Garry Shandling was one of my very first comedians. When I was growing up, Shandling was always different, irreverence with great intelligence. His first show, It’s Garry Shandling’s Show, came along as one of the very first cable TV shows, running on Showtime when Showtime was just a baby.
It’s Garry Shandling’s Show was original in many ways, from the self-referential theme song (see the embed below) to the constant breaking of the 4th wall, where Shandling would stop, mid-scene, turn to the camera and make some aside directly to the audience. That was the first time I’d ever encountered such a direct (and effective) flouting of the rules of television.
Tom Petty played a neighbor on the show who was, well, Tom Petty. He’d pop by every so often and play a few songs. Gilda Radner (one of the original cast members of Saturday Night Live) was also a pop-by friend. Her battle with cancer became part of the show. Incredible.
Shandling went on to create a more well known series for HBO called The Larry Sanders Show, a searing sendup of late night talk shows that featured talents such as Jeffrey Tambor (Hey Now!), Rip Torn, Janeane Garofalo, Jeremy Piven, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Bob Odenkirk, Jon Stewart, Joshua Malina, Sarah Silverman, a brilliant turn by David Duchovny, and many more great talents.
Though It’s Garry Shandling’s Show is tough to find outside of sporadic bits on YouTube, Shandling closed a deal with HBO just a few days before he died to allow Larry Sanders back on the network, both on air and via HBO Go and HBO Now streaming. Watch the show. It is well worth your time.
Shandling brought a lot of joy to my life. He was a genius. Words cannot express how much I appreciate him and will miss him.
Gary Shandling was funny. But can we please stop using the term genius for anyone who is not one. Please?
You’re a fucking genius.
You’re my hero. OH, wait, what’s that? Hero is overused? I’m running out of dramatic embellishment!
From the Oxford American Dictionary:
NOUN (plural geniuses)
Exceptional intellectual or creative power or other natural ability
An exceptionally intelligent person or one with exceptional skill in a particular area of activity
I’ve never had HBO or Showtime so I didn’t see a lot of his shows but what I did see I thought was brilliant.
Speaking of breaking the fourth wall, George Burns used to do that on The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show back in the 50s. Sometimes he’d turn on a television and watch the show to see what the other characters were up to.
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