''Strangers with Candy'' is an American television sitcom created by
Stephen Colbert
Stephen Tyrone Colbert ( ; born May 13, 1964) is an American comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actor, and television host. He is best known for hosting the satirical Comedy Central program ''The Colbert Report'' from 2005 to ...
,
Paul Dinello,
Amy Sedaris
Amy Louise Sedaris (; born March 29, 1961) is an American actress, comedian, and writer. She played Jerri Blank in the Comedy Central comedy series '' Strangers with Candy'' (1999–2000) and the prequel film '' Strangers with Candy'' (2005), wh ...
, and
Mitch Rouse that originally aired 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 ...
from April 7, 1999, to October 2, 2000. Its timeslot was Sundays at 10:00 p.m. (
ET). The series, inspired by
after school specials, follows Jerri Blank (Sedaris) a 46-year-old woman, who after living as a prostitute and drug addict, decides to go back to high school and start doing things the right way. The series was produced by
Comedy Partners
MTV Entertainment Studios (formerly MTV Production Development from 2003 until 2018 and MTV Studios from 2018 until 2021) is an American film and television production and distribution company and is the film and television production arm of t ...
, with
Kent Alterman serving as executive producer and Colbert as co-producer.
''Strangers with Candy'' episodes were produced in a
single-camera setup
In filmmaking, television production and video production, the single-camera setup or single-camera mode of production (also known as portable single crew, portable single camera or single-cam) is a method in which all of the various shots and c ...
and were filmed between upstate New York and New Jersey. The pilot episode premiered on April 7, 1999, and three seasons followed. The series stars Sedaris, Colbert, Dinello and
Greg Hollimon with a supporting cast that includes
Roberto Gari,
Deborah Rush
Deborah Rush (born April 10, 1954) is an American actress. She has worked in television, film and on Broadway. In 1984, she was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play for Michael Frayn's comedy ''Noise ...
,
Larc Spies,
Maria Thayer
Maria Christina Thayer (born October 30, 1975) is an American actress and comedian. She first earned public recognition for her portrayal of Tammi Littlenut on the cult series '' Strangers with Candy'' in 1999. Thayer has also had supporting rol ...
, Orlando Patoboy,
Sarah Thyre and
David Pasquesi
David Pasquesi (born December 22, 1960) is an American actor and comedian. His screen credits include '' Father of the Bride'' (1991), ''Common Law'' (1996), '' Strangers with Candy'' (1999), '' The Watcher'' (2000), '' Employee of the Month'' ...
.
Tonally, ''Strangers with Candy'' uses
surreal humor
Surreal humour (also called surreal comedy, absurdist humour, or absurdist comedy) is a form of humour predicated on deliberate violations of causal reasoning, thus producing events and behaviors that are obviously illogical. Portrayals of s ...
to satirize
after school specials and the sanitized, saccharine advice those shows would give to kids. The show altered the lessons so the principal character would always do the wrong thing. It was Comedy Central's first ever live-action narrative series. The show struggled with low ratings during its initial broadcast run. Despite the lack of audience, it is now known as a
cult classic
A cult following is a group of Fan (person), 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 List of art media, medium. The latter is often cal ...
, having influenced numerous contemporary comedians and screenwriters. A
prequel film of the same name was released in 2006.
Plot
Set in the fictional city of Flatpoint, ''Strangers with Candy'' follows Geraldine Antonia "Jerri" Blank, a former prostitute and drug addict—referred to in the show as a "junkie whore"—who returns to
high school
A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...
as a 46-year-old
freshman
A freshman, fresher, first year, or colloquially frosh, is a person in the first year at an educational institution, usually a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational in ...
at Flatpoint High. Jerri ran away from home and became "a
boozer, a
user
Ancient Egyptian roles
* User (ancient Egyptian official), an ancient Egyptian nomarch (governor) of the Eighth Dynasty
* Useramen, an ancient Egyptian vizier also called "User"
Other uses
* User (computing), a person (or software) using an ...
, and a loser" after dropping out of high school as a teenager, supporting her drug habits through
prostitution
Prostitution is a type of sex work that involves engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, no ...
,
stripping, and
larceny
Larceny is a crime involving the unlawful taking or theft of the personal property of another person or business. It was an offence under the common law of England and became an offence in jurisdictions which incorporated the common law of Eng ...
. She has been to prison several times, the last time because she "stole the TV".
Jerri tries to do things the right way but always ends up learning the wrong lesson. Her hijinks often involve, either directly or indirectly, history teacher Chuck Noblet and his secret lover art teacher Geoffrey Jellineck. Every episode features a warped theme or moral lesson and ends with the cast and other featured actors from the episode dancing. The last episode features Flatpoint High being turned into a strip mall, a development that reflected Comedy Central cancelling the show to make room for a TV show called ''
Strip Mall
A strip mall, strip center, strip plaza or simply plaza is a type of shopping mall, shopping center common in North America and Australia where the stores are arranged in a row, with a footpath in front. Strip malls are typically developed as a ...
''.
Development
Conception
Sedaris, Dinello, Colbert and Rouse first created the sketch comedy show ''
Exit 57'', which debuted on Comedy Central in 1995 and aired through 1996''.''
Although it lasted only 12 episodes, the show received favorable reviews and was nominated for five
CableACE Awards in 1995, in categories including best writing, performance, and comedy series.
After the show was cancelled, Colbert and Dinello were preparing a pitch for a show known as "Mysteries of the Insane Unknown". Simultaneously, Rouse and Sedaris had developed their own pitch, which Sedaris described as "something based on after-school specials" inspired by shows like ''
The Brady Bunch
''The Brady Bunch'' is an American sitcom created by Sherwood Schwartz that aired five seasons from September 26, 1969, to March 8, 1974, on ABC. The series revolves around a large blended family of six children, with three boys and three gir ...
''. They presented it first to
MTV
MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...
, as Rouse knew someone there; while his friend loved it, they were told the channel would not go for it.
Comedy Central was prepared to greenlight "Mysteries" but Dinello convinced Colbert to go help Sedaris with her pitch. Colbert was reticent after hearing her idea because he knew it was better than theirs; he was right, and Comedy Central's
Kent Alterman chose her show instead.
At first, Sedaris wanted to do a straight after-school special: "We wanted to play it dead, dead serious. No laugh track, nothing. But Comedy Central didn’t go for it."
Rouse, Colbert, and Dinello went to the
Museum Of Television and found several after-school specials starring
Scott Baio
Scott Vincent Baio (; born September 22, 1960) is an American actor. He is known for playing Chachi Arcola on the sitcom ''Happy Days'' (1977–1984) and its spin-off '' Joanie Loves Chachi'' (1982–1983), the title character on the s ...
, which they used as reference.
Dinello later found a tape of
Florrie Fisher's ''
The Trip Back'' at
Kim's video in the
East Village; Fisher, a motivational speaker, recalled her days as a New York prostitute and heroin addict to a group of high-school students. After watching it, Dinello thought Fisher reminded him of Sedaris and promptly suggested doing a character—inspired by Fisher—that would go back to high school. Colbert added the idea of her learning the wrong lesson after every episode, and Sedaris said "Okay, she'll be a junkie whore this time."
Rouse noted ''Strangers'' was a combination of Fisher's tape, the Baio specials, ''
Aileen Wuornos: The Selling of a Serial Killer'', and
Frederick Wiseman
Frederick Wiseman (born January 1, 1930) is an American filmmaker, documentarian, and theater director. His work is primarily about exploring American institutions. In 2017, ''The New York Times'' called him "one of the most important and origina ...
’s ''
Titicut Follies
''Titicut Follies'' is a 1967 American direct cinema documentary film produced, written, and directed by Frederick Wiseman and filmed by John Marshall. It deals with the patient-inmates of Bridgewater State Hospital for the Criminally Insane, ...
''.
Writing and production
Colbert, Dinello and Sedaris wrote most of the episodes. The process started with an "overlying outline": knowing the start and the end of the episode, they would build the scenes in between and later would improvise together in a room. Whatever they laughed at went in the script. Colbert later said of this method: "Our rule was, if it makes us laugh, we put it in the script. There was not a single thing said by a character in that show that was right. Every choice was the wrong moral choice. Because of the freedom Comedy Central allowed us, we said and did things that were outrageous and extreme."
They would also keep typos in.
Sedaris recalled: "That's what I learned from working on ''Strangers.'' If you're not laughing, how do you expect anyone else to laugh?"
Alterman said of the show's structure "The way we approached
twas to present each one as a morality play where in the third act the protagonist, Jerri Blank, would always, without fail, make the wrong choice. And then to cap it off, she would come back in the epilogue in the fourth act to say what she learned, and she would also draw the wrong lesson from the wrong choice she had made."
To absolve themselves of the offensive stuff they had written, they would imagine all the scripts were written by a middle-aged woman named Jocelyn Hershey Guest, in a similar way to
J.D. Salinger alter ego
Buddy Glass. "In the world where she’s writing, these are the right moral choices," Colbert has said.
Very occasionally they would write with a collaborator such as Cindy Caponera,
Mitch Rouse, or
Thomas Lennon.
Some of Jerri's phrases like "You got skills to pay the bills" and "I like the pole and the hole" came from things Sedaris' brother
Paul
Paul may refer to:
People
* Paul (given name), a given name, including a list of people
* Paul (surname), a list of people
* Paul the Apostle, an apostle who wrote many of the books of the New Testament
* Ray Hildebrand, half of the singing duo ...
would say.
Much of Jerri's past is taken from anecdotes in ''The Trip Back'', some of which are also in Fisher's autobiography, ''
The Lonely Trip Back''. Several lines of dialogue in the series were taken verbatim from Fisher's public-service film.
Sedaris would often watch the show without sound to see if a deaf person could follow: "Okay, if I couldn't hear or understand anything, could I still find the show entertaining?" And I did. 'Cause everyone was so interesting to look at."
The third season was written in
Charleston,
South Carolina
South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...
, Colbert's hometown.
Comedy Central picked up the series in 1998 after Colbert had already begun working on ''The Daily Show''. As a result, he accepted a reduced role, filming only around 20 ''Daily Show'' segments a year while he worked on the new series.
The show was originally entitled ''The Way After School Special'',
but later was changed to Strangers With Candy, which was just a name they had come up with years earlier, and had been wanting to use for one of their projects. It came from the phrase "Don't take candy from strangers," which would probably be a lesson from an "Afterschool Special".
Sedaris has credited producer Kent Alterman with the development of the show: "He really helped us shape that show. We went in there with strong ideas, but he changed it a lot from the pilot to the first episode. He had a good eye and really good ideas, and we trusted him from the get-go."
Doug Herzog, who was at the time, president of Comedy Central's parent company
Viacom, also noted his influence, "Kent recognized the brilliance and genius of ''Strangers With Candy'' really early on. He really championed it when a lot of us were looking at it, going, “What is this?”
The show faced slight censorship from the network, Sedaris said, "It was weird. Like they let you say "pussy," but not "faggot" — until the fourth show. They said, "You have to build up to 'faggot.'" And the script of one show had me writing in my "dirty, filthy Jew diary." Well, I could say "dirty," but I couldn't say "filthy." It was killing me."
Mostly, however, the writers were left alone to their own devices.
Vicki Farrell designed the wardrobe for the show. When designing Jerri Blank's appearance, Sedaris told Farrell "I want to look like I own a snake." Jerri would often wear high-waisted pants and snakeskin ankle boots, as well as turtlenecks because Comedy Central did not want track marks or tattoos to be visible. To complete the look Sedaris wore a
fatsuit.
Some of her clothes were custom made or came from thrift stores.
Sedaris wore a wig and fake lashes, and told the hair and makeup department she wanted Jerri to look like a professional golfer.
It would take about 40 minutes for Sedaris to get into character.
Casting
When writing the pilot, the writers would perform the characters, and realized that they were imitating
Greg Hollimon when they read Principal Blackman's lines.
Colbert called Hollimon to play the part, but his mother, who had
dementia
Dementia is a syndrome associated with many neurodegenerative diseases, characterized by a general decline in cognitive abilities that affects a person's ability to perform activities of daily living, everyday activities. This typically invo ...
, forgot to pass him the message. A few weeks later
Rose Abdoo was able to contact him, and he flew to New York to film.
The creators, Hollimon, and many other stars of the series, were also alumni of
Chicago
Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
's
Second City.
Roberto Gari was chosen for the role of Jerri's father Guy as he was the only actor who was able to do the character's poses and keep still for a long period of time.
Filming
The show was filmed between
Westchester County, New York
Westchester County is a County (United States), county located in the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, bordering the Long Island Sound and the Byram River to its east and the Hudson River on its west. The c ...
and
New Jersey
New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...
, with two different abandoned schools in the
Rutherford area being used as the set for Flatpoint High.
Cast and characters
Main characters
*
Stephen Colbert
Stephen Tyrone Colbert ( ; born May 13, 1964) is an American comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actor, and television host. He is best known for hosting the satirical Comedy Central program ''The Colbert Report'' from 2005 to ...
as Charles "Chuck" Noblet, the school's history teacher and sponsor of the school newspaper, ''The Donkey Trouser''. He and his wife Claire have a son, Seamus, and he is in a secret sexual relationship with Geoffrey Jellineck.
*
Paul Dinello as Geoffrey Jellineck, the school's art teacher. He is an emotionally fragile and narcissistic man who is engaged in a secret homosexual relationship with Chuck Noblet.
*
Greg Hollimon as Principal Onyx Blackman, Principal of Flatpoint High School. His image is prominently displayed around the school, in classrooms, lockers, and even paper towels.
*
Roberto Gari as Guy Blank (season 1; guest season 2), Jerri's biological father, shown only in a motionless state during mid-action. In the
film
A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...
, he is replaced by
Dan Hedaya
Daniel G. Dan Hedaya (born July 24, 1940) is an American actor best known for his supporting roles in films such as '' The Hunger'' (1983), '' Blood Simple'' (1984), ''Commando'' (1985), '' The Addams Family'' (1991), ''Benny & Joon'' (1993), '' ...
.
*
Deborah Rush
Deborah Rush (born April 10, 1954) is an American actress. She has worked in television, film and on Broadway. In 1984, she was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play for Michael Frayn's comedy ''Noise ...
as Sara Blank (season 1; recurring seasons 2–3), Jerri's hateful stepmother.
*
Larc Spies as Derrick Blank (season 1; recurring seasons 2–3), Jerri's arrogant teenage half-brother. He plays quarterback for the Flatpoint Donkeys football team. In the
film
A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...
, he is replaced by
Joseph Cross.
*
Amy Sedaris
Amy Louise Sedaris (; born March 29, 1961) is an American actress, comedian, and writer. She played Jerri Blank in the Comedy Central comedy series '' Strangers with Candy'' (1999–2000) and the prequel film '' Strangers with Candy'' (2005), wh ...
as Geraldine "Jerri" Antonia Blank, a 46-year-old ex-con, ex-junkie, ex-prostitute, and high-school freshman at Flatpoint High.
Recurring characters
*
Sarah Thyre as Coach Cherri Wolf, the girls' gym teacher. Thyre played Jerri's stepmom in the original pilot.
* Orlando Pabotoy as Orlando Pinatubo, Jerri's Filipino sidekick, about whose heritage she makes many racist remarks. In the
film
A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...
, he is replaced by
Carlo Alban as Megawatti Sukarnoputri.
*
Maria Thayer
Maria Christina Thayer (born October 30, 1975) is an American actress and comedian. She first earned public recognition for her portrayal of Tammi Littlenut on the cult series '' Strangers with Candy'' in 1999. Thayer has also had supporting rol ...
as Tammi Littlenut, Jerri's red-headed friend, who is often referred to as "Coppertop".
*
David Pasquesi
David Pasquesi (born December 22, 1960) is an American actor and comedian. His screen credits include '' Father of the Bride'' (1991), ''Common Law'' (1996), '' Strangers with Candy'' (1999), '' The Watcher'' (2000), '' Employee of the Month'' ...
as Stew, the Blank family's meat man. He engages in an affair with Sara while remaining married to the mother of his two children (Chuck and Patty).
*
Dolores Duffy as Iris Puffybush (seasons 2–3), secretary to Principal Blackman (and, as implied on several occasions, "much, much more").
Episodes
Cancellation
The show was cancelled to give space for a new show called ''
Strip Mall
A strip mall, strip center, strip plaza or simply plaza is a type of shopping mall, shopping center common in North America and Australia where the stores are arranged in a row, with a footpath in front. Strip malls are typically developed as a ...
.''
In 2016, Sedaris said, "We never knew we had an audience. We never knew what the ratings were—we still haven’t been told we were canceled! But we were fine doing more or not doing more, either way."
Reception
Critical response
In an early review,
Joyce Millman of ''
Salon
Salon may refer to:
Common meanings
* Beauty salon
A beauty salon or beauty parlor is an establishment that provides Cosmetics, cosmetic treatments for people. Other variations of this type of business include hair salons, spas, day spas, ...
'', said: "Strangers With Candy" is one of the most inventively bizarre shows in a long time –right up there with
HBO
Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...
's recent trial run of the mock-rock duo sitcom ''"
Tenacious D
Tenacious D is an American comedy rock duo formed in Los Angeles in 1994 by the actors Jack Black and Kyle Gass. Their music showcases Black's theatrical vocal delivery and Gass' acoustic guitar playing. Critics have described their fusion of ...
"''–. It manages to sustain the "Afterschool Special" joke with its smudged, '70s neo-realistic look, generic pseudo-pop background music and Jerri's throwback wardrobe."
''
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 ...
'' was also complimentary of the show, "Strangers With Candy is gleefully absurdist stuff that is clearly not factory-made to suit all tastes, but it's certainly a brave if willfully fucked-up piece of work. And, who knows, Comedy Central has done well for itself selling that previously forbidden flavor before."
Pete Schulberg at ''
The Oregonian
''The Oregonian'' is a daily newspaper based in Portland, Oregon, United States, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the West Coast of the United States, U.S. West Coast, founded as a weekly by Tho ...
'', commented on the show's uncompromising humour, "In its own twisted and taboo-bashing way, the series proves to be as outrageous as anything you'll see on TV. The satire is heavy-duty, but more often than not, it works".
''
The Washington Post's'' Richard Leiby commended Comedy Central for "giving these inventive comedians a showcase for their stoner humor".
''
The New York Post's'' Michelle Greppi, compared the show unfavourably to similar media, "Strangers With Candy" aspires to be the anti-after-school special. Instead, it's just a flat and unfunny rip-off of ''"
South Park
''South Park'' is an American animated sitcom created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, and developed by Brian Graden for Comedy Central. The series revolves around four boysStan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormickand the ...
"'' refracted through a prison prism and executed in a style that makes cable access look Oscar-ready and all of the ''"
Heathers"'' ready for sainthood".
Ana Marie Cox of ''
Feedmag'', had similar thoughts, "So far, critics have mostly responded to the show's supposed "outrageousness," though anyone who still thinks drug references and abortion jokes are "outrageous" must have stopped watching TV when the real After School Specials went off the air." Further adding, "Yet for all the richness of its targets, the show is curiously flat -- a broad parody whose sharpest moments stem from social non-sequitors and squeamishly inappropriate one-liners, as when Jerri announces: "I have to leave class early -- I'm getting my uterus scraped." Perhaps flatness is to be expected, as the show's creators
..are veterans of "
alternative comedy
Alternative comedy is a term coined in the 1980s for a style of comedy that makes a conscious break with the mainstream comedic style of an era. The phrase has had different connotations in different contexts: in the UK, it was used to describe ...
," a genre whose distinguishing characteristic is that it is rarely, you know, funny."
Caryn James of ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' said the show "is simply boring" and that it "doesn't fail on the grounds of bad taste, but of bad comedy".
In a review of the second season, Tom Conroy of ''
US Weekly
''Us Weekly'' is an American weekly celebrity and entertainment magazine based in New York City. ''Us Weekly'' was founded in 1977 by The New York Times Company, which sold it in 1980. It was acquired by Wenner Media in 1986, and sold to Ameri ...
'' called the show, "A tart satiric confection with a hard center", and rated it three of four stars.
''
The Badger Herald
''The Badger Herald'' is a newspaper serving the University of Wisconsin–Madison community, founded in 1969. The paper is published Monday through Friday during the academic year and occasionally during the summer. Available at newsstands acros ...
'', praised it as: "One of the most intelligently written shows on TV today.
..believe me, "Strangers with Candy" is a rose garden in the decomposing landscape of network programming."
On another positive review, Kinney Littlefield of
''
The Orange County Register
''The Orange County Register'' is a paid daily List of newspapers in California, newspaper published in California. The ''Register'', published in Orange County, California, is owned by the private equity firm Alden Global Capital via its Digit ...
'' said, "Like great chocolate, Strangers With Candy has proved to be an addictive substance over its past two seasons".
On the show's cancellation, ''
ABC News ABC News most commonly refers to:
* ABC News (Australia), a national news service of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation
* ABC News (United States), a news-gathering and broadcasting division of the American Broadcasting Company
ABC News may a ...
'', commented: "Comedy Central might be canceling the sage, delightfully back-ass-wards Strangers With Candy show. If your response is "What's Strangers With Candy?" consider yourself part of the problem rather than the solution."
Similarly, Melanie McFarland of ''
The Seattle Times
''The Seattle Times'' is an American daily newspaper based in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1891, ''The Seattle Times'' has the largest circulation of any newspaper in the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region. The Seattle Time ...
'', lamented its demise: "The show regularly took viewers outside their comfort zone, and ardent fans kept "Strangers" a secret, taking the show's existence for granted. After all, it had a faithful core viewership that seemed to grow as more turned their friends on to it. As you can tell, "Strangers With Candy" is probably one of the most deliciously non-P.C. shows out there and certainly deserves more attention on TV than it's getting."
In 2007, ''Strangers with Candy'' was ranked number 30 on ''
TV Guide
TV Guide is an American digital media
In mass communication, digital media is any media (communication), communication media that operates in conjunction with various encoded machine-readable data formats. Digital content can be created, vi ...
s Top Cult Shows Ever.
Legacy and influence
Although the series had low ratings during its emission, it became a
cult classic
A cult following is a group of Fan (person), 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 List of art media, medium. The latter is often cal ...
, and served as inspiration for other comedians and screenwriters. When talking about ''Would It Kill You to Laugh?''
John Early and
Kate Berlant cited the show as an influence, with Early saying: "It pushes back against schmaltziness in general, I feel a real kinship with that. It’s irreverent and it’s handled so well that it feels very personal."
Lena Dunham
Lena Dunham (; born May 13, 1986) is an American writer, director, actress, and producer. She is the creator, writer, and star of the HBO television series '' Girls'' (2012–2017), for which she received several Emmy Award nominations and two G ...
also talked about it as an inspiration for ''
Girls'' and cited Jerri Blank as one of her favorite television characters.
Cole Escola
Cole Escola (born November 25, 1986) is an American comedian, actor, singer, and playwright. They are best known for their cabaret work and appearances on the television series '' Difficult People'' (2015–2017), '' At Home with Amy Sedaris'' ...
, who was Sedaris's co-star on
At Home with Amy Sedaris, also praised ''Strangers with Candy'' and recalled watching it as a teen with their high school boyfriend.
Ilana Glazer
Ilana Glazer (born April 12, 1987) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, producer, director, and activist. They have received various accolades including a Daytime Emmy Award and a Tony Award as well as nominations for four Primetime ...
claimed "Jerri Blank is at least 15 percent of my facial expressions, so I thank her for part of my face."
Julie Klausner, who worked as an intern on the show while in college, said of it: "I can’t really overestimate how influential that show was to me,
..It’s not for everyone, but the people it is for love it so passionately that when fans meet each other, it’s almost like finding some sort of kinship." Rapper
Amanda Blank based her stage name on Sedaris's character.
Colbert has claimed that Blank served as a basis for
his character on ''
The Colbert Report
''The Colbert Report'' ( ) is an American late night television, late-night Late-night talk show, talk and news satire television program hosted by Stephen Colbert that aired four days a week on Comedy Central from October 17, 2005, to December ...
''.
''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'', noted the show was part of the "tonal DNA" of
Adult Swim
Adult Swim (stylized as dult swimand s is an American adult-oriented television programming block that airs on Cartoon Network which broadcasts during the evening, prime time, and Late-night television, late-night Dayparting, dayparts. T ...
's ''
The Heart She Holler''.
Other fans of the show include
Dan Levy,
RuPaul
RuPaul Andre Charles (born November 17, 1960) is an American drag queen, television host, singer, producer, writer, and actor. He produces, hosts, and judges the reality competition series ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' and has received List of awards ...
,
Trixie and Katya,
John Mulaney,
Dave Atell,
Harvey Guillén,
Brian Tyree Henry
Brian Tyree Henry (born March 31, 1982) is an American actor. He rose to prominence for his role as rapper Alfred "Paper Boi" Miles in the FX (TV channel), FX comedy-drama series ''Atlanta (TV series), Atlanta'' (2016–2022), for which he recei ...
,
Justin Theroux,
Kevyn Aucoin,
Sharon van Etten,
Jack Antonoff
Jack Michael Antonoff (born March 31, 1984) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is the lead vocalist of the rock band Bleachers, and previously the guitarist and drummer for the pop band Fun and the lead vocalist of t ...
,
Danny DeVito
Daniel Michael DeVito Jr. (born November 17, 1944) is an American actor and filmmaker. He gained prominence for his portrayal of the taxi dispatcher Louie De Palma in the television series ''Taxi (TV series), Taxi'' (1978–1983), which won him ...
,
and
Natalie Wynn.
In 2003, Dinello said of the show's cult status: "People were angered by it or fanatical about it. We were mocking the conventions of after-school specials and most of what you see on television--how easily things are sewn up, how false relationships are."
In a panel with Levy, when asked about why they think the show had such a dedicated fanbase, Dinello and Sedaris said, "We embrace losers, misfits and outcasts." Sedaris has described the audience for the show as "
Drag Queens
A drag queen is a person, usually male, who uses drag clothing and makeup to imitate and often exaggerate female gender signifiers and gender roles for entertainment purposes. Historically, drag queens have usually been gay men, and have ...
getting ready on a Friday at 5:30."
as well as "Homosexuals and 14-year-olds and farmers and ghosts."
She has also said, "I’m just glad it still lives on. It’s fun to know that you threw a hole on the wall, you went through it, you did this show that you didn’t know what it was, and now there’s a whole new generation of kids watching it. It’s still out there and still alive, and we’re all really proud of it.
Colbert echoed the statement: "It's a badge of honor that I served Amy's comedic vision. I could do hack shit for the rest of my life, but I'd go, "Yeah, but I also wrote that stuff."
In 2024 he described the show's fan base as "deeply troubled," continuing, "And I’m happy for them, because I’m deeply troubled too."
Film adaptation and future
On February 7, 2006, film company
ThinkFilm
ThinkFilm (stylized as TH!NKFilm) was an American film distribution company founded in September 2001. It had been a division of David Bergstein’s Capitol Films since 2006.
On October 5, 2010, five of Bergstein's companies in the film indust ...
announced that it had acquired the distribution rights to a feature film based on the series. The film, a
prequel
A prequel is a literary, dramatic or cinematic work whose story precedes that of a previous work, by focusing on events that occur before the original narrative. A prequel is a work that forms part of a backstory to the preceding work.
The term ...
to the television show, was completed in 2004 and acquired by Warner Independent at Sundance in 2005, but release of the film was delayed due to legal clearance issues. Amy Sedaris, Stephen Colbert, and Paul Dinello reprised their roles for the film; several other characters were recast because the actors who played them now looked too old to be in high school. In addition to acting, Colbert is a co-producer and Dinello is a director for the film.
Worldwide Pants
Worldwide Pants Incorporated is an American television and film production company founded and owned by comedian and talk show host David Letterman.
The company was formerly headquartered at the Ed Sullivan Theater building in New York City, bu ...
, a production company owned by comedian
David Letterman
David Michael Letterman (born April 12, 1947) is an American television host, comedian, writer, producer, and auto racing team owner. He hosted late-night television talk shows for 33 years, beginning with the February 1, 1982, debut of ''Late N ...
, was also a producer. This is the company's first feature film production. A
teaser trailer
A teaser trailer, also shortened to teaser, is a short trailer (promotion), trailer and a form of teaser campaign advertising that focuses on film and television programming. It is a videography pre-release film or television show advertisement. Sh ...
for the film was released in April 2006.
The initial theatrical release was June 28, 2006, in the New York City area, followed by the remainder of the United States on July 7. A DVD of the film was released in November 2006.
Amy Sedaris
Amy Louise Sedaris (; born March 29, 1961) is an American actress, comedian, and writer. She played Jerri Blank in the Comedy Central comedy series '' Strangers with Candy'' (1999–2000) and the prequel film '' Strangers with Candy'' (2005), wh ...
said of Jerri Blank that "she's like a rash; you never know when she's going to pop up."
In 2024, it was revealed that the creators had been approached about a revival of the series, which they have declined as "Nothing has felt right so far".
Regardless, they have not brushed off the possibility of it coming back in some way. Dinello noted: "Everybody seems game to do something. But we need an adult to make it happen".
[ Although Sedaris has brought up concerns about the difficulty to make the show now, due to its un-PC humor, Colbert has disagreed, "You can make anything you want, you just have to deal with people being upset".]
References
External links
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{{Portal bar, Comedy, Television, United States, 1990s, LGBTQ
Comedy Central sitcoms
1999 American television series debuts
2000 American television series endings
1990s American black comedy television series
2000s American black comedy television series
1990s American high school television series
2000s American high school television series
1990s American LGBTQ-related comedy television series
2000s American LGBTQ-related comedy television series
1990s American satirical television series
2000s American satirical television series
1990s American single-camera sitcoms
2000s American single-camera sitcoms
1990s American surreal comedy television series
2000s American surreal comedy television series
American English-language television shows
American LGBTQ-related sitcoms
Stephen Colbert
Television shows set in New Jersey