Aired:
August 1992 - May 1998
Episodes:
89
Cast:
Garry Shandling (Larry Sanders), Jeffrey Tambor (Hank Kingsley), Rip Torn (Artie), Penny Johnson (Beverly), Janeane Garofalo (Paula), Jeremy Piven (Jerry), Mary Lynn Rajskub (Mary Lou), Bob Odenkirk (Stevie Grant), Wallace Langham (Phil), Deborah May (Melanie Parrish), Sarah Silverman (Wendy)
The Larry Sanders Show Overview:
The Larry Sanders Show focuses on Larry Sanders (Shandling), the host of his own late-night talk show (similar to The Tonight Show) with a seemingly endless series of insecurities and issues. His sidekick, Hank (Tambor), is equally neurotic, and over the course of the series the pair must navigate the tricky waters of showbusiness -- from creative troubles with staff writers to uncomfortable encounters with the celebrity guests. It all adds up to the best show-biz show of all time, and one of the best comedian sitcoms ever to hit the air.
Where to Find The Larry Sanders Show:
In 2002, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment released a box set of The Larry Sanders Show: The Complete First Season. Due to overall low sales, no further seasons were released. In 2007, Sony released a "best of" compilation called Not Just the Best of the Larry Sanders Show, featuring 23 episodes of the show and extensive all-new bonus content.
In November of 2010, Shout! Factory released The Larry Sanders Show: The Complete Series, containing all 89 episodes and new bonus content. Shout! Factory also took over the individual season releases, issuing Season Two eight years after the first season came out on DVD.
The Larry Sanders Show Awards and Recognition:
- Winner of 4 American Comedy Awards
- Winner of 3 Emmy Awards
- Winner of 4 CableACE Awards for Outstanding Comedy Series
- Winner of 2 Peabody Awards
- Winner of 1 British Comedy Award
- Winner of 2 Television Critics Association Awards
- Rose d'Or Winner, 1997
- 1 BAFTA Awards win
- 5 DGA Awards nominations
- 4 Satellite nominations and 1 win
- 3 Golden Globe nominations
- 6 Writers Guild Awards nominations
- 1 GLAAD Media Awards nomination
- 1 Image Award nomination
Additional Larry Sanders Show Facts:
- One of the main writers and producers of The Larry Sanders Show was Judd Apatow, who got his start on The Ben Stiller Show before going on to become one of the most successful comedy directors of the 2000s thanks to films like The 40-Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up and Funny People.
- In 1999, Garry Shandling published an autobiography in character as Larry Sanders, called Confessions of a Late-night Talk Show Host: The Autobiography of Larry Sanders.
- The show was named one of the 100 best TV shows of all time by Time magazine and #38 in "TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time."
- Other comedians appearing on the show over the course of its six-season run include Robin Williams, Roseanne Barr, Howard Stern, David Spade, Billy Crystal, Chris Farley, Jon Stewart, Dana Carvey, Jim Carrey, Jerry Seinfeld, Ellen DeGeneres and Bobcat Goldthwait, among others.
