Strangers with Candy is a
television seriesA television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
produced by
Comedy CentralComedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
. It first aired on April 7, 1999, and concluded its third and final season on October 2, 2000. Its timeslot was Sundays at 10 p.m. (ET). It was replaced by the Comedy Central show
Strip MallStrip Mall is a situation comedy that aired on Comedy Central from June 2000 until March 2001.The series, a spoof of prime time soap operas, was set in Van Nuys, California which is series star/creator/executive producer Julie Brown's hometown. The titular "Strip Mall" was the fictional Plaza del...
.
In 2007,
Strangers with Candy was ranked #30 on TV Guide's Top Cult Shows Ever.
Plot
The series' main character, Geraldine Antonia "Jerri" Blank (played by
Amy SedarisAmy Louise Sedaris is an American actress, author, and comedian. She is known for playing the character Jerri Blank in the Comedy Central television series Strangers with Candy. Sedaris regularly collaborates with her older brother, humorist and author David Sedaris...
), was a "junkie whore"/runaway returning to
high schoolHigh school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
as a freshman at age 46 at the fictional Flatpoint High School in the town of Flatpoint.
Created and written by
Amy SedarisAmy Louise Sedaris is an American actress, author, and comedian. She is known for playing the character Jerri Blank in the Comedy Central television series Strangers with Candy. Sedaris regularly collaborates with her older brother, humorist and author David Sedaris...
,
Paul DinelloPaul Dinello is an American actor, comedian, writer, director, and an alumnus of Chicago-based The Second City, Improv Institute, and Annoyance Theatre...
,
Stephen ColbertStephen Tyrone Colbert is an American political satirist, writer, comedian, television host, and actor. He is the host of Comedy Central's The Colbert Report, a satirical news show in which Colbert portrays a caricatured version of conservative political pundits.Colbert originally studied to be an...
, and
Mitch RouseEdward Mitchell "Mitch" Rouse is an American film and television actor, director and screenwriter.Rouse was born in Knoxville, Tennessee, and raised in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, where he played football at Oak Ridge High School. He attended the University of Tennessee before developing an interest in...
, the show was a
spoofA parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
of the
after school specialThe American Broadcasting Company coined the term after school special in 1972 with a series of made for television movies, usually dealing with controversial or socially relevant issues, that were generally broadcast in the late afternoon and meant to be viewed by school age children, particularly...
s of the 1970s and 1980s and was also inspired, at least in part, by a 1970
public service filmA public service announcement or public service ad is a type of advertisement featured on television, radio, print or other media...
,
The Trip Back, that featured a reformed drug addict named
Florrie FisherFlorence "Florrie" Fisher was an American motivational speaker in the 1960s and 1970s who traveled to high schools in the United States, telling stories about her past as a heroin addict and prostitute...
(see "Origin" below). Sedaris, Colbert, Dinello, and Rouse were cast members of the short-lived Comedy Central series
Exit 57Exit 57 was a 30-minute sketch comedy series that aired on the American television channel Comedy Central from 1995 to 1996; its cast was composed of comedians Amy Sedaris, Paul Dinello, Stephen Colbert, Jodi Lennon, and Mitch Rouse, all of whom had previously studied improv at The Second City in...
; they, along with
Greg HollimonGreg Hollimon is an actor best known for his work on Comedy Central's Strangers with Candy.Hollimon grew up in the Chicago housing projects of Cabrini–Green with Ozone from Breakin'. In 1986, he began taking improvisation classes at Players Workshop, where he met Paul Dinello and, some time later,...
and many other stars of the series, were also alumni of
ChicagoChicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
's
Second CityThe Second City is a improvisational comedy enterprise which originated in Chicago's Old Town neighborhood.The Second City Theatre opened on December 16, 1959 and has since expanded its presence to several other cities, including Toronto and Los Angeles...
comedy troupe.
According to the show's animated introduction, Jerri ran away from home and became "a
boozerAn alcoholic beverage is a drink containing ethanol, commonly known as alcohol. Alcoholic beverages are divided into three general classes: beers, wines, and spirits. They are legally consumed in most countries, and over 100 countries have laws regulating their production, sale, and consumption...
, a
userRecreational drug use is the use of a drug, usually psychoactive, with the intention of creating or enhancing recreational experience. Such use is controversial, however, often being considered to be also drug abuse, and it is often illegal...
, and a loser" after dropping out of high school as a teenager, supporting her drug habits through
prostitutionProstitution is the act or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute and the person who receives such services is known by a multitude of terms, including a "john". Prostitution is one of...
,
strippingA stripper is a professional erotic dancer who performs a contemporary form of striptease at strip club establishments, public exhibitions, and private engagements. Unlike in burlesque, the performer in the modern Americanized form of stripping minimizes the interaction of customer and dancer,...
, and
larcenyLarceny is a crime involving the wrongful acquisition of the personal property of another person. It was an offence under the common law of England and became an offence in jurisdictions which incorporated the common law of England into their own law. It has been abolished in England and Wales,...
. She has been to prison several times, the last time because she, in her words, "stole a TV."
Every episode featured a theme or moral lesson, although the lessons were often
amoralAmorality is an absence of, indifference towards, or disregard for moral beliefs. Any entity that is not sentient may be considered amoral. In addition, it can be argued that sentient but non-human creatures, like dogs, have no concept of morality and are therefore amoral...
or warped; in an episode about
eating disorderEating disorders refer to a group of conditions defined by abnormal eating habits that may involve either insufficient or excessive food intake to the detriment of an individual's physical and mental health. Bulimia nervosa, anorexia nervosa, and binge eating disorder are the most common specific...
s, Jerri learns that it is acceptable to become bulimic because it will get people to pay attention to you. When Jerri's father passes away in the episode "The Goodbye Guy," Jerri learns the valuable lesson, "You never really 'lose' your parents. Unless of course they die. Then they're gone forever. And nothing will bring them back." In another episode, Jerri learned that "violence really isn't the only way to resolve a conflict, but it's the only way to win it."
Each episode ends with the cast and other featured actors from the episode dancing.
Origin
The series was first envisioned by
Paul DinelloPaul Dinello is an American actor, comedian, writer, director, and an alumnus of Chicago-based The Second City, Improv Institute, and Annoyance Theatre...
and
Stephen ColbertStephen Tyrone Colbert is an American political satirist, writer, comedian, television host, and actor. He is the host of Comedy Central's The Colbert Report, a satirical news show in which Colbert portrays a caricatured version of conservative political pundits.Colbert originally studied to be an...
, both of whom had seen a
Scared Straight!Scared Straight! is a 1978 documentary directed by Arnold Shapiro. Narrated by Peter Falk, the subject of the documentary is a group of juvenile delinquents and their three-hour session with actual convicts...
–type public-service film called
The Trip Back, in which motivational speaker
Florrie FisherFlorence "Florrie" Fisher was an American motivational speaker in the 1960s and 1970s who traveled to high schools in the United States, telling stories about her past as a heroin addict and prostitute...
recalled her days as a New York prostitute to a group of high-school students. Seeing that Fisher strongly resembled their friend
Amy SedarisAmy Louise Sedaris is an American actress, author, and comedian. She is known for playing the character Jerri Blank in the Comedy Central television series Strangers with Candy. Sedaris regularly collaborates with her older brother, humorist and author David Sedaris...
, they showed her a copy of the tape and, suitably impressed with Sedaris's imitation of Fisher, began developing a series based around the idea of Fisher going back to high school herself. The three, along with
Mitch RouseEdward Mitchell "Mitch" Rouse is an American film and television actor, director and screenwriter.Rouse was born in Knoxville, Tennessee, and raised in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, where he played football at Oak Ridge High School. He attended the University of Tennessee before developing an interest in...
, combined this concept with lampooning the
after school specialThe American Broadcasting Company coined the term after school special in 1972 with a series of made for television movies, usually dealing with controversial or socially relevant issues, that were generally broadcast in the late afternoon and meant to be viewed by school age children, particularly...
s they had all been subjected to in high school, along with the short-lived mid-1990s teen series
My So-Called LifeMy So-Called Life is an American teen drama television series created by Winnie Holzman and produced by Edward Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz. It originally aired on ABC from August 25, 1994, to January 26, 1995 and was distributed by The Bedford Falls Company with ABC Productions. Set at the...
. Much of Jerri's past is taken from anecdotes in
The Trip Back, some of which were also included in Fisher's autobiography,
The Lonely Trip Back. Several lines of dialog in the series were taken verbatim from Fisher's public-service film.
The Blank family
- Geraldine "Jerri" Antonia Blank (Amy Sedaris
Amy Louise Sedaris is an American actress, author, and comedian. She is known for playing the character Jerri Blank in the Comedy Central television series Strangers with Candy. Sedaris regularly collaborates with her older brother, humorist and author David Sedaris...
) – A 46-year-old ex-con, ex-junkie, ex-prostitute, and high-school freshman at Flatpoint High.
- Guy Blank (Roberto Gari
Roberto Gari was an American artist and actor. He was born in Brooklyn and appeared in vaudeville under the name of Jackie Hayes from the age of 4.-Artistic career:...
) – Jerri's biological father, shown only in a motionless state during mid-action.
- Sara Blank (Deborah Rush
Deborah Rush is an American actress.Rush 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 Noises Off. She also acted in Stephen Adly Guirgis' The Last Days of Judas Iscariot...
) – Jerri's hateful stepmother.
- Derrick Blank (Larc Spies
Larc Spies is an American actor who is best known for playing Derrick Blank, half-brother to main character Jerri Blank on the comedy TV series Strangers with Candy...
) – Jerri's arrogant half-brother. He plays quarterback for the Flatpoint Donkeys football team.
- Stew (David Pasquesi
-Career:Some of his screen credits include Groundhog Day, Strangers with Candy, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Return to Me, and The Ice Harvest. He starred in the Steve Delahoyde short film that premiered in , and co-starred with Jeff Garlin in Garlin's I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With; In addition, he...
) – 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).
Flatpoint High faculty and staff
- Principal Onyx Blackman (Greg Hollimon
Greg Hollimon is an actor best known for his work on Comedy Central's Strangers with Candy.Hollimon grew up in the Chicago housing projects of Cabrini–Green with Ozone from Breakin'. In 1986, he began taking improvisation classes at Players Workshop, where he met Paul Dinello and, some time later,...
) – Principal of Flatpoint High School. His image is prominently displayed around the school, in classrooms, lockers, and even paper towels.
- Charles "Chuck" Noblet (Stephen Colbert
Stephen Tyrone Colbert is an American political satirist, writer, comedian, television host, and actor. He is the host of Comedy Central's The Colbert Report, a satirical news show in which Colbert portrays a caricatured version of conservative political pundits.Colbert originally studied to be an...
) – Chuck is the school's history teacher and sponsor of the school newspaper, The Donkey Trouser. He and his wife Claire have a son, Seamus. He is in a secret homosexual relationship with Geoffrey Jellineck.
- Geoffrey Jellineck (Paul Dinello
Paul Dinello is an American actor, comedian, writer, director, and an alumnus of Chicago-based The Second City, Improv Institute, and Annoyance Theatre...
) – Geoffrey is the school's art teacher. He is an emotionally fragile and narcissistic man who is engaged in a secret homosexual relationship with Chuck Noblet.
- Coach Cherri Wolf (Sarah Thyre
Sarah Thyre is an actress and writer. She is best known for her role as Coach Cherri Wolf on the television show Strangers with Candy, with Amy Sedaris, Stephen Colbert, and Paul Dinello....
) – The girls' gym teacher.
- Iris Puffybush (Dolores Duffy) – Secretary to Principal Blackman (and, as implied on several occasions, "much, much more").
- Cassie Pines (Janeane Garofalo
Janeane Garofalo is an American stand-up comedian, actress, political activist and writer. She is the former co-host on the now defunct Air America Radio's The Majority Report. Garofalo continues to circulate regularly within New York City's local comedy and performance art scene.-Early...
) – The school's guidance counselor.
Flatpoint High students
- Tammi Littlenut (Maria Thayer
Maria Thayer is an American actress from Boring, Oregon, known for her roles as Wyoma in Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Rory in Accepted and Tammi Littlenut in Strangers with Candy. In Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Thayer plays a Mormon newlywed on her honeymoon with her new husband, played by Jack...
) – Jerri's red-headed friend, who is often referred to as "Copper Head."
- Orlando Pinatubo (Orlando Pabotoy) – Jerri's Filipino sidekick, about whose heritage she makes many racist remarks.
- Jimmy Tickles (Jack Ferver) – Jerri's sexually diminutive date in The Virgin Jerri; later a recurring character.
Miscellaneous
- Claire Noblet (Carolyn Popp) – Wife to Chuck Noblet. She is oblivious to her husband's relationship with Geoffrey Jellineck.
- Father (Alan Tudyk
Alan Wray Tudyk is an American actor known for his roles as Simon in the British comedy Death at a Funeral, as Steve the Pirate in DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story, as Sonny in the science fiction drama I, Robot, as Doc Potter in 3:10 to Yuma, as Tucker in the Tucker & Dale vs Evil and as Hoban...
) – Local cult leader, whose cult threatens Blackman's hold on his Flatpoint students.
Film
On February 7, 2006, film company
ThinkFilmTHINKFilm is a privately held production and distribution company founded in September 2001. It has been a division of David Bergstein’s Capitol Films since 2006. Bergstein also serves as the company’s chairman...
announced that it had acquired the distribution rights to a feature film based on the series. The film, a
prequelA prequel is a work that supplements a previously completed one, and has an earlier time setting.The widely recognized term was a 20th-century neologism, and a portmanteau from pre- and sequel...
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. In addition to acting, Colbert is a co-producer and Dinello is a director for the film.
Worldwide PantsWorldwide Pants Incorporated is an American television and film production company owned by comedian and talk show host David Letterman. Its ongoing productions are Late Show with David Letterman and The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson...
, a production company owned by comedian
David LettermanDavid Michael Letterman is an American television host and comedian. He hosts the late night television talk show, Late Show with David Letterman, broadcast on CBS. Letterman has been a fixture on late night television since the 1982 debut of Late Night with David Letterman on NBC...
, was also a producer. This is the company's first feature film production. A
teaser trailerA teaser campaign is an advertising campaign which typically consists of a series of small, cryptic, challenging advertisements that anticipate a larger, full-blown campaign for a product launch or otherwise important event. These advertisements are called "teasers" or "teaser ads"...
for the film was released in April 2006 (see "External links").
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 SedarisAmy Louise Sedaris is an American actress, author, and comedian. She is known for playing the character Jerri Blank in the Comedy Central television series Strangers with Candy. Sedaris regularly collaborates with her older brother, humorist and author David Sedaris...
said of Jerri Blank that "she's like a rash; you never know when she's going to pop up."
External links
.