Television. One DVD at a Time.

"Well hell, we plugged everyone else on the planet. Let's give the deity his due." - Artie (Rip Torn) when asked by Larry (Garry Shandling) whether or not he should thank God on his final show

Not Just the Best of The Larry Sanders Show DVD Review

By A.J. Carson

Hey now, fans of The Larry Sanders Show! You've probably been despondent over the fact that the HBO series' first season was released on DVD several years ago and then...nothing. But put down that Garden Weasel and climb off of that desk. While it looks as if season sets are on indefinite hiatus, with the release of Not Just the Best of The Larry Sanders Show, fans of the series can revisit twenty-three of the best episodes cherry-picked from the show's six-season run.

Garry Shandling (It's Garry Shandling's Show) stars as Larry Sanders, the vain, self-absorbed host of a late night network talk show. The series is a show within a show, alternating between backstage life at Sanders' talk show and footage of the talk show itself. Announcer Hank Kingsley (Jeffrey Tambor, Arrested Development) is Larry's dimwitted on-air second banana who is at least one banana short of a bunch. Artie (Rip Torn, Defending Your Life) is the talk show's producer, who strives - sometimes unsuccessfully - to soothe his star's fragile ego.

They are aided by a large support staff, including writers Phil (Wallace Langham, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation) and Jerry (Jeremy Piven, Entourage), guest bookers Paula (Janeane Garofalo, Wet Hot American Summer) and Mary Lou (Mary Lynn Rajskub, 24), Larry's devoted assistant Beverly (Penny Johnson, 24), Hank's equally devoted assistants Darlene (Linda Doucett) and Brian (Scott Thompson, The Kids in the Hall), and Larry's ex-wives Jeannie (Megan Gallagher, Millennium) and Francine (Kathryn Harrold, I'll Fly Away).

Thanks to the talk show within the show, many famous guest stars also appear as themselves. Well, heightened versions of themselves. These self-deprecating guest spots include memorable moments like Carol Burnett complaining after a skit with Larry goes bad that "they'll let anyone host a show these days" and Jim Carrey showing up for Larry's last show so that he can complain about being spurned by the host in the past. There are even petty arguments and physical fights between guests who are waiting backstage.

As with any "best of" compilation, there is the possibility that your favorite episode will not be included. The producers of Not Just the Best of The Larry Sanders Show have done a great job of choosing episodes from throughout the series' six season run, including the critically-acclaimed "Everybody Loves Larry," named one of the greatest TV episodes of all time by TV Guide. In this episode, Larry becomes convinced that he is the object of David Duchovny's man-crush. The X-Files star is impishly funny in this...uhm...outing.

Not Just the Best of The Larry Sanders Show episodes include:

What Have You Done for Me Lately?: To help save the show, Larry agrees to perform live commercials each night. The first one is for The Garden Weasel. Guest Star: Robert Hays (Airplane!)
The Spider Episode: Larry tries to overcome his fear of spiders by performing a stunt on the show. Guest Stars: Carol Burnett (The Carol Burnett Show), Jon Lovitz (The Critic)
The Hey Now Episode: Hank makes so many commercials and personal appearances that Larry wonders whether he even has time to do the show. Guest Stars: Bob Saget (Full House), Earl Holliman (Police Woman), T. Bone Burnett, Ray Combs (Family Feud)
The List: Larry hooks up with his first ex-wife (Kathryn Harrold) but is horrified to discover that she had sex with Alec Baldwin. Guest Stars: Alec Baldwin (30 Rock), Ed Begley Jr. (St. Elsewhere), Daniel Baldwin (Homicide)
The Hankerciser 200: Hank's latest endorsement deal - The Hankerciser 200 - proves problematic when the product injures Larry's ex.
Life Behind Larry: Executive producer Larry has to decide who will host the new show after his. Guest Stars: Bobcat Goldthwait, David Letterman, Steven Wright, Kevin Nealon (Saturday Night Live), Tom Snyder, Richard Lewis (Anything But Love)
The Mr. Sharon Stone Show: Larry has a dinner date with Sharon Stone, but will he be able to tolerate the fact that she is more famous than he is? Guest Stars: Sharon Stone (Basic Instinct), Julianne Phillips (Sisters)
Hank's Night in the Sun: When Larry comes down with a case of food poisoning after eating tainted frozen yogurt, Hank takes his place as the show's host. Guest Stars: George Wendt (Cheers), Shadoe Stevens (Hollywood Squares)
Office Romance: Darlene sends the workplace into a tizzy when she dates both Larry and Phil. Guest Star: Bob Saget
Hank's Divorce: Hank's wife wants a divorce. Guest Stars: Joan Embery, Wayne Rogers (M*A*S*H), Alex Trebek (Jeopardy!)
Hank's Sex Tape : Hey now! A scandalous sex tape starring Hank is being circulated around Hollywood. Guest Stars: Henry Winkler (Happy Days), Norm MacDonald (Saturday Night Live), Jon Favreau (Swingers)
I Was a Teenage Lesbian: Things become awkward...again...when Brett Butler (Grace Under Fire) appears on the show. It turns out that she and Paula had a brief fling a decade earlier.
Larry's New Love: Larry's girlfriend appears in a sketch. Guest Stars: Bruce Greenwood (Nowhere Man), Jeff Foxworthy (Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader), Daisy Fuentes (America's Funniest Home Videos), former NBC exec Warren Littlefield, singer Paul Westerberg
Everybody Loves Larry: Larry thinks that David Duchovny (The X-Files) has a crush on him, and Hank buys a lemon from Elvis Costello. Guest Star: John Stewart (The Daily Show), Charles Nelson Reilly (Lidsville)
My Name Is Asher Kingsley: Hank dates a rabbi. Guest Stars: Tom Poston (Mork and Mindy), They Might Be Giants
Ellen, or Isn't She?: Artie wants Larry to convince guest Ellen DeGeneres to come out on the show, but Larry is reluctant to do so...especially after he spends a passionate night with the comedienne.
Pilots and Pens Lost: Phil quits the show in order to create his own network sitcom. Guest Stars: Dave Chappelle (Chappelle's Show), Bridget Fonda, Jonathan Katz (Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist)
Another List: The network wants Larry to improve the show's ratings, but he's too busy trying to get a date with Winona Ryder. Guest Stars: Jon Stewart (The Daily Show), Smash Mouth
The Beginning of the End: With network pressure mounting, Larry decides to make a preemptive strike - he announces that he's leaving the show. Guest Stars: Jon Stewart, Colin Hay (Men at Work)
Adolph Hankler : Larry's on vacation, so the network uses his absence to audition possible replacement host Jon Stewart. The result - featuring a profane performance by Wu Tang Clan and an offensive skit starring Hank as Adolph Hitler - is not quite what they had in mind. Guest Stars: Jason Alexander (Seinfeld), Kristen Johnston (3rd Rock From the Sun)
The Interview: Larry cries during an interview with Extra. Guest Stars: Vince Vaughn (Wedding Crashers), Jim Belushi (According to Jim), Ben Folds Five, Maureen O'Boyle (Hard Copy), David Spade (Saturday Night Live)
Putting the 'Gay' Back in Litigation: Fed up with Phil's offensive gay jokes, Brian files suit against the show for sexual harassment. Guest Stars: Illeanna Douglas, Bruno Kirby (It's Garry Shandling's Show), Ed Begley Jr., Drew Barrymore (Charlie's Angels)
Flip (1-hour): It's Larry's final show, but his guests aren't as reverent as he had hoped. Guest Stars: Warren Beatty (Bugsy), Clint Black, Jim Carrey (Ace Ventura, Pet Detective), David Duchovny, Greg Kinnear (Little Miss Sunshine), Bruno Kirby, Tom Petty, Jon Stewart, Tim Allen (Home Improvement), Carol Burnett, Ellen DeGeneres, Sean Penn (All the King's Men), Jerry Seinfeld (Seinfeld)

Many of these episodes are funny, but because they are taken out of context, the series' narrative arc is thrown out. Throughout the series' 89 episodes, characters came and went. Since not all of the episodes are included, characters often disappear with no explanation, their duties taken over by someone else to whom we are barely introduced. This is disappointing, but it does not ruin the experience. The Larry Sanders Show is still a rollicking good time.

The twenty-three episodes in this collection are divided onto four discs. The discs are housed in two slim, clear keepcases. Each keepcase holds two discs. The front covers each feature a different publicity photo of Shandling moping on a folding chair. The back covers include episode titles, brief plot synopses, and a list of any extra features associated with the episode. The double-sided coversheets show through to the inside of the case and feature photos of cast members propped on folding chairs, a theme that is carried over onto the DVD faces. Overall, the design is simple yet classy. The two keepcases slide into a cardboard sleeve which continues the Shandling-on-a-folding-chair theme. A leaflet listing the basic production credits for each episode is also sandwiched between the keepcases. The leaflet also indicates the season in which each episode originally aired.

The DVD menus are elegant and witty and include such options as "I don't really want to watch this DVD. I'd rather spend my time talking to a human being."

Video and Audio

The Larry Sanders Show is shot in two separate styles. The talk show portions are shot on video. All behind-the-scenes footage is shot on film. Either way, the series doesn't look terrific. The show-within-a-show portions mimic a cheaply-shot talk show all too well. The filmed portions are a bit grainy. Still, this is probably as good as the show will ever look.

Spanish subtitles are included.

The episodes are also closed captioned.

Extras

Not Just the Best of The Larry Sanders Show features so many extras that you may have a problem carrying it home.

Four episodes feature commentary tracks with the cast and crew: Garry Shandling and co-executive producer/writer Peter Tolan on "What Have You Done For Me Lately?" and "Flip," Shandling and director Todd Holland on "Hank's Night in the Sun," and Shandling and director Judd Apatow on "Putting the 'Gay' Back in Litigation." Tolan reveals that he hated the talk show scenes and often skipped the filming sessions. Shandling hated them too because of the extra work involved in coming up with monologue material. Apatow, who went on to helm The 40 Year Old Virgin, discusses how terrified he was to direct for the first time. These commentary tracks can be informative, but they will mostly appeal to rabid fans.

Scattered throughout the discs are interviews with the cast and guest stars, including Jeremy Piven (6:00), Penny Johnson (10:02), Linda Doucett (11:26), Janeane Garofalo (7:31), Sarah Silverman (9:02), Wallace Langham (6:29), Mary Lynn Rajskub (7:42), Scott Thompson (8:52), and Bob Odenkirk (4:52). The quality of these interviews depends on the actor, but almost every one contains at least a few entertaining moments. And where else can you see Scott Thompson giving an interview while taking a bubble bath?

Several episodes have deleted scenes, including "The Hey Now Episode" (1:38), "The Mr. Sharon Stone Show" (4:24), "Hank's Night in the Sun" (2:27), "Hank's Divorce" (5:15), "Larry's New Love" (:56), "Ellen, or Isn't She?" (14:51), "The Beginning of the End" (1:19), "Putting the 'Gay' Back in Litigation" (7:17), and "Flip" (15:50). As is the case with many deleted scenes, some of the castoffs included here are funny while others were deservedly cut.

Garry Shandling conducts several personal interviews with guest stars. These are great. Shandling interviews Alec Baldwin (18:54) in a gym. They begin by talking about the episode in which Baldwin appears...and then participate in a boxing match. Weird, funny stuff. Next up is Sharon Stone (22:28), who is interviewed by Shandling over breakfast in her pool house. Stone grills him on marriage, they discuss their mutual acting teacher, and allude to a past relationship. This interview is so personal and intense that it is sometimes uncomfortable to watch. Footage of Shandling's equally awkward personal interview with Linda Doucett is included in Doucett's eleven minute interview listed above. The interview with David Duchovny (9:55) takes place on Shandling's backyard basketball court. Shandling interviewed Ellen DeGeneres (4:39) on her set after appearing as a guest on her talk show. Shandling speaks to Jon Stewart (10:15) via phone. Both appear on camera picture-in-picture style in this breezy, amusing interview. Shandling takes a walk in New York City with Jerry Seinfeld (23:42), but first they obsess over Seinfeld's lost jacket. Tom Petty (20:45) is interviewed at his home. Shandling meets Carol Burnett (15:39), the final interviewee, in her apartment building. As is probably evident, these interviews are extremely informal, sometimes uncomfortably so.

In disc three's "John Markus Story" (3:18), series writer/consulting producer John Markus talks about how the idea for "Ellen, or Isn't She?" was hatched by DeGeneres and Shandling at a party thrown by Penny Marshall (Laverne & Shirley) and Carrie Fisher (Star Wars).

During its run, The Larry Sanders Show was nominated for 77 Emmy Awards. On disc three, a fully-navigable fourteen image "Emmy Print Campaign" gallery provides a glimpse of the series' Variety and The Hollywood Reporter ads that were part of its Emmy campaigns. Incidentally, the series won only three awards: OUTSTANDING DIRECTING FOR A COMEDY SERIES - 1998 (Todd Holland), OUTSTANDING WRITING FOR A COMEDY SERIES - 1998 (Garry Shandling and Peter Tolan), and OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR FOR A COMEDY SERIES - 1996 (Rip Torn).

The remaining extras are on disc four. "The Making of The Larry Sanders Show" is a full-length documentary that explores the creation of the series. Hosted by Greg Kinnear and featuring interviews with the show's cast members, its creative team, and HBO executives. The documentary is divided into three parts. Part one (25:14) covers Shandling's early career and the genesis of the series. Included are clips from The Tonight Show, It's Garry Shandling's Show, and Shandling's first stand-up performance. Part two (29:06) centers on the actual filming of the series and Shandling's devotion to his acting coach, the late Roy London. The series' final episode is the main subject of part three (16:34). Part three ends with a touching sketch featuring Shandling and Bruno Kirby. While this sketch was meant to be purely comedic, Kirby's death a few weeks after filming makes the scene a poignant tribute to the actor. Informative, entertaining, and well-produced, this documentary should not be missed by fans.

In "The Writer's Process: Judd Apatow and Garry Shandling" (8:23), the duo has a friendly argument about a scene Apatow once pitched that was rejected by Shandling. This is a fascinating look at the creative process.

The three stars of the series get together again when "Rip and Jeffrey visit with Garry in his living room" (11:31).

Summary

While admirers of the series will be disappointed that it is not being released in full season sets, Not Just the Best of The Larry Sanders Show should be an acceptable compromise. With its varied choice of episodes and its copious extra features (many of which have Garry Shandling's fingerprints all over them), this is one series you'll definitely want to add to your schedule.

4/11/07