Seven Reasons to Watch Stan Against Evil

Admittedly I am late to this , I didn’t discover Stan Against Evil until earlier this year. If you like supernatural dark comedies, you better grab your shovel (or pipe, or a series of pipes) because you are in for a fun ride!
Stan Miller (John C McGinley) loses his job as Sherrif to a small New Hampshire town named Willard’s Mill. As it turns out Willard’s Mill was the site of a mass witch burning hundreds of years previous. This has caused the unsuspecting town to be cursed by a myriad of witches, demons, and ghosts. This paranormal blight particularly has it out for the current Sheriff. Its up to newly ‘retired’ Stan and the new female Sheriff Evie Barret (Janet Varney) to the save the town with their own brand of sarcasm and extreme gut-busting violence!
In no particular order here is Seven Reasons YOU should watch Stan Against Evil:

#1 John C McGinley
For anyone who has watched Scrubs I don’t need to tell you what a charismatic actor McGinley is. As we find out Stan likes his coffee black (and his whisky neat and bed at three as well probably). Only he doesn’t really, we find out he takes the sugars from the donut shop to secretly sweeten the coffee in his car. This perfectly sums up the character of Stan; appears macho and crotchety, but is secretly very sweet. McGinley himself describes Stan as “wonderfully damaged” (BUILD Series, 2017) and how he is attracted to playing damaged characters. Stan is understandably damaged by the untimely death of his wife. In episode one (Dig Me Up, Dig Me Down) we see Stan avoiding sleeping in his house after his loss. The little bed made up on his office couch would tug on anyone’s chordae tendinae .
This vulnerability topped with McGinley’s energetic and extremely articulate line delivery with fun gesticulations, makes Stan yet another iconic character to add to McGinley’s roster.

#2 Janet Varney
They may seem an unlikely duo, but Varney and McGinley have amazing chemistry onscreen. Those who know Varney from The Legend of Korra know how she devotes herself to a role. Sheriff Evie Barret is no different. Varney is completely believable as the single mother juggling a demanding job and a town full of (literal) demons. Her verbal sparring with Stan is comedic gold. Varney was even willing to do her own stunts and be drenched in various special effects ‘goo’s’ in the name of art!
Also, as respectfully as possible, how beautiful is she?

#3 The Humour
This might be a little redundant, but the show is incredibly funny! Created by Dana Gould who honed his comedy writing skills while writing for shows such as; The Simpsons. Gould created a fantastical world of magic and dimensions filled with people who are worried about the hand-drawn pentagram messing up their floor.
I could give the show the greatest compliment and say the humor is incredibly British in its satirical brilliance (sorry to my friends across the pond). Think the self-awareness of Buffy the Vampire Slayer with more swearing. Like, a lot more. The Miller family and co are aware of the ridiculousness of the situations they find themselves in and will make you very aware of it too. Whether it’s an ex-husband slowly turning into Mothra (complete with chrysalis) or a bargain bin Scully and Mulder, all you can do is laugh at the specifically tailored insults!

#4 The Costumes
Dana Gould quipped about the show having a good budget for a “birthday party” (BUILD Series, 2017) but not so great for a TV show. However, this turned out to be beneficial as the show’s set designers and prop makers needed to be extra creative. In a world of bizarre and often nightmarish CGI (2020 CATS anyone?) the visceral joy of seeing actual puppets and costumes benefits the overall vibe. You can tell that a lot of love, time, and creative energy went into crafting this universe. Special mention goes to The Walking Dead’s; Steven Ogg transforming into the ‘werepony’ (S2 E3 Curse of the Werepony). And the demonic baby of S2 E5 Hex Marks the Tot binding his prey, spider-like, in blankies.

#5 The Quotes
Stan Against Evil is just so sublimely quotable (trust me I’ve been doing it for months).
Here is a few good’uns;
Evie: Well I’m not Stan. Jesus.
“Stan never gave me a fine. Stan used to let me hunt without a license. Stan never used a breathalyzer”

Stan: There is a super-snazzy Red Roof Inn just down the road.
Kenny: You said that burned down.
Stan: Not all of it.

Stan: Sweetheart go ahead and get the door. Step outside, I’ll lock it, and then everything will be great.

Stan: Do you trust me Leon?
Leon: No. But I’m afraid of you.
Stan: That’s just as good.

#6 The Demons
The generational curse on Willard’s Mill has released a whole host of demons (172 to be exact). Each demon has its own unique style and paranormal superpowers. Whether it’s the manipulative powers of the bloodthirsty werepony or the subtle maliciousness of the original Sheriff of Willard’s Mill responsible for the witch burnings; Constable Eccles (Randall Newsome). Danger manifests in many for the Miller family and co. An ornate mirror, won in a competition, could be a portal to a world inhabited by vampires with shaved chests preying on unsuspecting teenage girls (and Stan). You just never know!

#7 The Emotional Moments
Yes Stan Against Evil is a ridiculous (at times) dark comedy but it’s the moments of surprising emotional weight that make this series so fantastic. Like in S1 E4 Life Orr Death, when Stan is so happy he saved Evie by sacrificing a possession that meant a lot to him. Or Stan using time travel to say a touching final goodbye to his late wife. Varney and McGinley are both such superb actors that they don’t need a lot of dialogue to nail an emotional scene.
In a broader sense, the current media landscape is filled with movies and TV shows designed by committee and motivated solely by money. Its nice to watch something that is clearly a work of passion. The writers, cast, and crew have put a lot of soul and individuality into the three seasons. This makes Stan Against Evil such a satisfying watch and you will grow attached to this quirky gang of characters.