It’s Garry Shandling’s Show: A Brief Guide

The Opening Credits

Title: It’s Garry Shandling’s Show

Cast: Garry Shandling (Garry Shandling), the stand-up comedian; Nancy Bancroft (Molly Cheek), Garry’s “platonic friend”; Pete Schumacher (Michael Tucci), Garry’s neighbour and “Hush Puppies” salesman; Grant Schumacher (Scott Nemes), Pete’s son and Garry’s best friend; Jackie Schumacher (Bernadette Birkett), Pete’s wife; Ruth Shandling (Barbara Cason), Garry’s mother and pet shop owner; and Leonard Smith (Paul Willson), Garry’s nemesis.

Seasons: 4

Episodes: 72

Theme Music: This is the Theme to Garry’s Show – Joey Carbone

Other Cast: Rob Reiner, Martin Mull, Red Buttons, Roy Brocksmith, Jennifer Tilly, Don Cornelius, Gilda Radner, Jessica Harper, Bruno Kirby and Tom Petty.

Trivia: Al Jean and Mike Reiss (The Simpsons, Sledge Hammer!, Not Necessarily the News, The Critic) were producers and writers on the show. Incidentally, the scene where Krusty the clown is being filmed at Sideshow Bob’s wedding (from the episode Black Widower) begins ab-libbing under pressure is, according to The Simpsons commentary, based on Al Jean’s wedding video where someone started filming an unprepared Shandling.

Tom Gammill and Max Pross (Seinfeld, The Wonder Years, The Critic, Futurama) also worked on the show.

It’s Garry Shanding’s Show aired between September 10, 1986 and May 25, 1990. It starred stand-up comedian Garry Shandling as, essentially, himself.

During Shandling’s turbulent interview with Ricky Gervais, Shandling mentioned that the idea for It’s Garry Shandling’s Show came from a show he did in 1985 called Michael Nesmith in Television Parts. One segment featured Shandling performed a sketch where he repeatedly broke the fourth wall.

Garry Talks to the Stage Manager

The show utilised much of Shandling’s stand-up routine and storylines were often based on his “single-guy” lifestyle that dominated a lot of his act at the time. Shandling, much like his stage persona, was neurotic, self-deprecating, and often worried how he looked – characteristics also shared by Larry Sanders, from Shandling’s The Larry Sanders Show.

The show is widely known for it’s well remembered theme tune and Shandling’s frequent breaking of the forth wall. Shandling would often break from conversing with the characters and turn to the camera to commentate on the situation or person he was talking to. Although this technique had been used before, the characters in It’s Garry Shandling’s show were all aware that Garry was talking to the camera. In fact, everyone on the show was aware they were part of the show. Frequently Leonard Smith made an appearance, much to Garry’s disgust, just to get his face one camera.

It’s Garry Shandling’s Show often parodied traditional sitcoms and featured various lampoons at sitcom and television conventions. Flashbacks were regularly mocked, as were other narrative techniques such as dream sequences.

Garry Shows His Date Around

Because of the nature of the show, storylines were often manipulated by Garry for his own preference and sometimes audience members or characters “watching at home” would interfere with the proceedings. For example, in an episode where Grant is accused of breaking another boy’s arm, a member of the audience comes down from her seat to act as a witness, eventually clearing his name.

A Member of the Audience Clears Grant

The show was largely set in Garry’s living room, which, according to Garry during a feature on Entertainment Tonight, was based on his actual living room at the time.

Garry's Home in the Late 80's

There’s something delightfully amicable and endearing about It’s Garry Shandling’s Show. It’s not cynical or in bad taste and I can’t imagine anyone being offended by anything said in the show. Despite this, the show remains edgy and unique, especially in its approach to the sitcom format. The characters are likable and Garry, although obviously the star of the show, doesn’t overshadow them.

Garry himself is almost impossible to pick fault with. His monologues are almost always packed with great jokes and funny one-liners, sometimes from his stand-up show, and despite being neurotic and somewhat insecure, he’s comfortable and welcoming to the audience and viewers at home. You almost feel like you’re in on the joke and it’s strangely comforting to watch.

It’s easy to compare It’s Garry Shandling’s Show to Shandling’s later and perhaps even more ambitious success The Larry Sanders Show. Both are fronted by neurotic comedians slightly obsessed with their appearance, both break the forth wall, and both parody television formats.

The Larry Sanders Show

I think what makes both shows such successes is their ability to satirise in an acute way without going too far. Both shows seem to ridicule what they essentially love. Some shows rip their targets to pieces, but The Larry Sanders Show and It’s Garry Shandling’s Show seem to show genuine affection for what they mock – even if, in The Larry Sanders Show’s case, the humour can seem a little cold. Shandling clearly has a comprehensive knowledge of sitcoms and chat shows and it shines through in his work.

Shandling’s a greatly perceptive and emulous comedian. There’s definitely something very unique in the way he approaches comedy and sadly he doesn’t seem to get the recognition that some of his peers receive – Larry David, Ricky Gervais, Jerry Seinfeld etc. However, his influence is undeniable, with a string of shows employing similar ideas and themes – Extras, Sean’s Show, Rob Brydon’s Annually Retentive; Curb Your Enthusiasm. I’ve even heard people argue that Seinfeld has strong similarities with It’s Garry Shandling’s Show. Both are set in comedians homes, both are based around the fictionalised lives of stand-up comedians, they both star Jewish leads, and both have segments of stand-up comedy. But I’d really have to call any similarities between the two shows, purely coincidental.

Anyway, I’d like to finish with a few quotes from the series and to offer my admiration to Garry Shandling for creating such an engaging and funny show. If you’d like to watch It’s Garry Shandling’s show, sadly it isn’t available on DVD. Instead you can watch the odd episode of youtube or download it over at myspleen.net, although you will need to be invited by someone if you don’t have an account. There are also a few VHS copies floating around on Ebay, I believe.

Quotes:

GARRY: In all my years of dating, I never once tried to impress a girl by stealing a car. Ya know, I bought them cars… Okay, I rented them cars.
(TURNS TO THE CAMERA) Okay, I rented the girls.
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GARRY: I was thinking about getting a vasectomy, but the idea of being in a cast for six weeks…
Then everyone wants to sign it…

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IAN: Dukakis, I heard it was Bush (HIS ACCENT MAKES IT SOUND LIKE BOOSH)

GARRY: Boosh? Boosh didn’t even run.

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GARRY: The last girl I made love to I said, “Was it good for you?” and she said, “I don’t think that was good for anybody.”

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~ by Josh Wilmore on August 13, 2008.