It's Garry Shandling's Show: The Complete Series - DVD Review

It's amazing that while it's been over 20 years since comedian Garry Shandling's first half-hour comedy It's Garry Shandling's Show debuted on Showtime, the series still holds up almost as good as new today. Actually, it more than holds up; a total original in 1986, It's Garry Shandling's Show remains a breath of fresh air even today. We still haven't seen another show quite like it.

Shandling stars as himself (or, at least, a somewhat fictionalized version of himself), a stand-up comedian who happened to be the star of a sitcom -- not that Shandling's character was on a sitcom, mind you, but that his life was the sitcom. Shandling and all of the characters on the series -- including friends/neighbors the Schumachers, platonic friend Nancy, his mother and a slew of guest stars (including Tom Petty, Rob Reiner, Dan Aykroyd and Gilda Radner in her final television appearance) -- all knew that they were on a TV show. Shandling would break the fourth wall regularly, addressing the studio audience and walking out past the cameras to show the studio and interact with the crew. It may sound like a fairly simple conceit, particularly in today's age of post-modern irony, but it still feels revolutionary. It's Garry Shandling's Show wasn't so much a sitcom as it was about being a sitcom; it was a complete deconstruction of an art form that had already grown all too familiar.

Read more about It's Garry Shandling's Show

Naturally, this somewhat academic approach to TV comedy might grow stale if the series weren't consistently funny. It is. Shandling's (and co-creator Alan Zweibel) comic voice is so singular and strong that it's able to transcend the meta-sitcom conceit and allow the show function as a pure joke machine. It's both hilarious and groundbreaking. Imagine that -- a sitcom working like gangbusters on two levels, when most other sitcoms (even today) can't even be bothered to work on one. The supporting cast and revolving door of guest stars (all of whom are used ingeniously, particularly Tom Petty playing himself) are so well drawn and the writing so sharp that It's Garry Shandling's Show isn't just one of the funniest sitcoms of the '80s; it remains one of the best half-hour comedies of all time.

As TV-on-DVD box sets go, It's Garry Shandling's Show: The Complete Series is a pretty staggering achievement. Not only do we get all 72 episodes of the long-awaited show (which alone would be enough to make me happy) spread out over 16 discs, but Shout! Factory (who, for my money, remain the best around at consistently delivering impressive treatments of cult TV series) has seen fit to pack the set with special features as well. There's a collection of 45 outtakes that are more than just the usual flubbed lines; it includes footage in which the camera continued rolling after a take and allows us to see much of the creative process taking place between scenes. Just when you think Garry Shandling's Show had totally pulled back the curtain on sitcoms, the DVD set pulls it back further.

There are multiple interview featurettes featuring the cast and crew reflecting on their time on the show and its impact; even then, they knew they were a part of something special (though I imagine they didn't quite understand how special). There are also 18 commentaries featuring various cast members (including Shandling himself on half of them), writers and crew. Again, the commentaries put the show in a historical context and each is interesting and engaging. Shandling was clearly instrumental in putting the special features together and it shows; he's present on most of them, and it's amazing to see how much his comedic voice remains the same and how it permeates so much of both the series and the DVDs. Fans of the comedian will be very pleased with his participation in the box set.

Fans of It's Garry Shandling's Show fondly, fans of Shandling or students of TV comedy should have no reservations about snapping this set up. Casual viewers may have a harder time forking over the full price; because this is the complete series (which I'm still counting as a major positive), there's no opportunity for them to just sample the show a season at a time. It's an all-or-nothing proposition. If you're even considering picking up the set, I'd strongly encourage you to do so - it's well worth it. 2009 is winding down, and news outlets, magazines and critics are sure to begin assembling their "best of the year" lists before long. It's Garry Shandling's Show: The Complete Series is sure to wind up on a bunch of them. Rightfully so. This is one of the best DVDs of the year.

DVD Details

• Release Date: 10/20/09
• Running Time: 31 hours
• 16-disc Set Containing 72 Episodes
• Full Frame
• Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo (English)
• Not Rated
• Studio: Shout! Factory

DVD Bonus Features

• "Getting There: The Road to the Show" Featurette
• "Being There: The Cast Remembers" Featurette
• "Still There: The Writers and Crew Remember" Featurette
• "Try to Remember: A Conversation with Garry Shandling and Alan Zweibel"
• "Show and Tell" Writers Featurette
• Episode Outtakes
• Television Parts Sketches
• "The Shandlines" - Interactive Backstage Newsletters
• Original FOX Promos
• 18 Episode Commentaries