Strangers With Candy: The Complete Series
Directed by: Stephen Colbert, Paul Dinello, Amy Sedaris and Mitch Rouse
(Comedy Central)
One of the truly strangest and best shows to have come from Comedy Central, Strangers with Candy tells the story of former teenage runaway, drug addict and prostitute Jerri Blank (Amy Sedaris), who returns to high school at age 46. Over the span of 30 episodes, the trials and tribulations of Jerri starting over from where she left off in school is not only hilarious but also somewhat disturbing. The set comes with the original un-aired pilot, “Retardation a Celebration,” where Jerri is asked to spy on her locker neighbour to find signs of mental retardation. As well, the series comes with the 1970 educational/public service film The Trip Back, on which the whole series idea was based. The speaker is former junkie/prostitute Florrie Fisher talking to a group of New York high school students with a message to not use. The freakish Fisher is imitated perfectly in fashion, looks and persona by Sedaris as the Jerri Blank character. Throughout Strangers With Candy, the writers have used monologues directly from Fisher’s larger-than-life stories and rants. Not a disc for the faint of heart, but for fans of dark and bizarre humour this series is an absolute must.
—Trevor MacLaren