammoth, but we couldn't," Black said.
"It had nothing to do with regulations on cable. It had to do with the fact that they were extinct," he said.
"We had to go with just a regular mammoth," Wain added.
The show gained a small cult following and a review from The Hollywood Reporter that called the three "the Marx Brothers on acid."
"Hollywood Reporter doesn't mean the comedy troupe," Showalter said, who recently starred in a film called "The Baxter."
"They meant Karl Marx and his brother Mushka."
From a creative perspective they were proud of what they accomplished on the TV show, Black said.
Indeed, the show should have had wide appeal, Showalter adds. "If you like 'Lost' or 'The Sopranos,' you'll love 'Stella.'"
"It appeals to the fart and dildo lover in all of us," Black said.
On the DVD set it's easy to tell that the three are having a lot of fun together, and this chemistry is what makes the series great.
"Our goofing off is our creative work," Black said. "That's how we work. That's our job."
"Sometimes we get together and we stop goofing off," Wain said, "and we wait tables"
