Austin Stories

"Austin Stories" follows in a less-traveled comedy tradition of quietly delightful programs. These use appealing characters who, through misunderstanding, a misplaced eagerness to be of assistance, or unfortunate happenstance, find themselves caught up in awful situations that can often be downright hilarious. The ancient TV program, "Mr. Peepers," which starred, among others, Wally Cox and Tony Randall, was probably the first and best of these shows. Like "Mr. Peepers" and the still-missed "WKRP in Cincinnati," the performers are mostly amiable and young, some of them slated for fame, but the majority never to be heard from again.The problem with shows like this is that they don't rely too heavily on exaggeration or grotesquerie. Result: their wispiness can get mistaken for wimpiness. So while "Austin Stories" adroitly stays away from twee and cuteness,its easy-going tone can puzzle the viewer looking for slam-dunk jokes and in-your-face humor. It never did find its audience, but, then again, it probably never looked too hard.

MTV made one of the biggest mistakes in t.v. history when they cancelled Austin Stories. If Austin Stories had been given time to build an audience it could have been a long running, award winning hit. Seinfeld had already proven that it was possible for a quirky, low key comedy to become a hit.

Ever since Richard Linklater's "Slacker", audiences have come to know the Texas capital as a haven for offbeat, over-educated underachievers. The three main characters in this youth oriented sitcom - Howard, Laura, and Chip - are all talented stand-up comedians who made the transition to acting rather effortlessly.

The way the writers captured their comraderie and the unique Austin ambiance was note-perfect. The series' brand of comedy was low-key, but intelligent, and amazingly true to life. The off-the-wall dialogue and screwy, convoluted plot lines made this show a winner. Even though it was not renewed by MTV, Comedy Central would do well to resurrect this series.

There were also plenty of memorable supporting characters. Richard Edson as Howard's brother was a notable addition in the last episode. And I'd love to see more of everybody's favorite, Tina the Goth Girl.

Austin Stories was one of the funniest and most original shows on TV. The exploits of Chip, Howard, and Laura continue to make me laugh every time I pop in one of my old vhs copies of it. I'm excited to see that Howard is now a standup comedian getting some national acclaim. Haven't seen anything from Chip or Laura, but hopefully they're finding success as well.

I'm still looking for the 12th episode (Howard's Brother) if anyone has it for trade..I have all of the other ones and would love having the complete set!

Austin Stories was killed off WAY before it ever jumped a shark. This one season wonder from the era when MTV stopped showing music videos and went into the crevasse of "Flavor of Love" still holds up after 15 years.

Every episode is full of one-line timeless gold like "Neckfurters" (the neck fat that bulges up on the back of your head and looks like hot dogs in a package), "Cotton Tops" (older women), "Dipes" (the all-too fresh smelling buddy every guy has). Between the one-liners are three very easy-to-like characters that seem to show up in all of our lives; Chip, the likable dork, Howie, the slick Easterner in Austin, and Laura, the intellectual single with the sharp comeback usually lost on her prey.

Definitely a series worth bringing back with the original cast, or a smart revival with the original cast as cameo players. Some network at some time will remember just how funny these 12 episodes were and cash in on even half of the original brilliance MTV held in its' palm.