Re-watching The Larry Sanders Show

[Artemis]

So I'm introducing my (Australian) girlfriend to this show. I've been nervous to do it, because I rate it so highly and to witness any disinterest would be disappointing. But, I'm pleasantly surprised to find she's really enjoying it! My experience of the show is wrapped up in nostalgia; those late night BBC2 evenings in the early-mid 90's when Larry Sanders would be aired directly ahead of Seinfeld. A weird time slot, but strangely cathartic - it felt like you were part of some kind of hidden treasure trove of comedic gold nobody else knew about.

So we're up to the end of season two, where it hits a gold run with Broadcast Nudes, Larry's Partner, Hank's Wedding and The Grand Opening.

Her favourite character is Artie, and he's aged like a fine wine. He consistently gets the best lines, delivered impeccably. Larry has aged well, which was a surprise, although his introversion has yet to properly kick in. What surprised me is that Hank hasn't especially aged well. 26 years after the show began, some of his affectations leer more towards 'ugh creepy' than 'haha ugh', although he's still an incredible characterisation of showbiz narcissism.

Anyone else watch this recently?

[SteveDave]

I've been re-watching these recently and there's a bit in the very first episode where Artie says something like "You made XXX look like a big piece of shit" that made my wife laugh like I've not seen her laugh before. Rip Torn's tone and inflections are wonderful.

[up_the_hampipe]

I've watched the whole series within the last two years or so. To your point about Hank, I thought the idea was that they leaned in on his creepiness to where it was unpleasant, then he'd be funny enough to pull it back. In a traditional sitcom, he would be this Tom Haverford affable slimeball type, but LSS was more uncomfortably real in some ways. Although, we're in this post-#MeToo world and Jeffrey Tambor hasn't come out of it well, so perhaps Hank is less easy to watch now.

[dontrunyoullfall]

Hank Kingsley is a superb comic creation. If anything, getting funnier.

[Famous Mortimer]

Any excuse to repost one of my favourite running gags ever:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2bLvWYo39A

[magval]

I rewatched this all a few months back but the bit that's stuck with me is Brian guessing Phil's age as 33, Phil saying "I'm 31" and Brian leaning in, beaming, and declaring "and a fucking LIAR!".

[stephenjwz]

Recently did this too, am up to season 6, I think prompted by watching the Apatow doc.
Rewatching with the knowledge of Rip Torn's troubles with alcohol or the allegations against Tambor/Shandling doesn't neccesarily make their characters' flaws easier to watch, but it's still funny.

[Neomod]

I have to agree that Hank is one of the greatest comic creations of all time. Self absorbed, power hungry and yet ultimately pathetic. Summed up perfectly in Hank's Night in the Sun.

[McChesney Duntz]

Hank Kingsley is, along with Alan Partridge, the greatest comic character of the past quarter-century. Tambor's recent issues have given HK certain additional shadings which sometimes add to the not-inconsiderable cringe factor of the character, but also contribute to the general atmosphere of verisimilitude that Shandling sought for the show. Adds texture, awful as that may be to say.

And if Hank is one of the all-time greats, Artie* is no more than a half-step behind, if that. Torn is simply dazzling, especially for someone not previously known for comedy (I'm pretty sure it was his turn in Albert Brooks' Defending Your Life that sealed the deal for Shandling). I just recently noticed a brilliant detail I had never picked up before - can't think of the episode, but it was during one of the many network-exec meeting scenes dotted throughout the show - where, in response to every question Artie was being asked, he started by giving a honest answer and then switched in mid-sentence to a more diplomatic/what-they'd-like-to-hear revision, so smoothly that it played as a subtle character beat rather than an obvious comic conceit the way most other actors would have played it. He's just great in general (as my avatar might imply).

Was there a single bad episode in the entire run? I tend not to think so; the closest they ever got was "Larry's New Love" at the end of season five, which was a touch melodramatic by their standards rather than truly bad. But I'll gladly entertain dissenting opinions, should they exist...

* Am I wrong, or is it true that, Larry and Hank aside, we never learn the last names of any of the major characters?

[Suky]

Still wonderful. Has aged much better than Seinfeld.

This is perfect for Hank. 'Tambor received four Emmy nominations for his performance on the show—all of which he would lose, to Michael Richards for Seinfeld, David Hyde Pierce for Frasier, and his co-star Rip Torn.' Wiki

[McChesney Duntz]

Still wonderful. Has aged much better than Seinfeld.

Much as I adore Seinfeld, I can hardly disagree. Seemed so at the time, too - the Sanders finale came along a mere two weeks after Seinfeld's, for example, perfectly timed as if to nudge their mega-popular neighbor and say, "no, this is how you bow out properly."

[a duncandisorderly]

I have every single episode on multiple hard-drives to guard against their accidental loss. it is the best behind-the-scenes show of all time, & I loved '30 rock' & 'studio 60' too.

favourite episodes, though- the ones I tell people about when they haven't seen the show- the ones involving elvis costello, & especially the one where paula (garofalo) tells the whole office not to bother mr mcmanus because he likes his privacy, then he trashes his dressing-room because he thinks everyone's blanking him.... & the one where david duchovny gets a man-crush on larry.
genius.

I'm trying to avoid finding out anything bad about any of the main cast, all the way down to piven & langham*. beyond them, don't care.

(* after all these years, still can't get used to him as the lab-rat in 'CSI'...)

[Suky]

Much as I adore Seinfeld, I can hardly disagree. Seemed so at the time, too - the Sanders finale came along a mere two weeks after Seinfeld's, for example, perfectly timed as if to nudge their mega-popular neighbor and say, "no, this is how you bow out properly."

:) Love Seinfeld too. And almost any info about it. (Though slightly disappointed by Seinfeldia.) Really like Larry Sanders having the last word.

[Artemis]

It's easy to see how Seinfeld is more popular and successful though, and would have been even if Sanders aired on network television. It's broader and more accessible. Even it's edgier moments were rooted in common experience, whereas Sanders focuses more on character co-dependency and doesn't spoon-feed quite as much. Both comedies reside on the highest shelf, for different reasons.

[TimCooke]

I've probably watched the series 15 times and it is still great.  It's hard to recommend because Season 1 is spotty but 2-5, and parts of 6 are amazing.  Only The Thick of It comes close to knocking it off my favorite comedy of all time. 

[QDRPHNC]

I have to agree that Hank is one of the greatest comic creations of all time. Self absorbed, power hungry and yet ultimately pathetic. Summed up perfectly in Hank's Night in the Sun.

One of the best episodes, and a staggering performance from Tambor.

[St_Eddie]

One of the best episodes, and a staggering performance from Tambor.

It's one of my favourite episodes too.  Hank's journey from self-doubt, to self-assurance and then destruction via his own hubris, only to wind up back where he started, all in the space of a 20 minute episode, is fantastic.

"When you act like an asshole, people tend to think of you as an asshole." ~ Artie to Hank

[QDRPHNC]

It's one of my favourite episodes too.  Hank's journey from self-doubt, to self-assurance and then destruction via his own hubris, only to wind up back where he started, all in the space of a 20 minute episode, is fantastic.

"When you act like an asshole, people tend to think of you as an asshole." ~ Artie to Hank

It exemplifies what TLSS show was really good at - creating realistic, rounded characters, warts and all. With the two shows we see Hank host, we can absolutely see why the audience loves him the first time and turns against him the second time. It's the same character, but it never feels jarring, it feels real. Between the performance and the writing, they managed to capture depth and complexity which comedies rarely achieve - which most comedies never even attempt, I would say.

Seinfeld is a great show, but never came close to Larry Sanders in this regard.

[MortSahlFan]

My favorite show ever. The last time there was great satire on TV.

Even though Garry Shandling created this show, Rip Torn is hilarious in this, and remains my favorite character. I should probably start watching this again nightly.

[neveragain]

It exemplifies what TLSS show was really good at - creating realistic, rounded characters, warts and all. With the two shows we see Hank host, we can absolutely see why the audience loves him the first time and turns against him the second time. It's the same character, but it never feels jarring, it feels real. Between the performance and the writing, they managed to capture depth and complexity which comedies rarely achieve - which most comedies never even attempt, I would say.

Seinfeld is a great show, but never came close to Larry Sanders in this regard.

I think there are some moments relating to George's psychology that match TLSS' level of character study, they're just handled much more flippantly. Like when he gets attracted to a woman purely because she hates him or just about everything to do with Susan's death.