the Larry Sanders Show

haha. awesome.

I once had a conversation with one of the writers, who told me the the last show of the last season ("Learning to Fly") is based on a Haruki Murukami short story.

Google cannot confirm this.

Is the applesauce line used by most announcers in front of studio audiences, or is that a Hank Kingsley special?

Most overlooked LSS performer: Wallace Langham.

Ye gods, Arrested Development made even Tambor unfunny.

-- Martin Skidmore (martin.skidmore...), March 20th, 2003.

The Wu-Tang Clan on Larry Sanders. Hank tells them that his favourite is "Shame On A Nigger". A classic TV moment.

-- Martin Skidmore (martin.skidmore...), June 29th, 2002.

Hank Kingsley to the Wu-Tang Clan: "My favourite is 'Shame On A Nigga'". Is Hank part of the great reclamation project?

-- Martin Skidmore (martin.skidmore...), October 14th, 2002.

Hank Kingsley tells the Wu-Tang Clan his favourite song is "Shame On A Nigga".

-- Martin Skidmore (martin.skidmore...), April 14th, 2003.

You missed Shame On A Nigga, Jess! It was probably my favourite track anyway, but it was confirmed there after the magnificent moment in the Larry Sanders show when Hank met the Wu.

-- Martin Skidmore (martin.skidmore...), September 28th, 2002.

my favorite is probably the episode where hank and his ex-wife's home sex tape circulates around hollywood, and hank prays to god for it not to affect his orange juice industry spokesmanship:

"As you know, sex is a consensual act between two or more adults."

i love the david duchovny episode as well.

bonus points for when they hired Sarah Silverman. She was hot back then. Hank's assistant was priceless.

larry sanders is followed by dream on!

Results 1 - 10 of about 852 for "thank you bittorrent". (0.06 seconds)

why did you google that? were you looking for thank-you sites?

more like momentary curiousity about how many others have felt the need to express their gratitude in words.

this really is one of the greatest shows ever

agreed. wish there was a second box set coming out...

how can all the seasons be available for torrent if they never came out as DVDs? surely they haven't been recorded to VHS when initially on and then digitised recently?

I watched the entire run of the show last year, thanks to someone seemingly having done just that. Great stuff, though I probably watched it too quickly, so it became a bit of a daze or haze or mayonnaise after a while

Anyways, I guess they might have ripped them from re-runs rather than crusty old tapes. I no longer recall what the image/sound quality was like. I've definitely found rips of other old shows that very obviously were taken from aged cassettes though.

how do you do this bit t0rrent thingy again?

how can all the seasons be available for torrent if they never came out as DVDs? surely they haven't been recorded to VHS when initially on and then digitised recently?

the torrented eps were from UK's itv4, iirc, which repeated the show last year, iirc. however, i rarelty rc.

they were up on youtube too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZbaFIU4xiY

AWESOME

yeah that guy has a bunch of eps on there. also night court :D

Top three of all time. Definitely one of the most underrated shows ever.

when i was a kid the garry shandling show BLEW MY MIND.

i was a real sucker for any and all of that 80s pomo intertextual tv. parker lewis cant lose etc.

http://www.maximumfun.org/blog/2009/03/today-is-shot.html

i am obsessed with this show. managed to get seasons 1-3 on torrents and hopefully will find the others when needed.

so many amazing scenes, it's so cumulative too, the more you watch it the more every line just becomes funny. also sometimes there aren't even any jokes, it's just funny watching cos hank is hank, larry is larry, and artie is artie.

tambor tho is just UNBELIEVABLE. the scene in S03E01 when Larry is coming back from Montana and trying to get the show back on the air and he goes to Hank's car which is filled with smoke. Hank is like "larry......BOY" etc stumbling over a prerehearsed speech.

one of those precious shows that makes life worth living.

is that the same episode where Artie pleads with Larry to come back? 'Youre like something out of greek mythology...half man, half desk!'

yeah! amazing...

For the Love of God someone release the complete series on DVD!

it's all on the torrent sites...

i love love love this show but seasons 4 and 5 aren't even in same ballpark as first 3, and season 1/2 are just impeccable.

There's also a half season!

I hate watching TV shows on a computer, and I don't even use torrents, but I must.

Embarking on Season 3 today.

http://www.allfordmustangs.com/forums/attachments/test-area/67972d1240792763-upload-test-dr-phil-dr_phil_mcgraw.jpg
HEY NOW!

I mean:

http://www.allfordmustangs.com/forums/attachments/test-area/67972d1240792763-upload-test-dr-phil-dr_phil_mcgraw.jpg
HEY NOW!

lolz was just discussing the separated-at-birth nature of Dr. Phil and Hank yesterday with the wife

I am sorely disappointed every time this thread gets bumped and it's not about further season sets being released on DVD...

Good job, though, EDB! Would that I could go back and watch it all again for the first time.

what is it with Gary Shandling and DVDs

hoHo Garry Shandling Show DVDs actually coming out this year, apparently...?

Yeah, the complete series in one fell swoop!

Well, I'm done the whole thing, and truly, what a fine whole thing it was...

3 seasons on hulu now! although Availability Notes:
Some episodes from Seasons 2 and 3 are not available for online streaming at this time. We'll continue to request them.

they gotta do the whole thing on dvd already come on

It's all down to music rights, dude. Although I'd honestly be okay with them cutting the musical numbers if it meant the whole series would be available for purchase.

it wouldn't be the same without the song and dance numbers.

i'm watching season 1 for the first time now. Rip Torn is some kind of genius, Arthur is already one of my favorite characters ever

he really is and he really is

Yes to this times a billion zillion. Any show where Hank Kingsley is the second best character is a show to be treasured for the ages.

Actually, I go back and forth between Hank and Artie. The three dudes, though, are just next-level amazing together. I can't say it enough.

There's no way Artie is better than Hank. And i love Artie. Hank is a tragicomic figure for the ages.

u guyz thanks for reminding me I need to donwload season 2!!! I really hope this show sees more Janeane as it progresses.

Rip Torn is some kind of genius, Arthur is already one of my favorite characters ever

^

Funny, I am watching Rip Torn as Judas in King of Kings right now

Hank is actually my third favorite character! No one seems to agree, but I really think Larry is great, and not just in a "necessary for the other characters to work" way (as in other shows). I got my girlfriend hooked on the show just recently, and re-watching has confirmed to me that Artie is the greatest.

Hank was my favourite character for the first 2 or maybe 3 seasons, then I found him to slide a bit more to being a bit caricatured in his foibles/being an ass (and honestly, annoying at times). Hence Artie took his spot, and he stands to this day a landmark in great TV characters: never a dull moments and always top notch. I can recall reading an Artie quote in the newspaper, before I'd seen the episode it quoted, and having Artie's voice and delivery perfect in my head (just say to yourself now: "Ahhh, Rip Torn of the great Larry Sanders Show", he needs no antics or caricaturizations, he's just a great capital-c Character if there ever was such a thing.

Also, did anyone else develop a distinct subconscious ripping off of Larry's joke-style/delivery after watching this. I know I did.

i've been both larry and hank so many times in my life it makes wish i had an artie

http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/12/rip-torn-mug-shot.jpg
VA BENNE!

hey, even artie needs an artie sometimes

kingsley's queens

i've been both larry and hank so many times in my life it makes wish i had an artie

― tiger's wood (latebloomer), Monday, 21 December 2009 05:13 (3 hours ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

grand colossal truth bomb there mr bloomer

I love this show so much. It definitely dips at times but it has so many brilliant moments.

Guys: http://tvshowsondvd.com/news/Larry-Sanders-DVD-Plans/13400

splendid news ma boy!

It's about fucking time.

Hey now!

good, maybe now someone will upload it to the internet

Wd Buy

Revive!

Why didn't anyone TELL me you could just snag a bootleg copy of the entire series on eBay?

Most overlooked LSS performer: Wallace Langham.

― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Tuesday, July 19, 2005 2:27 PM (4 years ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

so right

I don't feel like reading over this whole thread (which I didn't know existed), so I may repeat something said above. This was my favourite TV show ever. In the annals of showbiz creeps, Bob Odenkirk's Stevie Grant was good enough for The Sweet Smell of Success. My number-one favorite line was Hank's response in the hallway when Larry introduces him to "Elvis" (Costello): "I don't think so..." Second favourite was Arty's description (in the Wu-Tang episode) of Lenny Kravitz as being only "half-urban" (exaggerated upper-class pronunciation of "half").

This was a perfect show.

hey nowwww

Does my ass look fat?

Revision to an earlier post: this is my favorite moment of all.

Isn't Bob doing the same agent that Jeremy Piven is supposedly doing on Entourage? I, obviously, prefer Bob's take.

Maybe this is because I've thoroughly watched Mr Show and have gotten sick of Bob Odenkirk, but he always struck me as one of the lesser characters on the show. I mean he was pretty good in the first few seasons, but then he just got kind of annoying, and his acting seemed to decline too, in that kind of over the top Bob Odenkirk way.

Although, then again, I think most characters wear away with age, except Artie of course, who is very much like a the finest of wines, ripens with age, is perennially classy, etc.

Revive!

Why didn't anyone TELL me you could just snag a bootleg copy of the entire series on eBay?

― Mr. Snrub, Friday, April 9, 2010 12:42 AM (1 week ago)

Arrived today!! Now I just need to plow through 25 more Seinfeld DVDs, then I'm all set. Life is good.

xpost Referring to Bob Odenkirk the person as a 'character' is odd, but if you think he's lost it or something, check out his performance on Breaking Bad. Probably his best work, and a great show.

I meant Stevie. I think you misread my post.

jouster u mad. i mean i get both characters are supposed to be based on ari emanuel but bob's is probably too goofy?

xpost oh, duh. I guess I said Bob and you said Bob and so I somehow got it all mixed up. I know what you mean - I kinda feel that way about Hank (a little).

great scene: hank all bronzed up doing his prince charles imitation

Yes, I feel the same way about Hank too. somewhere along the way he turns from a lovable goof from lovably irritating goof, to irritating goof (that's still funny, just maybe a bit too incorrigible).

To speak of another great Hank scene: the scene with Harvey Fierstein was one about which I had a phase for a week of almost compulsively rewatching.

the scene where larry and hank have a chat in the car after larry abandoned the show for a bit is amazing. "listen...larry boy!"

yes!

and the scene where hank and artie get drunk, and hank is all woozy from piercing his own ear, and they accost larry for planning to quit the show...

"I hope someone from Pavement saw it because I would like to date any one of those fine gentlemen."

garofalo otm imho

hank's hissyfits <3<3<3

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjWmMfJADPY

Hank's fits are great because they capture the comic-pathetic quality that exists in most real life outbursts.

Wasn't aware this was on its way until my sister and brother-and-law surprised me on my birthday:

http://www.amazon.com/Larry-Sanders-Show-Complete/dp/B003NHMYJW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1288390834&sr=8-1

whoa nice, santa claus will be hearing about this let me tell you.

sweet!

hope there will be the requisite tonnes of extras

There are heaps, but it's not clear if it has (all of) the same ones as the Best Of set - at least some of Shandlings re-visits to cast are in there tho

Do you know if thre are extras that weren't included on the Best Of collection?

I've been working my way through the box set (link above)--finished season two last night. Spooky: John Ritter, Gene Siskel, and Warren Zevon all on the same episode. Utterly brilliant: Hank at the end of the Eric Bogosian episode, where he believes that Bogosian's character (Stan, Larry's old partner in a comedy duo) is dead, even though Stan's suicide attempt was in fact botched.

Number 1 on my Christmas list

Yeah!

love artie tackling phil at the end of the zevon episode.

is there a uk version of it? i had a look on amazon and it was 116 quid for a us version, i guess my xbox prob plays us dvds but that price is hefty too, i could download for at most half that price, possibly a lot less.

season 1 and 2 are on region 2 from Amazon at about 18 quid each

[/Amazon Spokesman]

Artie is just consistently great. From the "Hank's Wedding" episode, when Hank is shocked that Artie's figured out he wants to have the wedding on air: "Hank, I keep telling you--I can see right into your soul."

xp don't think xbox plays us dvds...? if so, it's "only" $99 at amazon atm.

it screams "penis vagina" more than anything...

I had to go on hiatus from the box set for a couple of weeks, but I just finished the episode where Hank guest-hosts (Season 3), and I don't know if the show ever had a better one.

Darlene: "I'm doing some creative visualization, and I'm seeing the audience screaming with laughter!"
Artie: "I've seen the same thing, Darlene--thank you for explaining the screaming."

That's one of my favorites as well.

The way Hank becomes really smug with Larry and the crew after the first show is especially great.

Hank's post-show smugness is so off the chart, it's actually hard to watch; even before I started the episode, I got this queasy feeling remembering what a train-wreck he was. Another favorite line from Artie, when Hank breaks down crying just before he goes on air: (as only Artie can deliver it) "Should I be concerned?"

that might be my favourite episode. at least as good as hank's sex tape.

"And might I suggest three gift baskets for Lionel Richie, one for each time you referred to him as 'Little Richard.'"

All the best episodes are Hank related, aren't they? I like the one where they have to do a show without Hank and realize his value to the show.

no longer on hulu :((

Anybody know Phil Leeds? Great character actor--he plays Hank's agent Sid, he was Dr. Shand in Rosemary's Baby, he was on an old Dick Van Dyke as Morey Amsterdam's pool-hustling brother, and there was an Odd Couple episode, too (forget the details, except that he was good--something to do with horse-racing). A friend and I are the only Phil Leeds cultists in the world. Anyway, I watched the post-divorce episode where Hank goes on a binge of debauchery, and Leeds has one of my favorite lines ever:

Sid: "Hankulah, so you're marriage has turned to shit. I know what you're going through, but this, with the whores and the booze..."
Hank: "You know what I'm going through? You've been married to the same lady for 56 years."
Sid: "I'm thinking of getting out."

sid is a god.

Finished season four, couple more to go. The opening of season four does an amazing job of capturing something that I think has been forgotten: how riveting, and how serious, the O.J. trial was before it became a full-time punchline. The first image is of Chris Darden talking, and you pull back to see everyone around the TV, not saying anything, as Larry watches intently. This goes on for a good minute. (Leading to a great joke eventually. Paula: "Kato Kaelin's people have been haranguing me about getting him on the show." Paula, off-camera: "Kato Kaelin has people?") Other all-time episodes from the same season: the one where Jeannie comes back and ends up having sex with Hank, Artie's all-night bender after his friend Ryan O'Neal gets bumped, and, of course, Hank's sex tape. ("You need to wash your mouth out with...Hank.") There's even one episode where there's a truly great sentimental moment, something I thought the show had avoided at all costs (like Seinfeld): Beverly's explanation for why she comes back after quitting.

Hope those who wanted this for Christmas got it.

Oops--it's Beverly who has the off-camera line about Kato Kaelin.

Though the show wasn't sentimental (in the worst sense) I do think they did have some great moments of pathos, like that Beverly episode, but there are also some great moments between Larry and Artie, and Hank is lovable for the same comic-pathetic reasons Homer Simpson used to be.

Season 5: overall, not quite up to three and four, but it ends with three great ones where the show starts to take a darker turn. The episode where Paula's elevated to producer so she won't leave has another one of those great moments of pathos right at the end, when Artie apologizes and makes his peace with Paula's promotion. The roast episode is about the most uncomfortable 30 minutes of television you'll ever see: brilliant. And the final episode, where Roger Bingham appears and starts his maneuvering to get Larry out of there sets up the next season perfectly. Scott Thompson and Mary Lynn Rajskub bring a lot to the show. And Penny Johnson (Beverly) gets better looking every year.

i would marry beverly...

i would until i watched 24.

this show is the greatest and all on watch instantly

http://memory-alpha.org/wiki/Penny_Johnson

I finished up last night. I'll go back now and watch all the deleted scenes, most of which I skipped.

The last season starts off with three of the best episodes ever. It's basically all the machinations of Stevie Grant and the network as they clear a path for John Stewart. As a corrosive look at show business, they're up there with Sweet Smell of Success. I linked to this way upthread--possibly my favorite exchange of the entire run--and another great moment I'd single out is when Stevie Grant says something like, "That's what made this company [meaning the U.S.A.] great," Arthur walks away in disgust saying, "It's a country," and you hear Stevie ask, "What'd I say?"

A bunch of good (though not as good) episodes follow, leading up to "Flip," the final show. I had mixed feelings on that one. It's unusual how they let Jim Carrey take over for a while--his banter during the commercial is great, but I'm not sure it's worth the 10 minutes that leads up to it. The meta stuff with Sean Penn during the commercial break was overkill; the point had already been made when Garry Shandling's name was mentioned. And the episode gets more maudlin than I would have expected towards the end; I almost wish Hank had exited on his tirade, instead of having him come back. Artie's better than ever through the whole season. I'd forgotten how Sarah Silverman basically disappeared, then reappeared.

I finish as I started: still gets my vote for the greatest sitcom ever.

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2010/12/the-tragedy-of-the-talk-show-host/8293/

netflix is trying to kill me

kill u w/ lulz

so i just bought the complete series, after having only seen like 4 or 5 episodes. given that I'm a huge curb your enthusiasm fan, and will likely watch all of LSS for the next couple of weeks, is there hope? I mean, will I develop an ulcer out of acidic gluttony?

Summer 2010, for me, was all about watching the entire LSS series.

No regrets. Don't look back now.

Just started streaming on Netflix. At what point does it became comedy godhead?

I had my summer of LSS about a decade ago as an impressionable teenager via the joys of subscription television. Maybe I am due for another one?

Xpost: I'd probably say with the Hankercizer

Huh, Netflix streaming has a really weird episode order: "Hey Now" is first, and then "The Flirt Episode."

Yeah, there a few instances of episodes being out of order (really threw me at the beginning of Season 3), episodes not even in the right season, mislabeled episodes.

I assume Wikipedia has the proper order?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_The_Larry_Sanders_Show_episodes

I know IFC has been airing them in production order, I assume Netflix has them the same. "Hey Now" was first shot, and "The Flirt" second, etc. See this page: http://epguides.com/LarrySandersShow/

In most cases it doesn't matter, although season 6 actually works better in production order.

My radio station had its license revoked the other day by the CRTC, a Canadian regulatory body. We're going to appeal; it may work, but it'll require a lot of money. Feb. 12 is supposed to be our final day of broadcasting.

So what does this have to do with Larry Sanders? I was thinking about what I'd say on what could be my final show this weekend, and I remembered the great opening to the final Sanders episode: Larry watching Jack Paar's Tonight Show sign-off. It was the second time they tried an opening like that, the other being the O.J. opening. Both were sombre, and completely silent except for what was playing on the television screen. Fantastic.

Artie: Well what about little Miguelito from Peru, you know the kid you adopted through Sally Struthers? All his letters pile up like goddamn junk mail!

Hank: Well what am I supposed to do, he wrote them in Spanish. You see, this is not going to happen with Roger because he's local.

holy shit, the Divorce Gun

god i didnt realize that netflix had all of the seasons

how am i going to get anything done

just started this too. Drunk Hank and Artie in "The New Producer" was amazing!

i keep getting worried theyre going to pull it from streaming. im still on season 3

two things:

* jeffrey tambor is one of the best swearers in the world
* is "the larry sanders show" (ie the talk-show within the show) supposed to be good or is it supposed to be kind of mediocre? his monologues are always so lame

i think gary shandling delivers a pretty competent monologue -- at least by the standards of tnite show monologues which tend to be lame. at one point networks were talking about hiring him to actually host one of the late night shows (I believe NBC was trying to get him for the late night show and when they couldn't they went with Conan instead). part of what makes the show work imo, is that shandling does the late night thing really well. he does seem very comfortable and has that kind of superficial interview chit-chat stuff. i don't think it's supposed to be 'good' in some amazing definitive sense tho and we constantly hear throughout the series about sanders problems competing for ratings. he's not supposed to be the best thing on tv, but he is supposed to be one of these guys that can do this job well.

i think the monologues are good

he was a frontrunner to succeed carson! (according to wikipedia)

i think the monologues are good/lame the same way that conan and daves are

They kind of give the impression they're struggling to stay in Leno and Letterman's league but Arsenio (sp?) is kicking they're ass. Sometimes the monologues are one joke.

not sure if this was posted already in this thread but very worth reading: http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2010/12/the-tragedy-of-the-talk-show-host/8293/

The "no-flipping" thing he does at the end of each monologue always made me think this was some sort of alternative universe where David Brenner had a successful talk show.

Larry Sanders and Garry Shandling's guest stints on Carson were completely different.

they all have their own little 'no-flipping' things. conan bows to the audience a bunch.

Yeah, but the "no-flipping" is a lot lamer.

his delivery is good, he seems natural, etc., just the jokes themselves are really lame. they're like leno-standard jokes. i just wasn't sure if that was intentional or not.

i think tambor is a really good swearer because it doesn't seem casual at all, he seems genuinely infuriated whenever he swears. thinking specifically of when he finds out he's been cut from larry's architectural digest pictorial and just keeps saying "those ... fuckers" over and over

"penis vagina"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50GmA2T8Jo8

at one point networks were talking about hiring him to actually host one of the late night shows (I believe NBC was trying to get him for the late night show and when they couldn't they went with Conan instead).

it was the Tonight Show, and he turned it down to do Larry Sanders for HBO

can't find letterman's appearance backstage at an awards ceremony :(

they tried to get him to do late night again after larry sanders show was already running (it's discussed in the Conan biography part of the War for Late Night)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNaXZWuiBWk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWV06u_Q4UM

another great swearing hank moment is when he's trying to impress wu-tang with his parking tickets, stomping his foot; "fucking cops man!"

Those are exactly like larry sanders!!!

watched the first ep of season 4 today, tambor just KILLS it after his car gets egged

Isn't that the episode that starts with everybody sitting around a TV watching the O.J. trial, with Phil later using the egging to make a point about O.J.'s guilt? As I mentioned upthread, that's my favorite opening of any episode in the entire run. It's so atypically grim.

yeah, and roseanne is booked on the show and larry freaks out

"the only way they're going to get rid of this yarmulke is if they pry it off my cold, dead head"

btw my fav hank moment is when he gets engaged to a younger woman to everyone's confusion, and the punchline is when Artie meets her dad and he looks exactly like hank

so many amazing moments, love the episode where hank and larry end up dancing zonked on anti-depressants

"there's a place...I go to, when times are dark Larry..."

"the top drawer of my office desk?"

"yes two of the large yellow pills, with scotch"

I'm pretty sure there won't be anymore til Shandling's dead.

― Dr Morbius, Friday, April 27, 2007 1:27 PM (4 years ago) Bookmark

Morbzfail

ive been watching all of these on netflix from the start to the end and there isnt a single episode where hank doesnt make me laugh out loud

Hank Kingsley: [dictating "Hank's Thoughts" for a newsletter] : If I had my druthers, there would be no more world hunger.

I lol every time at the recurring joke of Hank saying a bunch of dumb shit (inevitably ending with something like "I'm not stupid, y'know") and Artie responding "I don't agree with a single thing you just said"

Hank's Thoughts: "I could really go for a Creamsicle right now."

Just watched the one where Hank is walking around with bronzer on his face the entire episode.

druthers

I've never seen any of this show. I think I should probably change that esp since it's avail on netflix.

oh lord. stop the buffy watching right now and start this.

tbh buffy sorta failed to grab me - i'm gonna start this tonight I think

Buffy is more dated than LS, that's for sure

So yeah, this is pretty great, huh?

You know what I keep thinking about as I watch it? How badly Shandling messed up his face. He was in something last year (Iron Man 2 maybe) and he looked awful. Like really bad plastic surgery. NAGL at all. RIP Shandling's real face.

lol

http://cinesnark.files.wordpress.com/2010/05/gary-shandling-iron-man-21.jpg

It doesn't even look that bad in this pic but it was really awful in action.

He said on Twitter the other day it's from laser eye surgery and denied he'd had any other work done.

hmmmmmmmm

yeah he looks terrible but i guess it's kinda in character to have work done

Hopefully he got some ass lipo for complete verisimilitude.

my first look at Garry's new face was in the extras for the It's The Garry Shandling Show and dude has clearly had some bad botox/collagen or something. it was alarming at first sight.

<3 Rip Torn.

misread that, thought you'd typed RIP Rip Torn, and already had my black armband on

Me too. Was a disconcerting few seconds.

me too!

i would be one of Artie's many wives

Oh man guys, sorry to freak you out!

Shandling is supposed to be on WTF next week

when i was growing up i went to a family doctor who bore an uncanny resemblance to gary shandling both in looks and mannerisms. it was weird. he was really cool. though. he had the bedside manner down to a t so that for example he would be sticking that weird thing in your ear but it would be totally chill.

we should all aspire to that brand of ugliness and chillaxification. i know i do.

shandling is so painful to watch/listen to in interviews

haha i think that maybe the reason this show worked so well is bcuz of how believable it was that the actor was really like that irl

Rip Torn too. You can believe in the multiple failed marriages, romances with Angie Dickinson etc.

Oh man if Shandling is painful to listen to in interviews (can't remember ever seeing/hearing one) then the Maron ep should be extra awkward.

man, the episode where larry's gf tries to use him to get on the show, and then goes out w/network vp roger bingham is so intense! when artie walks in on their date and threatens him, it's like something out of the godfather

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIzPVGn8Xes

Maladroit! Great highlight reel, but they cut off one of Artie's greatest lines ever around the 1:00 mark: "Hank, some of the things you do are...not quite right."

"Does the name Sally Jeesy Raphael mean anything to you???'

For those of you who haven't yet, you really need to listen to the WTF podcast episode with the Garry Shandling interview. It made me love him even more.

watching this on netflix recently. love where hank tries to kiss larry to thank him for buying (or betting on?) a racehorse, larry cringes saying "i don't give a fuck about a horse, i have a car."

if you guys want to seeing something really weird and uncomfortable watch the interview of gary shandling by ricky gervais on youtube

adolph hankler

has anyone here ever read the Larry Sanders autobiography and if so -- is it worth reading?

Utterly brilliant: Hank at the end of the Eric Bogosian episode, where he believes that Bogosian's character (Stan, Larry's old partner in a comedy duo) is dead, even though Stan's suicide attempt was in fact botched.

"He's not dead, he's in the hospital."
"I don't think so."
"Larry's talking to him on the phone!"
"Well, that remains to be seen."

its written in character and it ain't all that great, mordy: typical subpar comedy book.

i got it at a dollar store!

for a dollar

not sure if this is mentioned upthread, but if yr english, and you buy the region 2 release to save a bit of cash over getting the import, be aware that you'll be missing out on all the extra gubbins. i didn't know this, and am pretty bummed about it tbh.

watched the last episode last night - superlol at Hanks' final diatribe/meltdown post-show, so awesome.

Somewhere upthread I said I thought it was great, but would have been even better if he hadn't come back for the mushy stuff.

But isn't it very Hank, that whole scene? I don't like it as much with just the venom or just the mushy stuff, need both halves.

surprised this show didn't ever get more love on ILX although obvs it was all over by the time ILX began.

still so great

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxcDpqB7OxQ

I think there's been a lot of discussion in a lot of disparate threads. Maybe my favorite show ever, definitely top three.

Hank and The Crying Game

Larry's agent is played by Bob Odenkirk aka Saul Goodman from Breaking Bad

Odenkirk has been criminally under-employed ever since, but hopefully that will be changing soon.

larry's producer is played by rip torn aka maax from beastmaster

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IgD32TVWaQ

norm macdonald from a minute with stan hooper btw

I swear that youtube cuts off the punchline to that amazing scene w/norm and the fonz. that is possibly my favourite episode ever.

more interesting Larry Sanders facts coming right up!

Here's the Hank clip I mentioned above

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzznBDz-758

this is the best show ever. must rewatch it all sometime.

The first four seasons are on Lovefilm instant in the UK, worth £10/month of anybody's money IMO.

Think I have them on an old ITV4 record I downloaded.

so great

Fun Larry Sanders fact: Larry's lawyer is Leland Palmer from Twin Peaks!!!

It is the best show ever. It saddens me that a lot of younger folk I speak to haven't seen this and seem to think Entourage is "hilarious".

younger folk are just an inexhaustible supply of wrong opinions

younger folk are just an inexhaustible supply of wrong opinions

On the estate where I live this is probably 90 odd percent the case, liking shit comedy is only a fraction of the problem with them.

90 percent of everything ppl much younger than me find funny seems completely unfunny to me, i think this is called getting old

US ilxors: whole thing is now free to stream on crackle.com

I so didn't give a shit about the OJ Simpson trial, but the ep they did on it was the most acute thing i ever saw or heard about it.

Last week, Shandling great when Letterman said "You're a guy who wants a family someday..." GS: "Don't you think I better start in the next 6 hours?"
― Dr Morbius, Thursday, April 26, 2007 9:39 AM

I'm pretty sure there won't be anymore til Shandling's dead.

― Dr Morbius, Friday, April 27, 2007 1:27 PM (4 years ago) Bookmark

Morbzfail

― american thinker (Shakey Mo Collier), Tuesday, May 10, 2011 11:47 PM (4 years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

:(((((((

expected him to outlive Rip Torn, still kickin' at 85

those DVDs did come out

xp

Actually just wrapped up another full series viewing a few months ago. Didn't think I'd be ready to start again, but...

It's up there with the first five seasons of Roseanne as a show I would happily start rewatching anytime (and have done several times over).

Oh wait, fuck, just realized why this was revived...

yeah :-(

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfNHX_gVKJ0

expected him to outlive Rip Torn, still kickin' at 85

― we can be heroes just for about 3.6 seconds (Dr Morbius), Thursday, March 24, 2016 9:02 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

exactly what I thought as I watched the magnificent Larry's Birthday last night

Good ep that and thankfully the one where Piven's character is sacked, never rated him at all.

I'd have to go back and rewatch the first season, but I remember really liking Piven (wasn't he great at mocking Hank?). At the very least, the episode where he loses his job over the intern was classic.

One of the best and atypical things about Larry Sanders was how they had the show and the characters figured out right from the first episode. To one degree or another, watching the first seasons of Seinfeld, The Simpsons, All in the Family, and so many others is like watching a different show. (Ed Asner and Ted Knight don't find their characters for a while on Mary Tyler Moore.) The entire run of Larry Sanders is of a piece, though. (Maybe Hank wasn't quite so buffoonish in the first couple of episodes, but the difference is minimal.)

I liked Piven. He's great at playing unpleasant and rather pathetic characters, which possibly isn't much of a stretch for him.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2H3Q8gMUlck

"That is wrong on so many levels."

I'm guessing this has been shared, but... http://comediansincarsgettingcoffee.com/garry-shandling-its-great-that-garry-shandling-is-still-alive

I am probably being a bit harsh on his role in TLSS and retrospectively hating on him for his later crimes like Entourage.

awards

https://twitter.com/DPD_/status/713217965555073024

is it ever specified what network the Larry Sanders Show is actually on? They reference other networks that the show is definitely *not* on (NBC, for example) multiple times, but I can't recall if they ever specified that they were on a fictional network or a cable network or ABC or what...

i would bet they didn't. it's the smart thing to do to just call it The Network.

I was just trying to work it out via process of elimination

all shows like that exist in a parallel universe

like the Harold & Kumar one where N.P. Harris is heterosexual

yeah, by process of elimination, it couldn't have been any non-cable network in the 90s

NBC ruled out due to being against Leno, Letterman and Conan
ABC ruled out due to being against Nightline
CBS ruled out also due to Letterman starting in the mid 90s (not to mention Tom Snyder)

Arsenio Hall's show was syndicated, and I can't remember which local network ran it when I was growing up. I recall jokes about FOX on the show (tho can't recall any off the top of my head -- so maybe Fox?). Best bet is that it would have to been some fictional non-cable broadcast network.

you both need a TV enema

been rewatching from the start and in one of the early episodes someone mentions going to work for cnbc which gets mocked by artie so i assume larry is on network tv.

that's what I thought too but then there was this S1 episode where Arthur was disparaging any show that wasn't on one of the big three networks as being not worth watching lol

idk it doesn't really matter, obviously the show has its cake and eats it too in this respect, all well and good I was just wondering

xp

xp non-cable network that is.

someone mentions going to work for cnbc which gets mocked by artie

yes this is what I was referring to! Hank claiming he's got an offer to do a show with Dick Cavett

right... i couldn't remember exactly who it was.

it's something like "my TV only gets three channels, like a normal person"

lol yes! he's like "cnbc... what is that?"

i still miss grodin's show

it's been awhile- was there ever a scenario dealing w/ other shows on the network that maybe alluded to say friction between snl and the tonight show (both w/ carson and leno) or letterman frustrations w/ cbs prime time tanking during the 90s? iirc though yeah, it was just 'a network', and it was understood to have been on for awhile. it wasn't like w/ 30 rock where they were actually on nbc.

I don't remember ever thinking there was a specific network that was home to the show, or that certain clues pointed in a particular direction. I recall a specific reference to the story recounted in The Late Shift about Leno hiding in the closet. I'll probably watch the box for the third time over the summer.

I don't know that the network was ever specified, but I'd always assumed the show basically took place in an alternate universe where there was one more big television network.

Norns OTM on this. It was always referred to as the network but every existing network and some cable were all dissed on the reg

Norms???? Autocorrected from Morbs

I'm from the UK....what was Grodin's show like?

I love Grodin

it was a format closer to tom snyder or costas' later, generally a one on one conversation, no studio audience, only odd cuz of grodin. i just miss that format in general, costas would have one guest for an entire week.

lol Hank rehearsing his lounge act in the studio with Doc and Tommy late of the Carson show... and wearing tap shoes around the office. Opens with "Spinning Wheel." Artie: "You don't open with a showstopper, Hank."

lol

man I gotta watch all these again

also extremely young Bob Odenkirk as the hotshot snaky agent for whom Larry tosses aside his oldtimer (who takes all his lunches "at Musso's")

yeah I love when Bob shows up this series. Scott Thompson too!

Artie in the Doubt of The Benefit episode I watched the other night: "Charity begins at home .. except in Hollywood where it begins at 7pm every night at every fucking hotel ballroom in town"

I'm as far as "The Party" in my rewatch of the box. One of the things I appreciate is that (much like with the early Simpsons) I am just old enough that all of the 1992 references all make perfect sense to me. Like, can people even five years younger than me why anyone would have been afraid of Dana Carvey stealing their show?

*get* why

Carvey came v close to getting one of those shows... musta been when Conan was hired

carvey tried to do movies and then did his primetime show which was occasionally inspired but has become overrated in some quarters due to having a writing staff that approached caesar's in terms of talent on hand (maybe even louis ck = carl reiner, smigel = brooks, charlie kaufman = woody?). then he had health issues and his moment passed.

Wasn't aware he had health issues. I just noticed that at some point his career became Master of Disguise, and I assume that anyone who wasn't around for SNL and Wayne's World just has no idea who he is now.

lol was just thinking of the chevy chase show (still one of the more amazing things i witnessed on tv live - it's been forgotten how much hype there was beforehand and ppl thought - reasonably! - that chevy could win the late night war) and trying to think of another snl castmember that could host a talk show and o, right.

Oh! There's actually a ref to how Chevy Chase could never do a talk show on a '92 episode of LS (when Larry is making awkward small talk with Catherine O'Hara).

i just read about the Carvey primetime show in the Nesteroff book

show was considered as a disaster in the industry tho

Carvey came v close to getting one of those shows... musta been when Conan was hired

― we can be heroes just for about 3.6 seconds (Dr Morbius), Friday, April 8, 2016 12:34 PM (40 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

iirc, Carvey was in fact offered Late Night, but turned it down.

holy crap

In 1997, Carvey underwent heart bypass surgery for a blocked coronary artery, but the surgeon operated on the wrong artery. The blocked artery was deeply buried in muscle and thus hard to find; another artery, though not blocked, was clearly accessible, so the surgeon bypassed it. Carvey, later suffering from angina pectoris, sued for medical malpractice and was awarded $8 million in damages. He donated the money to charity.[23] He has had to undergo additional surgery to correct his heart problems.

trio of 20th anniversary pieces from 2012, quite exhaustive, by Edward Copeland (who died a few months ago). Some great cast stories in the third one.

http://www.rogerebert.com/demanders/the-ten-best-larry-sanders-episodes

http://www.rogerebert.com/demanders/larry-sanders-the-show-behind-the-show

http://www.rogerebert.com/demanders/larry-sanders-changing-television-and-changing-lives

Forgot about the s2 ep centered on Tim Miller, "The Performance Artist," and him doing bits of his monologue My Queer Body. I took a class from him (lol '90s)! Him being given free reign on Leno is a good punchline.

I am just old enough that all of the 1992 references all make perfect sense

These shows are also old enough that sometimes nearly all the guests are dead. :/ One had John Ritter, Gene Siskel, Warren Zevon, Elizabeth Ashley -- only she survives. (Presumably still humping Rip Torn in the wardrobe closet.)

Another classic Artie line: Hank rediscovers his Jewishness and explains how a "spirit filled him" in a recent trip to a temple and is renouncing casual sex, drinking and gambling.
"Why don't you just lie down there and I'll get you a cold cloth, you poor bastard"

Since I just watched it, "The Party" wasn't one of my most fondly remembered episodes, but it does have a lot of moments of Larry being made uncomfortable, which are never not hilarious.

"jurassic park changed my life"

is there any news on when this is actually coming to HBO

Ride a painted pony let the spinning wheel WAAAAAH!

"Hank, meet Elvis."

"Iiii don't thiiiink so..."

first time watching thru larry sanders here. in the first episode i died at this

larry: "i dunno artie, it seems a little unethical don't you think?

artie: "unethical? oh jeez larry, don't start pulling at that thread. our whole world will unravel"

oh you are in for a treat

have a hard time choosing a favorite out of the troika, they're all such perfectly realized characters, but I find Artie the most endearing I think

Artie is such a classic and he is just as funny till the 6th season, there ain't no drop off in quality.

"i can't go to New York; as a young man, i did some things for some people... Have you ever seen a Scorsese film?"

Tracer if it's your first time I highly recommend watching in production order, not transmission order

what's the reasoning for that? i'm honestly curious because i just started rewatching it and while knowing it aired out of production order it never seemed to make a difference to me.

As incredible as Hank is, he's a time-honored TV-type: the buffoon. Larry probably has a precedent or two--Dabney Coleman's Bill Bittinger, Letterman himself. I can't think of anyone like Artie.

If an audience is just catching eps occasionally on broadcast, it made sense for them to move stronger ones up. If you're deliberately watching every episode in order, it'll be a more coherent experience to have the subplots like Larry's relationship troubles, and those times that Hank's schemes tie in to his general demeanour, take place in order.

have a hard time choosing a favorite out of the troika, they're all such perfectly realized characters, but I find Artie the most endearing I think

Artie's the one of the three I'd want to have in my life.

we all think we're larry but we're all probably closer to hank #truths

love the way artie always brings up exotic fruit to placate difficult guests

i never realized before what a debt Curb Your Enthusiasm owed to this show. it's basically the same show.

Only the lead can act.

As incredible as Hank is, he's a time-honored TV-type: the buffoon

Part of what is so brilliant about the show is that Hank can fulfil this role, yet the writing (and Tambor's acting) allow for wholly believable swings from sympathy for the character (particularly in later seasons, as I recall) to revealing him to be such an asshole in other moments. I just watched the one where Hank is feuding with the new bandleader (played by Gary Kemp from Spandau Ballet!) and his behaviour is cringe-worthy nearly to the point of being unbearable to watch. But still hilarious.

Hank is basically a two-year-old in Jeffrey Tambor's body.

That is one of Hank's very funny episodes + one where his idiocy and maladjusted nastiness beautifully combine. Some very funny lines in that like Hank trying to pretend the girdle thing he wears to make him look thinner has a medical purpose. And then when he insinuates the Kemp character has a drug problem and is a paedo in front of the audience. Or that awkward moment where Hank says "our commander in grief" and it goes quiet. I have seen it umpteen times and still LOL hard at it.

he's like the Hamlet of sitcom buffoons

I have sometimes thought that Hank Kingsley was the greatest TV character ever. And I'm usually right about things.

I simplified him a bit there, cryptsicko; at times, he could be as corrosively cynical as Larry.

The episode where Hank becomes guest host is one of the greatest things ever.

Spotlights Hank minus his ego is a pretty great guy

But the ego always wins out, of course

"Hank?...Hank?....get the fuck off the bed"

saw Rip Torn as a lusty Louisiana senator last night in The Seduction of Joe Tynan ('79), def a Cajun cousin of Artie.

I didn't know Sissy Spacek was his cousin, that is new to me.

"I'm really sorry Hank, I've, I don't know, I've become kind of an asshole these last couple of years"

"It's OK Larry, I've turned into a moron. Let's just, let's try to have fun with it."

Even by the show's unimpeachable standards, the episode where Hank converts to Judaism is an absolute masterpiece. The tonal balance is brilliant, with Hank retaining his buffoonishness while nonetheless being wholly sincere; even after he reveals his attraction to his rabbi, the joke doesn't simply become "Hank trying to get laid by horribly awkward means" but does in fact seem like a legitimate expression of what the rabbi describes as a conflating of spiritual enthusiasm with romantic feelings. The hate mail scene always destroys me, particularly Tambor's defeated reading of the line "well, maybe don't read that one" when Brian shows him the envelope with the swastika on it. Even the subplot involving Larry's new chair is a brilliant bit of meta-commentary, contrasting Hank's legitimate and controversial spiritual awakening with the kind of nonsense sitcom plotting that passes for safe entertainment. We get bland, safe entertainment not only because that's what sells, but also because the potential for alienating anyone, even neo-Nazis, is too great a risk to take.

"Hey, where's Dirty Old Bitch?"

We miss you, Martin.

peak hank xp

artie: "what did we learn, here, hank? when you're humble and vulnerable, people like you. and when you act like an asshole, people think you're an asshole."

Some of my favourite episodes are when Artie's pissed off at the show/Larry/Hank/everything around him

there's a lot of george costanza in hank. and a lot of homer simpson.

but what is it that makes pretty much every episode of this show feel so epic, so all-time??

"Phil, you dress like one of the Peanuts gang; Linus with a goatee."

One minor disappointment: the show saves the revelation of Phil's repressed homosexuality as a gag for the second-to-last episode, thus saving the show from having to deal with it in future episodes.

coulda been a one-off

One of the pieces i posted above has Scott Thompson saying that he blindsided Wallace Langham (a straight friend of his) by disobeying his "No tongues" demand in that scene.

wd tot hit young Langham

Hank to 'his' rabbi: "I think rabbis are so wise and so good. And they let you guys marry, right?"

"That's right"

"Well that is so helpful. Catholic priests can't do that. And I think that's why so many of them have.. prostate problems."

"I really want to join your temple, rabbi"

"Well I'm very glad to hear that, Hank. Do you observe the Sabbath?"

"In what way?"

I'm up to the 6th season, and have just realized it's the last, and I am genuinely kind of upset and sad about that

luckily the show has one of the best endings ever

You have to re-watch the whole series at least 3 times before you start feeling sad.

on hbo streaming from 23 september

http://www.avclub.com/article/5-episodes-highlight-biting-backstage-humor-larry--242328

you need to wash your mouth out... with HANK

Frequently reminded how good Tambor was in this. In different hands, Hank could've been thoroughly off-putting rather than one of the all-time greatest fictional characters.

the core troika of Larry-Artie-Hank is the most perfectly formed/executed trio of characters since Kirk-Spock-Bones imo

there's an argument to be made for Tambor being the best comedic actor of the last twenty years

although his film work counts against him

I would give that honor to Danny McBride, personally

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzEpC8QFmUE

I just watched the episode where Larry faxes his "Dear Dumb Fuck" letter to Hank rather than the critic, A+ comedy gold

"I'm pissing my pants, conceptual flaw and all"

It's just possible that 'Hank's Night in the Sun' is the greatest episode of any tv show ever.

god yes. the rise, the inevitable fall, the acrid implosion. and burt reynolds.

Had to look it up--I was thinking it might have been his post-divorce episode--but yes, one of the best. Isn't that also the one where Hank says to Phil "Do you like your job?" and finds himself stuck for a comeback when Phil emphatically says "No"?

Yes, that's it. I've probably seen it (and the show as a whole) at least four times now and it's still just so... Like before he first goes on, and he's crumpling up and talking about not wanting to experience his dream in case he fucks it up, and it was genuinely affecting! And I knew full well the level of assholism to follow!

I don't think I could possibly get tired of rewatching this show. Not only does it remain amazingly fresh (I've been LOLing every episode), I think familiarity with the character dynamics actually enhances the experience. Anticipating a character's predictable reaction to a situation is half the fun at this point.

Hank: What is wrong with mankind, I ask you?
Darlene: Electromagnetic fields.
Hank: Please be quiet. Please be quiet.

Pretty sure the episode with Colin Quinn as Artie's son is the worst episode by some margin. But then it extensively features Colin Quinn 'acting' so there you go.

Agreed.

I'll have to demur there--I like that episode a lot, and Quinn's creepy, self-centered jerkdom seems perfect to me (and the dilemma he puts Artie in, compelling),

The fact of Colin Quinn's career is an enduring mystery to me.

is that the one where he chooses a career based on being able to wear shorts all day? extremely good and relatable content imo

He struck me as someone who was probably thoroughly mediocre as an actual comedian, which works well for the character--he's supposed to be completely annoying, and he is. And I love the way Paula finds him so interesting, leading to Artie's warning not to fall for sullen.

the new Apatow-directed HBO doc is really good

We just started watching this and 4 episodes in it is amazing. Like a little love letter from 1992. Artie is the best.

I laughed so hard at the episode with Carole Burnett and the spiders I was actually out of breath.

Oh, just you wait, friend. You're in for such a treat.

I've been planning a fourth or fifth time through...The only show I still rank with Mad Men and The Sopranos.

yeah it gets so much better (and the first season is good!)

I think I've probably seen every season of this at least 3 times

the "penis vagina" hank fan newsletter episode is maybe the funniest ep of TV ever (to me)

Did my last run through the series--my second, not counting my regular-ish viewing when it was airing--following Garry's death, so I'll probably be due for another in a year or so. If you can get your hands on a copy of the complete series box set, there are some lovely extras; I don't usually care that much about those things, but this is one of the few collections where I've not only bothered to watch all of the special features, but I've actually watched all of them both times that I went though the series.

Heads up: if you're able, get the out-of-print and therefore expensive Shout Factory set, not the (afaik) special feature-free yet super cheap Mill Creek set.

Thanks--I should have been clear that this is the box I was referring to:

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/91HStpxVUXL._SL1500_.jpg

that’s not available as Region 2 iirc

So far I'm getting Albert Grossman/Colonel Tom Parker vibes from Artie.

OMG at the New Producer episode where the entire staff thinks they're going to be replaced. Artie (on demerol) getting Hank drunk on tequila then storming into Larry's office. Hank's hissing, "you're as young as you feeeeel . . . " was incredible. I re-watched that line 4-5 times.

Rip Torn's linereadings are pretty uniformly amazing. I've been informally working on my Artie impression for years (which mostly just consists of growling 'goddamnit, Larry').

OMG at the New Producer episode where the entire staff thinks they're going to be replaced. Artie (on demerol) getting Hank drunk on tequila then storming into Larry's office. Hank's hissing, "you're as young as you feeeeel . . . " was incredible. I re-watched that line 4-5 times.

one of the best. also the one where Artie gets drunk with the janitor after hours

artie's line in this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zF94LvnRlKA

People in American shows and films stick up for each other unconditionally in a way they just never do in British shows.

Had Rip done much comedy before this? It amazes me that i only saw him be serious before he did this, which is one of the best comedy performances ever given by a human.

Albert Brooks' Defending Your Life came a year earlier; he's funny in that, but it's not really comparable--much more genial performance.

It's just possible that 'Hank's Night in the Sun' is the greatest episode of any tv show ever.

― Another helping of mouthwatering cobbler? (Old Lunch), Saturday, March 17, 2018 10:21 AM (three years ago) bookmarkflaglink

lol, was just about to post this precise sentiment again, glad I scanned the thread first

"But...I'm finally where I belong."

Scary.

how quickly he turns on a dime when one joke doesnt go well and totally ruins his moment.

i think about this show all the time. i annoy my wife by singing "ride a painted pony make the spinning wheel bwaaa"

lol

I'm on probably my fifth or so rewatch atm. It just never loses its magic.

I’ve been doing an episode here or there for months, third or fourth rewatch — I think I’m in the fifth season now and even at that pace I don’t want it to ever end

Finished what I think is my fourth time through. I could fill eight screens with all its brilliance--much of it I've noted before in this thread--but a minor quibble that I kept noticing throughout this time: Larry is often mediocre at best as an interviewer, and sometimes he's flat-out terrible. Maybe that's intentional--a comment on the format itself--but he's viewed as something special by the people he interviews, so that's a bit of a disconnect for me. I don't keep up with talk shows anymore: maybe Fallon and Colbert and the rest are no better. That's not my memory of Carson or Letterman, though.

One of my very favourite things: the show is a time capsule of the '90s, but played off against that, primarily via Artie (but Larry, too, witness him watching Jack Paar's farewell), another world long-gone: Jackie Gleason, Totie Fields, Andy Williams, etc.

The actual show we're watching is otherwise brilliant enough that I've long assumed that the in-universe show is intended to kind of suck and that Larry Sanders is intended to be a pretty mediocre talent.

(And one that celebrities hoping to get booked again are quick to kiss up to. Because it's partly an exposé of people with a pathological need for attention.)

I'm actually in my first watch of this show though I'm spacing out the seasons a bit (finished S2 so far). It doesn't have as many laughs as I was expecting but I'm enjoying it

I've gone back and forth on whether Larry's a good host or not. He's a bit low energy but he can be pretty funny with guests. The monologues are where he really flounders imo

The best recurring joke on Flight of the Conchords was how much they sucked whenever shown actually playing live in front of other people.

the show-within-the-show is always losing in the ratings to leno and letterman

The actual show we're watching is otherwise brilliant enough that I've long assumed that the in-universe show is intended to kind of suck and that Larry Sanders is intended to be a pretty mediocre talent.

― Marty J. Bilge (Old Lunch)

I've always thought he was supposed to be just good enough to keep the job on the network he was on, but not good enough to move up to a more prestigious spot. And he kind of knew it.

I just finished watching the whole series for the first time starting about 6 months ago and finishing a couple weeks ago. Really great job of sustaining the humor and interest, and I'd say ended just at the right time.

And by "always thought" I mean in the past several months I've been watching.

btw, anyone know where I can find Bojack Horseman post season 3? (besides subscribing to Netflix, of course).

where can I find a netflix-made-and-exclusive show without looking at Netflix or stealing it, you mean??

Larry is absolutely meant to suck shit as an interviewer (1st) and host (2nd), the bar just hadn’t been lowered to Fallon and Corden irl yet (or until 25 years later)

where can I find a netflix-made-and-exclusive show without looking at Netflix or stealing it, you mean??

Yes. They had the first 3 seasons on Adult Swim, which my cable has. Was hoping it might be hosted elsewhere now that it's fairly old.

Also: the first two seasons of Bojack where released on DVD/Blu (with extras) a couple years ago by Shout Factory with no news since about any subsequent releases.

We picked back up with Season 2 after a lengthy pause. "Larry's Agent" and "Hankerciser 200" seem top tier so far.

plumped for the box set. So good. Just finished it all, didn't realise he was in an irl relationship with Darlene at the time.

Rip Torn will always be my favourite character from this, the episode where he gets drunk after the show with the janitor is great.

Totally one of my favourite eps

"Arthur After Hours"--I mentioned it recently in connection to Breaking Bad.

BREAKING BAD vs MAD MEN

Love that Wu-Tang episode.

"Where's Dirty Old Bitch?"