''Stella'' is an American

sketch comedy Sketch comedy comprises a series of short, amusing scenes or vignettes, called "sketches" or, "skits", commonly between one and ten minutes long, performed by a group of comic actors or comedians. While the form developed and became popular in ...

television series that originally ran from June 28 to August 30, 2005 on

Comedy Central Comedy Central is an American Cable television in the United States, cable television channel, channel owned by Paramount Global through its Paramount Media Networks, network division's Paramount Media Networks#MTV Entertainment Group, MTV Ente ...

. It was created by and stars Michael Ian Black, Michael Showalter, and David Wain, former cast members of MTV's ''

The State A state is a political entity that regulates society and the population within a definite territory. Government is considered to form the fundamental apparatus of contemporary states. A country often has a single state, with various administrat ...

'' (1993). As a comedy troupe, Stella started in 1997 and played to sold out shows across the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

with a

cult following A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The latter is often called a cult classic. A film, boo ...

. In September, after 10 episodes, ''Stella''s timeslot was succeeded by ''

Mind of Mencia ''Mind of Mencia'' is an American comedy television series on the cable channel Comedy Central. Hosted by comedian Carlos Mencia, it aired over the course of four seasons from July 6, 2005 to July 23, 2008. History The first season of ''Min ...

''. The DVD was released on September 12, 2006.

Characters

Main

The "Guys"

* Michael Ian Black as Michael Ian Black * Michael Showalter as Michael Showalter * David Wain as David Wain

The Girls Downstairs

* Andrea Rosen as Jennifer. In real life, Rosen is Showalter's former roommate. * Samantha Buck as Amy * Heidi Neurauter as Stacy In the pilot only, the third roommate was played by

Rashida Jones Rashida Leah Jones ( ; born February 25, 1976) is an American actress and filmmaker. She is best known for her roles as Louisa Fenn on the Fox drama series ''Boston Public'' (2000–2002), Karen Filippelli on the NBC comedy series ''The Offic ...

Recurring

* Justin Lord as Co-Op Board President, Company CEO, Don Robinson, and Justin Lord

Format

''Stella'' is an adaptation of the Stella comedy troupe's stage show and short films. The series centers on Michael, Michael, and David, three childlike men who consistently wear suits, live together in a New York apartment, and seemingly have no employment. The show blends sketch comedy with a sitcom format, featuring a central plot for each episode along with recurring characters, but it disregards continuity and often embraces surreal elements. The trio had 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, much of which had been often derived from taboo or adult topics like

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and

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s. The show employs absurdist humor. Notable guest stars include Paul Rudd,

Sam Rockwell Sam Rockwell (born November 5, 1968) is an American actor. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, for playing troubled police officer Jason Dixon in ''Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri'' (2017). He was nominated i ...

Topher Grace Christopher John Grace ( ; born July 12, 1978), known professionally as Topher Grace, is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Eric Forman in the teen sitcom ''That '70s Show'' (1998–2005) and Eddie Brock / Venom in Sam Raimi's s ...

Tim Blake Nelson Timothy Blake Nelson (born May 11, 1964) is an American actor, writer, and director. Described as a "modern character actor", his roles include Delmar O'Donnell in ''O Brother, Where Art Thou?'' (2000), Gideon in ''Minority Report (film), Minori ...

Alan Ruck Alan Douglas Ruck (born July 1, 1956) is an American actor. He is known for portraying Cameron Frye in John Hughes' film '' Ferris Bueller's Day Off'' (1986), as well as television roles as Stuart Bondek on the ABC sitcom '' Spin City'' (1996� ...

, Janeane Garofalo, Elizabeth Banks, and Edward Norton.

Episodes

References

External links

"Stella: The New Marx Brothers"
--''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' interview
"A Streetcar Named Hilarious"
--''The Phat Phree'' interview

--''

The Onion ''The Onion'' is an American digital media company and newspaper organization that publishes satirical articles on international, national, and local news. The company is currently based in Chicago, but originated as a weekly print publication ...

'' interview * —Brian M. Palmer interview
"Gag Order"
-- Slate.com article * {{Comedy Central programming 2000s American single-camera sitcoms 2000s American sketch comedy television series 2005 American television series debuts 2005 American television series endings American English-language television shows Comedy Central sitcoms