I know a lot of people thought the show wasn't that good, but it made me laugh soooo much. The different story lines that ran parallel and sometimes intersected were pretty clever. Dark humour? Sure. Cringey at times? Most definitely. But watching some of the characters try to extricate themselves from their disappointing lives at the strip mall led to some hilarious situations. Chris Wylde's character seemed to be the only one having a good time ("Another day of booty duty at Port Porn!"). I hated the way it ended though. It was not only abrupt, but hastily conceived. It was like "Ok, yesterday we got canceled, so today we need to wrap this up in the worst way possible." Made me sad!
11 Reviews
One of the darkest sitcoms of all time.
mozli2 February 2005
Warning: Spoilers
I really wonder how this show plays in the U.K. and the rest of Europe. IT IS SO SELF-LOATHING ABOUT BEING AN American(particularly white Americans). That could be a big reason for some of the venom and vitriol expressed here on this board. I love the show but it is with some reservations and I feel it took the easy way out by Spoiler Spoiler:
Crashing and burning everything at the end of the second season. Julie slammed the door shut on any hope of reviving the show unless her character lands on a haystack in the middle of some farm. Who knows? It was a funny, raunchy and on occasion, kinda scary show.
Crashing and burning everything at the end of the second season. Julie slammed the door shut on any hope of reviving the show unless her character lands on a haystack in the middle of some farm. Who knows? It was a funny, raunchy and on occasion, kinda scary show.
A Forgettable Show!
Sylviastel14 May 2009
If it wasn't for West Coast Julie Brown, I probably would have never cared to watch the show. She plays a former child star, Tammi Tyler, who operates a strip mall with lesbian Chinese restaurant owner played by the wonderful Amy Hill. The show was silly at best with stupid plots about killing and sex jokes. The show was dark comedy more like a dark soap opera with comic overtones. The show was filmed at a strip mall in Los Angeles. The show aired it's full season on Comedy Central. The show had it's moments with Julie Brown and Amy Hill who ran the Chinese restaurant with her lesbian lover until she got killed. I remember the actual name of the place, "Wok Don't Run." Like I said, Amy Hill was unforgettable and I wished that she would get more jobs.
Love it!
RustyGirl18 October 2000
I actually love this show. I place it in the line of "Strangers with Candy," and "League of Gentlemen." All dark comedies. Each show is like the sequel to the one before it, it sorta keeps you on the edge. But I find the show extrememly funny. Julie Brown was a perfect fit for (basically) the lead role of this show.
a fantastically clever show!!
moondog-811 June 2001
In "Strip Mall", the creative team has distilled all the motivators behind American commerce (power, lust, backstabbing, jealousy, fabricating lies) and made them the key plot developers of an amazingly sharp (and FUNNY!!!!!) TV show.
The production is over the top, which is where one has to be when looking down to examine the key foundations of our society. This show is slick and gaudy, like a laminated menu from Denny's, and (I have to repeat) FUNNY, FUNNY, FUNNY!!!
The production is over the top, which is where one has to be when looking down to examine the key foundations of our society. This show is slick and gaudy, like a laminated menu from Denny's, and (I have to repeat) FUNNY, FUNNY, FUNNY!!!
Amazingly funny show with amazing cast
eazyme6514 March 2006
What an amazingly funny and original show. The cast starting with the hysterical Julie Brown(Homecoming Queen's Got A Gun) is just perfect. Add Amy Hill(All American Girl-Grandma Kim) who plays a lesbian who is always arguing with her partner and business partner(Asian restaurant-WOK-DON"T RUN) I have laughed harder during this show than any other I have ever seen(including Newhart-one of my all time favorite shows) If you like movies like Naked Gun and Airplane- you will love this series!! One of the best moments of the show is Cindy Williams playing herself. When she snubs Tammy at the dry cleaners, Tammy finds a picture of Cindy Williams in her coat. The picture is of Cindy Williams doing an unmentionable act with a bowling pin-upside down. It is awesome to see an actress like Cindy Williams being able to play herself like this. Soap opera like with many surprise twists during its short run. I can only hope that this will someday be released on DVD with special many bonus special features. Funniest series I have ever seen!!!!
Low-brow masterpiece
nvg6321 January 2006
An amazing set of strangely familiar characters, interacting in most believable ways. Fat dry-cleaner and his mom, lesbian Chinese restaurant owner and her lover, porn stars and mobsters, miscellaneous mass culture leftovers. Full of hilarious gags, this show introduces you to the less-glamorous California. The "low-speed chase" is unforgettable. All the characters sucked into the porn film production - the young film director with his sidekick/cameraman, an upscale fiancée and her even more upscale mom, the receptionist, the next-door shop owner - are a bottomless pit of laughs. In my book, this show is the US equivalent of "The League of Gentlement", the lighter and gentler one, the way California is way sunnier than Scotland (or wherever the Gentlemen ply their decadent trade), but no less brilliant.
Reasons to Live #4: Strip Mall
twain-226 July 2000
In this age where success is the morning and evening star, and standards of personal perfection rise faster than the Dow, I find it deeply touching that the talented and versatile Julie Brown has created a show for all of us who ever felt like life is trying to scrape us off its shoes.
Of course I'm referring to Comedy Central's new series: Strip Mall.
Unlike some of her other efforts, Julie made this an ensemble work. It's a wise move for a woman whose comedic nuances have been compared to vocal shadings of King Kong. Thus, where she might otherwise fade into the background, she has an outstanding cast who show her to her best advantage.
For instance, the Chinese restaurant owner, a broad, tough middle-aged lesbian whose sexy young lover/waitress constantly provokes her jealousy. (The dialogue is adult, so you may want to treat the kiddies to some subway tokens and shoo them away)
Julie Brown plays former child star Tammy ("It's TiMI!"), who at an early age butchered...well, you'll see. Other characters include: her confidant, a barmaid who opens every conversation with "I have a plate in my head"; a Russian mafia smuggler running a porn factory; Tammy's husband with the world's largest hemmoroid; an unassuming, reluctant porn director and his friend, a late-blooming camera man... I could go on at length.
As a rule, all this would make a show cloyingly rich , like a meal of baklavah and honey milk shakes. But the writing is nimble, and the editing trims the humor to a blur of stinging bantam-weight punches. At first glance it seems like a crude copy of crude shows. Pay attention for five minutes and if you have half a brain you'll discover one of the sharpest and most hilarious parodies you'll ever see.
I recommend it to anyone who likes David and Amy Sedaris, South Park, Strangers with Candy or (Movie buffs) Shakes the Clown. I emphatically do not recommend it to anyone who would admit to seeing Patch Adams.
Of course I'm referring to Comedy Central's new series: Strip Mall.
Unlike some of her other efforts, Julie made this an ensemble work. It's a wise move for a woman whose comedic nuances have been compared to vocal shadings of King Kong. Thus, where she might otherwise fade into the background, she has an outstanding cast who show her to her best advantage.
For instance, the Chinese restaurant owner, a broad, tough middle-aged lesbian whose sexy young lover/waitress constantly provokes her jealousy. (The dialogue is adult, so you may want to treat the kiddies to some subway tokens and shoo them away)
Julie Brown plays former child star Tammy ("It's TiMI!"), who at an early age butchered...well, you'll see. Other characters include: her confidant, a barmaid who opens every conversation with "I have a plate in my head"; a Russian mafia smuggler running a porn factory; Tammy's husband with the world's largest hemmoroid; an unassuming, reluctant porn director and his friend, a late-blooming camera man... I could go on at length.
As a rule, all this would make a show cloyingly rich , like a meal of baklavah and honey milk shakes. But the writing is nimble, and the editing trims the humor to a blur of stinging bantam-weight punches. At first glance it seems like a crude copy of crude shows. Pay attention for five minutes and if you have half a brain you'll discover one of the sharpest and most hilarious parodies you'll ever see.
I recommend it to anyone who likes David and Amy Sedaris, South Park, Strangers with Candy or (Movie buffs) Shakes the Clown. I emphatically do not recommend it to anyone who would admit to seeing Patch Adams.
No way, this was classic
connolley17 August 2002
I loved this show, it had always had 4 or more different story lines running at once. Definitely not for kids, of course. I thought it was great right after South Park. I'd love to know what happened to the show. I've tried to find out information as to what happened, but to no avail. If anyone has info. Please post it.
Strip Fall
jmcool51648 July 2000
Strip Mall is a very stupid TV show. The entire show is built upon sex jokes and murder jokes. It's very dark and I usually like black-comedies but this one is very dumb. The story goes like this: Tammi Tyler (Julie Brown) is a former child star turned murderer turned cocktail waitress at a strip mall. She meets a fat guy who's broke and gets married to him because he's the first man she sees. Then there's some guys in a wedding taping studio which makes dirty movies in the back room. And then there's a store run by bickering lesbians.
That's it. That is the entire show. It looked like "Strangers with Candy" from the previews (That's a good show) but it ended up being like "Veronica's Closet" (That's a bad show). If a fat guy getting rushed to the hospital because of the pains in his butt sounds funny to you, then watch this. If not, wait a day and watch the hilarious black-comedy "The League of Gentlemen" * out of ****
That's it. That is the entire show. It looked like "Strangers with Candy" from the previews (That's a good show) but it ended up being like "Veronica's Closet" (That's a bad show). If a fat guy getting rushed to the hospital because of the pains in his butt sounds funny to you, then watch this. If not, wait a day and watch the hilarious black-comedy "The League of Gentlemen" * out of ****
Horrible
ChiaPet-43 June 2001
This is one of the worst shows I have ever seen. Plain and simple. Almost nothing can get worse. The plots are always the same, not to mention stupid. I don't understand how this show can possibly still be on. I absolutely hate it. So please whatever you do, don't watch Strip Mall!!
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