Rating: 
Summary: "I'm a 46 year old high school freshman!!"
Review: So begins every episode of this dark, disturbing comedy about Jerri Blank (Amy Sedaris in some fabulous makeup!). The concept is insane, the jokes make the phrase "politically incorrect" laughably mild, and the result is HILARIOUS.This is an after-school-teen-drama for grownups. At the end of each episode, Jerri learns a "lesson" about "life", but the morals are less than Aesop-ian! Be prepared to have pretty much every racial, religious and social demographic insulted at some point. We admit it. This sure isn't for everybody. And you won't always "laugh out loud". The writing and acting are smart commentaries on life today. Issues such as alcoholism, single parenting, retardation, and eating disorders are hysterically given better treatment than you'll find anywhere else except possibly.....well, anywhere else! Satire is a delicate form of humor and shows such as SNL and MadTV will occasionally hit the nail right on the head. Strangers With Candy, however, never misses a shot!
Rating:
Summary: "I've got something to say!!!!!!!!!"
Review: The first time I saw Strangers With Candy ("The Who Wants Cake" episode) I laughed so hard I was gasping for breath, tearing, palpitating, and generally looking for stasis on my couch. The only other things that ever had that effect on me were Monty Python's Twit of the Year race and American Movie's Mike Shank "reminding" everyone to bring brown gloves. Other than that, it takes a lot to get me to respond so convulsively and SWC does that on a regular basis. As I'm sure many other reviewers have stated, this show is designed to be a corny after school special (retaining the weekly social issues and melodramatic incidental music); however with life lessons pretty much the opposite of what anyone in their right mind would advise to children. The main character, Jerri Blank, is a 46 year old high school freshman who fares better the second time around saying "at least when she makes the wrong choices, she's making them for all of the right reasons." She's subjected to, and in most cases participates in, the most over-the-top, un-politically correct onslaught ever to hit the stale, American sit-com formula. Blank, played by Amy Sedaris, is hilarious with her contorted, expressions shifting from worry to lust as she wanders the halls at fictional Flatpoint High, trying to fit in socially while avoiding "the hassles." Costars Stephen Colbert and Paul Dinello are equally hilarious as social studies and art teachers respectively, dishing out advice like "95% of debating is about physical appearance," "if you're gonna smoke pot, be prepared to spend a lot of time sitting around laughing with your friends," and poems on Hiroshima should contain "nothing too faggy." Ok, that's all I'm giving up in the jokes department, but if you like humor that is deliberately outrageous, twisted, offensive to any group you could possibly belong to, and a perfect satire of the hypersensitive didacticism of the after school special, you should buy this immediately. As a fan like so many others on here, I'd say the more that are bought the better case we can make for them releasing seasons 2 and 3. Thank god we finally have a real reason to shout "Jerri" at the television.
Rating:
Summary: Disturbing Fun
Review: Alright, if you are the sensitive type and dark, politically incorrect humor bothers you, do not watch Strangers with Candy. The reason this show is so hilarious comes straight out of its very un-PC humor. It makes fun of minorities, homosexuals, the mentally handicapped, violent students... practically anything out there to be poked at gets at least one joke. Personally, I don't find the show offensive at all because I go into it understanding that everything that happens merely exists to be funny, not to offend. The creators play off of society's fear that we have to constantly walk on eggshells, or we run the risk of offending everyone. This way of thinking, while somewhat justified, does become a bit ridiculous though. With this show, they say hey, what is everyone so afraid of? Instead of running from insane stereotypes, why not laugh at them? The stereotypes then get addressed and are proven to be just what they are: ridiculous. That said, there might not be a more obscure character than Jerri Blank. A 46 year old freshman at Flatpoint High (home of the Concrete Donkeys), and a self-proclaimed 32 year old teenage runaway. Half the time she's girl-crazy, the other half boy-crazy. She's popular one day and a complete loser the next. The inconsistencies in the show really give it charm though. Of course the show is completely over the top but truthfully, some people really are this crazy. Strangers with Candy is an after-school special gone very, very wrong (and the creators actually formatted the show to seem just like an after-school special, making it even more hilarious). I really love the episode "Who Wants Cake?" in which Jerri is forced to narc on her locker mate about whether or not Kimberly is retarded. The concept is absurd and the character Kimberly is obviously not "retarded". However, the show plays off the horrible misconceptions so intelligently that I couldn't even stop myself from laughing if I tried. Great quote (may not be exact words, but you get the idea): "You might be screaming no no no, but all they hear is who wants cake. And they all do. They all want cake." Dark humor at it finest. The real tragedy is the show was only on for three seasons and as of now, this is the only season released on DVD.
Rating:
Summary: Amy Sedaris is our generation's Lucy
Review: What a wild, funny show. You won't believe what they got away with on Comedy Central! This is a wildly original, outrageously funny short-lived TV series. Everyone's great, but Amy Sedaris really shines. She's our generation's Lucy. I can't wiat for the release of season two.
Rating: 
Summary: Overrated
Review: I'm an expat living in Europe and bought this b/c the TV [stinks] over here and the recommendations were so high...however, this is really quite stupid...i'm a huge fan of the Simpsons, The Man Show, and the like, but this just doesnt even come close.
Rating:
Summary: DVD Video Transfer and Sound are extremely good
Review: Sure I love the show. But who talks about the real nitty gritty. The video transfer is excellent, clean with no artifacts. The sound is excellent, clean with no artifacts.
Rating:
Summary: HA HA!
Review: Not terribly funny, but there's something about this show. I never watched it 'til the DVD came out, have heard very little about it, I saw the the entire First season in 2 sittings... Too bad it's so short. Amy Sedaris is such a wacky character as Jerri Blank. I can't wait 'til the 2nd and 3rd seasons come out, AND the movie in 2004. Woohoo...
Rating:
Summary: I want a meal, not a snack.
Review: The best television show ever. The little touches are what make it so brilliant, like the supporting characters' names: Tammy Littlenut, Poppy Downs, Percy Kittens, etc.
Rating:
Summary: A brilliant, odd series
Review: Where do I begin with this show? First off, SWC is perhaps one of the most bitingly funny TV shows that Comedy Central ever aired. It's right up there with other great shows such as Mr. Show, MTV's The State and Mystery Science Theater 3000. Although the series didn't last any longer than three seasons, it has become a big cult hit regardless. One of the reasons I enjoy this show so much is for its well-written, extremely clever characters. Whether it be the secretly gay lovers Noblet and Jellineck, or the "dictator" principal Onyx Blackman, to Jerri's stereotypical jerk brother Derrick and her delightfully wicked stepmother Sara, to the lead character Jerri Blank herself, there is a ton of depth that make all these characters shine. The episodes themselves are skewered parodies of "Afterschool Specials" except that Jerri always does the wrong thing in the end, yet it all works out. This DVD collects every episode from the first season. One thing to be said about SWC is that season by season, it is consistently good and funny. There are quite a few good episodes from Season one including "Feather in the Storm", "To Be Young, Gifted, and Blank", and "A Burden's Burden", among others. Also included is the original pilot for the series that (thankfully) never aired. Although future episodes borrowed heavily from this pilot, the episode itself is pretty rough and obviously a big overhaul was needed. Also included on the DVD is commentary for three episodes. I must admit it is quite disappointing that there isn't any commentary for the rest of the season but hopefully that will be corrected if any of the future seasons are put out on DVD. I must say I truly enjoy this show and think this DVD is well worth the purchase.
Rating:
Summary: I Need More
Review: Please buy this DVD so the other two seasons will be released as well. It is always amusing and at least twice during each show there is a laugh-out-loud joke. It may be the wrong thing to do but at least you'll be doing it for the right reason.
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