Strip Mall
Encyclopedia
Strip 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 Toro. Brown starred as Tammi Tyler, an ex-child actress who at 12 had stabbed her adult costar to death after eating a cupcake laced with PCP
. Now, as an adult,Tammi worked as a waitress at the Funky Fox, a bar located in the Plaza del Toro. One of her fellow employees was Patti the barmaid (Victoria Jackson
). In the series premiere Tammi married the owner of Starbrite Cleaners, Harvey Krudup (Jim O'Heir
), who she thought was worth millions, but realized that Starbrite's lone location was at the Plaza. For the rest of the show's run Tammi would try (unsuccessfully) to end her marriage.
) and Althea (Loretta Fox), both of whom were lesbians; the Good Things gift shop, owned by Rafe (Maxwell Caulfield
) and Bettina Barrett (Eliza Coyle); and We Shoot You Video, which employed two college film graduates Barry (Chris Wylde
) and Josh (Jonathan Mangum
), as well as a pornography actress named Hedda Hummer (Allison Dunbar). There was also an insurance agency near the plaza, run by an agent named Dwight (Tim Bagley
).
Bob Koherr
, who had directed Brown in the 1997
movie Plump Fiction
, played a biker named Blank and his identical brothers Blair and Blunt.
(who also directed Brown in Out There
and Fat Rose and Squeaky); and Bobcat Goldthwait
(the latter previously worked with Brown in Medusa: Dare to Be Truthful
and Shakes the Clown
). Frequent guest stars on the series included Stella Stevens
, one of several actresses to play Harvey's mom, and Cindy Williams
--like Brown, a Van Nuys native—who played herself in several episodes. Many of the behind-the-scenes crew came from Brown's previous series, Clueless
, which was also set in the Los Angeles, California
area.
Every episode of this series ended with a cliffhanger. The final episode ended with Tammi being thrown from an airplane by Dwight, who yelled, "Goodbye, Tammi Tyler!" Brown, who along with Charlie Coffey
produced Strip Mall, was about to plan the series' third season when Comedy Central decided to cancel the series because, given the recession at the time, it was too expensive to continue. Strip Mall was one of two Comedy Central sitcoms cancelled in June 2001 due to cost reasons; the other was That's My Bush!
In a fate similar to other projects starring and/or produced by Julie Brown, Amy Hill's voice eventually became better known for the children's cartoon series Jackie Chan Adventures
.
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
that aired on Comedy Central
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
from June
June 2000
June 2000 was the sixth month of 2000. It began on a Thursday and ended after 30 days on a Friday.-Portal:Current events:This is an archived version of Wikipedia's Current events Portal from June 2000....
2000
2000 in television
The year 2000 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 2000.For the American TV schedule, see: 2000-01 United States network television schedule.-Event:-Debuts:-1940s:...
until March
March 2001
March 2001: January – February – March – April – May – June – July – August – September – October – November – December-----March 2, 2001:...
2001
2001 in television
The year 2001 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 2001.-Events:-Debuts:-1940s:*Meet the Press .*Candid Camera .*CBS Evening News ....
.
The series, a spoof of prime time
Prime time
Prime time or primetime is the block of broadcast programming during the middle of the evening for television programing.The term prime time is often defined in terms of a fixed time period—for example, from 19:00 to 22:00 or 20:00 to 23:00 Prime time or primetime is the block of broadcast...
soap operas, was set in Van Nuys, California which is series star/creator/executive producer Julie Brown
Julie Brown
Julie Ann Brown is an American actress, comedienne, screen/television writer, singer-songwriter, television director. Brown is perhaps best known for her work in the 1980s, where she often played a quintessential valley girl character...
's hometown. The titular "Strip Mall" was the fictional Plaza del Toro. Brown starred as Tammi Tyler, an ex-child actress who at 12 had stabbed her adult costar to death after eating a cupcake laced with PCP
Phencyclidine
Phencyclidine , commonly initialized as PCP and known colloquially as angel dust, is a recreational dissociative drug...
. Now, as an adult,Tammi worked as a waitress at the Funky Fox, a bar located in the Plaza del Toro. One of her fellow employees was Patti the barmaid (Victoria Jackson
Victoria Jackson
Victoria Jackson is an American comedian, actress, satirist and singer best known as a cast member of the NBC television sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live from 1986 to 1992....
). In the series premiere Tammi married the owner of Starbrite Cleaners, Harvey Krudup (Jim O'Heir
Jim O'Heir
Jim O'Heir is an American actor. He was active in the Chicago theater during the 1980s and 1990s as part of the theater group White Noise, and appeared in such plays as The Book of Blanche, Stumpy's Gang and Ad-Nauseam with the group...
), who she thought was worth millions, but realized that Starbrite's lone location was at the Plaza. For the rest of the show's run Tammi would try (unsuccessfully) to end her marriage.
Other businesses and main characters
Other businesses at the Plaza del Toro included a Chinese restaurant, Wok Don't Run, owned by Fanny Sue Chang (Amy HillAmy Hill
Amy Marie Hill is an American actress. She is perhaps best known for her roles as Mrs. DePaulo in That's So Raven, Mrs. Kwan in The Cat in the Hat, the Kylie Minogue-inspired singer, Penny Candy from The Puzzle Place, and the voice of Jasmine Lee Amy Marie Hill (born May 9, 1953) is an American...
) and Althea (Loretta Fox), both of whom were lesbians; the Good Things gift shop, owned by Rafe (Maxwell Caulfield
Maxwell Caulfield
Maxwell Caulfield is a British film, stage, and television actor who is based in the United States, known for his roles as Michael Carrington in Grease 2 and as Miles Colby in The Colbys and its parent show Dynasty . He has more than 70 film, stage and television credits. He starred in Ronald F...
) and Bettina Barrett (Eliza Coyle); and We Shoot You Video, which employed two college film graduates Barry (Chris Wylde
Chris Wylde
Chris Wylde is the stage name of an American actor and comedian who was born on August 22, 1976 in Hackettstown, New Jersey as Christopher Scott Noll.-Early life:...
) and Josh (Jonathan Mangum
Jonathan Mangum
Jonathan Mangum is an American actor and comedian. He was a cast member of the variety show, The Wayne Brady Show and is an announcer for the game show Let's Make a Deal.-Early life:...
), as well as a pornography actress named Hedda Hummer (Allison Dunbar). There was also an insurance agency near the plaza, run by an agent named Dwight (Tim Bagley
Tim Bagley
Timothy Hugh "Tim" Bagley is an American character actor who has appeared in numerous films and television programs. He is perhaps best known for his recurring roles on the TV series Will & Grace, Monk and $h*! My Dad Says.-Early life:...
).
Bob Koherr
Bob Koherr
Bobby "Bob" Koherr is an American actor and director.As an actor, Koherr has guest starred in number of television series namely, Cybill, Party of Five, Nash Bridges, The Pretender, Malcolm in the Middle, Close to Home, Weeds and the feature films Poor White Trash, Firehouse Dog and Race to Witch...
, who had directed Brown in the 1997
1997 in film
-Events:* The original Star Wars trilogy's Special Editions are released.* Production begins on Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace.* Titanic becomes the first film to gross US$1,000,000,000 at the box office making it the highest grossing film in history until Avatar broke the record in 2010.*...
movie Plump Fiction
Plump Fiction
Plump Fiction is a 1998 parody film, released by Rhino Entertainment. It's a spoof of 1990s movies in general, and violent, convoluted movies more specifically; the overall story is a takeoff of Pulp Fiction, complete with intertitles and an out-of-sequence storyline, with bits of Reservoir Dogs...
, played a biker named Blank and his identical brothers Blair and Blunt.
On the set
All twenty episodes of this series were written by the same writers. In addition to Brown and Koherr, episodes of the series were directed by Alan Cohn; Sam IrvinSam Irvin
Sam Irvin is a film and television director, producer, screen writer, and author.-Career:Sam Irvin was born and raised in Asheville, North Carolina. In 1964, when he was eight years old, Irvin went on a family trip to California where he was able to tour various movie studios...
(who also directed Brown in Out There
Out There
Out There is a Logie winning, Australian made television show, following the trials and tribulations of an American high school boy named Reilly who moves to Australia from Connecticut as his father flees the authorities...
and Fat Rose and Squeaky); and Bobcat Goldthwait
Bobcat Goldthwait
Robert Francis "Bobcat" Goldthwait is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, and film and television director. He is commonly known for his energetic, ravenous stage personality, his dark, acerbic black comedy, and his gruff but high-pitched voice.- Early life :Goldthwait was born in Syracuse,...
(the latter previously worked with Brown in Medusa: Dare to Be Truthful
Medusa: Dare to Be Truthful
Medusa: Dare to Be Truthful is an American 1992 mockumentary film starring comedienne Julie Brown as the title character, with Kathy Griffin and Donal Logue in supporting roles...
and Shakes the Clown
Shakes the Clown
Shakes the Clown is a 1992 American movie directed and written by Bobcat Goldthwait, who performs the title role. It also features Julie Brown, Blake Clark, Paul Dooley, Kathy Griffin, Florence Henderson, Tom Kenny, Adam Sandler, Scott Herriott, LaWanda Page, Jack Gallagher, and a cameo by Robin...
). Frequent guest stars on the series included Stella Stevens
Stella Stevens
Stella Stevens Stella Stevens Stella Stevens (born October 1, 1938 is an American film, television and stage actress, who began her acting career in 1959 and starred in such popular films as The Nutty Professor, The Courtship of Eddie's Father, The Silencers, The Ballad of Cable Hogue and The...
, one of several actresses to play Harvey's mom, and Cindy Williams
Cindy Williams
Cynthia Jane "Cindy" Williams is an American actress best known for starring in the television situation-comedy series Laverne & Shirley, in the role of "Shirley Feeney", and for her role as Laurie Henderson in the classic film American Graffiti.-Early life:Williams was born in Van Nuys,...
--like Brown, a Van Nuys native—who played herself in several episodes. Many of the behind-the-scenes crew came from Brown's previous series, Clueless
Clueless (TV series)
Clueless is a television series spun off from the 1995 teen film of the same name . The series originally premiered on ABC on September 20, 1996 as a part of the TGIF lineup during its first season...
, which was also set in the Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
area.
Every episode of this series ended with a cliffhanger. The final episode ended with Tammi being thrown from an airplane by Dwight, who yelled, "Goodbye, Tammi Tyler!" Brown, who along with Charlie Coffey
Charlie Coffey
Charles E. "Charlie" Coffey was the head coach of the Virginia Tech football program from 1971 to 1973. During his three-season tenure, Coffey compiled a 12-20-1 record. After he arrived in Blacksburg, Coffey established a potent passing attack, which resulted in Hokies quarterback Don Strock...
produced Strip Mall, was about to plan the series' third season when Comedy Central decided to cancel the series because, given the recession at the time, it was too expensive to continue. Strip Mall was one of two Comedy Central sitcoms cancelled in June 2001 due to cost reasons; the other was That's My Bush!
That's My Bush!
That's My Bush! is an American comedy television series that aired on Comedy Central from April 4 to May 23, 2001. Created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, best known for also creating South Park, the series centers on the fictitious personal life of President George W. Bush, as played by Timothy...
In a fate similar to other projects starring and/or produced by Julie Brown, Amy Hill's voice eventually became better known for the children's cartoon series Jackie Chan Adventures
Jackie Chan Adventures
Jackie Chan Adventures is an animated television series chronicling the adventures of a fictionalized version of action film star Jackie Chan. Many of the episodes contain references to Chan's actual works. This series ran on Kids' WB! from September 9, 2000 to July 7, 2005 for a total of 95...
.